Landspout tornado touches down in northern Thailand

This is the moment a huge landspout tornado ripped through field in northern Thailand this afternoon (June 11).

The narrow funnel was seen stretching down from the dark grey storm clouds in Sakon Nakhon province on the border with Laos at around 5pm local time.

Shocked locals watched as the elephant trunk tornado tore through the rice field before slowly dissipating.

Resident Khanti, who recorded the video, said: ''There was a a lot of rain and strong wind all day.

Then there was a thunder storm and that when I saw the tornado.

It lasted for about three minutes.'' The landspout tornado formed while the region experienced tropical thunderstorms and flash floods today, with the country moving into its annual rainy season.

Landspout tornadoes are a type of non-supercell tornado.

They are not as dangerous as supercell tornadoes and they are formed when a vertically spinning parcel of air already occurring near the ground comes in contact with an updraft, that stretches the rotating column.

Waterspouts are similar to landspouts, except they occur over water.