What is a waterspout and what would happen if an object or even a person was to get caught in it?
In: Physics
They are a weaker tornado like vortex that develops over water. The word is often sometimes used for over-water tornadoes, but most water spouts are not the same thing, and also don’t require a severe thunderstorm to generate. They are usually significant weaker than tornadoes, not exceeding EF0, so they likely wouldn’t blow you over quite like a tornado, but they could potentially still capsize a boat or force you into the water.
There are videos on youtube of boats going near or into them, if you are interested.
A waterspout is like a tornado, but over water. I’ve seen one before, and it’s really freaking weird.
First, you’ll see a cloud getting a spike coming down out of it, which looks strange, because clouds are something you never think of as spikey. Then you’ll start to see the water below have a spike coming up out of it, which is even weirder as water is something you never think of as “spikey” either. Eventually the two will touch, and you have a waterspout.
The one I saw was in about the year 2000 when crossing the Howard Franklin bridge in Tampa. It traveled across the bridge and that broke it up and it dissipated, but it was one of the strangest things I’ve ever seen.
Latest Answers