

They've been known to overturn boats, damage large ships, and put lives in jeopardy. Like many forces in nature, waterspouts can be both beautiful and dangerous. Stage 4 is where the waterspout becomes a visible funnel and the lifecycle ends with Stage 2 is a spiral pattern on the water surface Stage 1 is the formation of a disk on the surface of the water, known as a dark spot Research shows that fair weather waterspouts exhibit a five-stage life cycle: The size of all waterspouts can range from just a few feet, to several hundred feet wide. They form only over open water, developing at the surface and actually climbing skyward towards the clouds. They can wreak havoc with high winds, hail, and dangerous lightning.įair weather waterspouts develop in calmer weather. They also form in severe thunderstorms over a body of water. The tornadic waterspouts may often begin as tornadoes over land and then move over water. Scientists that study waterspouts generally put them in two categories: fair weather and tornadic. They've also been seen over the waters of the Great Lakes. They're spotted in the Florida Keys more than any other place in the world. Waterspouts usually develop over warm tropical ocean waters. These eerie columns of rotating air are known as waterspouts - commonly defined as tornadoes over water.

Others can be nearly invisible, like a ghostly spiral of wind skimming the sea surface. They are sometimes seen as threatening funnel clouds descending from stormy skies.
