About Water Spouts

Waterspouts, as the name suggests, form over water and are characterized in two categories: one tornadic and the other less dangerous and non-tornadic. The tornadic variety is caused by tornadoes that either form over water or form over land and move over water and are quite dangerous, as they would be on land. Non-tornadic waterspouts form in a relatively calm atmosphere in conjunction with cumulus clouds.

Tornadic Waterspouts

• Tornaic waterspouts possess the same characteristics as tornadoes over land and through remarkable to see are quite dangerous. Their vortex of spiraling winds spawn unpredictable swells of sea and frequent lightning. They are most common in the warmer waters around Florida. They are not limited to appearing in the United States, though. They can form most anywhere where waters become warm. Waterspouts reportedly sank five ships in 1885 off the North African Coast.

Non-Tornadic Waterspouts

• Also known as fair weather waterspouts, non-tornadic waterspouts are typically less dangerous and not associated with the other damaging types of weather common with tornadoes. They form during fairly calm weather and are most often sprouted in the early-to-mid morning or late afternoons.

Causes of Non-Tornadic Waterspouts

• No one knows exactly how or why water spouts form (or tornadoes, for that matter). Meteorologists know the conditions under which they form but not exactly how or why. Non-tornadic waterspouts normally form along the flat bases of cumulus clouds as they gather, normally in light winds. Unlike tornadic spouts, which develop in the sky and move downward to the water, non-tornadic spouts develop at the surface of the water and work their way upward. Typically, they move little but have been known to make landfall, causing the same damage a tornado can cause. However, they dissipate quickly.

Sprout in Multiples

• Much like their land-born counterparts, waterspouts are often formed in bunches. Ships at sea have reported seeing as many as 30 in a single day. And like their land-born counterparts, their winds, which can reach 120 miles per hour, have been recorded lifting lizards from the ground and dropping them on Montreal, and showering tadpoles on New York and toads in France.

Safety Tips

• Officials warn those in or around water to listen to weather warnings if spouts have been spotted. The National Weather Service advises that people watch for flat-bottomed cumulus clouds in light winds, particularly from May to September when they most frequently form. If a spout is sighted, move away at a 90 degree direction from the apparent motion of the slow-moving spout and never try to navigate through a waterspout.