Waterspouts Research Paper

A waterspout is a tall rotating column of air that is connected to a cumuliform cloud over a large body of water such as the ocean or lake. Waterspouts can sometimes be dangerous to ocean vessels, especially when the waterspouts are of the supercell variety. Waterspouts of the supercell variety share the same formation as the land tornado. Waterspouts not of the supercell variety can start off on the ocean and then move onto land, this can become dangerous if the weather allows the waterspout to gain momentum and develop into a tornado. A waterspout is created by a convergence of light winds, land breezes and ocean breezes (Kelly, 2015). As these breezes converge, the warmer air gets pushed upward and sometimes that air can start to rotate causing a funnel or waterspout. There are two types of waterspouts that can form: the fair weather waterspout, and the tornadic waterspout. …show more content…
Fair weather waterspouts are generally much smaller than the average tornado, typically ranging anywhere between 3 and 100 meters wide. Fair weather waterspout are not as strong or intense as regular tornadoes and are slower, typically lasting 10 to 15 minutes, some fair weather waterspouts can last an hour. Fair weather waterspouts typically form during fair and relatively calm weather and occur either in the early morning or afternoon. Fair weather waterspouts generally form along the dark flat bases of cumulus clouds mostly over warm tropical waters, much like the waters that exist at the Florida Keys. The Florida Keys experience about 100 waterspouts each month during the