The twister, measuring between 100 and 200 metres across, hung suspended from an enormous band of storm clouds at about 6.10pm.

The funnel started building in intensity as it moved closer, touching down in several paddocks just outside of residential areas.

Resident and long-time weather enthusiast Clyve Herbert was outside of his Townview Court home, taking photographs of the unusually large clouds when he first noticed the tornado.

``I was shocked to see it, I've seen funnels in Geelong but this was completely unexpected,'' he said.

``It got thicker and thicker as it moved across and it touched the ground several times, it was amazing.''

Mr Herbert quickly grabbed his video camera and recorded the dramatic scenes unfolding in the skies above his home.

An experienced storm spotter for the Bureau of Meteorology and a member of the Australian Severe Weather Association, Mr Herbert was stunned by the size of the funnel and quickly contacted the bureau.

``I have travelled tens of thousands of kilometres to chase storms and I've never seen anything like this, it landed right in my backyard,'' he said.

``If it had hit a built up area it could potentially have been quite serious.''

Remarkably the tornado and the heavy rains and strong winds that accompanied it left locals unscathed. The funnel, part of a large storm sweeping across the bay, struck only isolated areas and the SES received no calls for assistance.

The storm, Geelong's fourth in the past nine days, prompted the bureau to issue a severe storm warning for Port Phillip Bay and parts of Melbourne.

That warning was later withdrawn as the storm moved out into the bay and weakened.

Yesterday's wild weather was not Geelong's first such incident. A small funnel was spotted over Geelong in October last year and in 1926 several people were killed and buildings were destroyed when a large tornado struck Highton.