Waterspout

weather · ocean · spinning storms

Two different types. There are two kinds of waterspouts. The most common type is a weak, fair weather waterspout that forms gently. The rarer type is a real tornado that happens to be spinning over water instead of land.

Five-step life cycle. A fair weather waterspout goes through five stages: a dark spot appears on the water, then a spiral pattern forms, then a spray ring rises up, then you see the funnel cloud, and finally it falls apart and disappears.

Usually no water sucked up. Waterspouts look scary and dramatic, but most of them don't actually suck up water like you might think. The spinning air stays mostly in the air above the water.

Happens over water. Waterspouts only form over bodies of water like oceans, lakes, or seas. They need the special conditions that water creates to spin and stay organized.