A waterspout whirls over Montreal on Wednesday. (Claude Soucy)

Two large waterspouts were visible over Montreal Wednesday as a severe thunderstorm approached the island.

The storm could generate wind gusts as high as 90 km/h, hail, thunder, lightning and heavy rain, according to a severe weather warning from Environment Canada.

The weather agency confirmed the first waterspout formed in Montreal's east end at about 1:15 p.m. ET on Wednesday in the St. Lawrence River, near Montreal's South Shore.

A second waterspout formed around the same time about 70 kilometres northeast of Montreal, Environment Canada said.

A waterspout is a whirling funnel-like column of vapour and water that forms between a cloud and the earth's surface. It usually is weaker than a tornado, and usually occurs in tropical regions but can form in other coastal areas of the world.

Dozens of people reported seeing the phenomenon on Wednesday.

On the South Shore, several motorists on Highway 132 stopped their cars near the Louis-H. Lafontaine tunnel bridge to watch the waterspout.