A rare double waterspout has formed over the sea off the Italian island of Capri, producing a striking pair of spinning columns of water beneath heavy cloud.

The two funnels appeared on Saturday over Capri's iconic Faraglioni rock formations, the towering sea stacks off the island's southern coast, as dark clouds gathered above. Footage of the phenomenon shows both columns stretching from the cloud base down to the surface of the Mediterranean.

Waterspouts form when winds blowing from opposite directions collide, creating a localised area of spinning air above the water's surface. They are tornadoes over water, and while the fair-weather variety often stays offshore, they can be dangerous to boats and to anyone caught in their path.

No reports of damage or injuries from the Capri funnels were carried in the first reports of the event, and the columns were filmed over open water rather than over land.

A day of wild weather across the Mediterranean

Capri was not the only place to see the phenomenon on Saturday. Footage from the same day shows a triple waterspout near Protaras, on the coast of Cyprus, where local residents watched three funnels form over the sea.

Rising water temperatures in the Mediterranean are increasingly linked to the appearance of waterspouts, which form more readily when warm seas feed moisture and instability into the air above them. The European Severe Weather Database records around 500 waterspout sightings a year across the continent.

Capri, one of Italy's most popular tourist destinations, draws an estimated three million visitors a year, and the Faraglioni rocks are among its most photographed landmarks. The double waterspout formed in full view of the island's coastline.

Second double waterspout in Italian waters in a month

The Capri event came less than a month after a far more destructive double waterspout struck western Sicily on 9 October. That pair of funnels formed over the sea near the port of Marsala before moving ashore, tearing through the city and neighbouring towns including Petrosino and Mazara del Vallo.

At least 10 people were taken to hospital after that storm, including five children, and the tornado flipped cars, tore roofs from buildings and damaged a school. Sicily's civil protection service described the event as almost unprecedented for the island.

By contrast, Saturday's funnels off Capri stayed over the water, and the spectacle was captured on camera as the clouds passed. Waterspouts that remain at sea are a reminder of how quickly Mediterranean weather can turn, even on an island better known for sunshine than storms.