What is a water spout?

Question

Is it a tornado over water, or is it like a dust devil, but formed over a body of water, and instead of collecting dirt, it collects water droplets instead? I've heard of them being weak tornadoes, and/or dust devils forming over water. But I'm wondering if their is an exact answer to this?

Answer 1

A true waterspout is NOT a tornado over water.

A waterspout forms under relatively benign convection (garden variety thunderstorms, nonsevere). They form in unstable conditions where there is low level convergence (winds coming together). The clashing of warm and cold air creates what is called vorticity (a measure of spin). The upward motion from the convergence stretches this vorticity and causes it to spin faster (like an ice skater bring their arms closer to their body) and creates the vortex. It is a different process of formation than a tornado.

Analogously, this can happen over land and create a landspout. A landspout is counted as a tornado, though it has a different formation process. This is mostly from the public point of view, since they can cause some damage and appear as a tornado.

If an actual tornado forms over the water, it is referred to as a waterspout as well. However, it is not a true waterspout in its formation.

If a waterspout moves onto land, no matter how it formed, it counts as a tornado.

A dust devil is different from the above. It is a swirl caused from intense heating, is not connecting to a cloud base, and does not need convective clouds to form.

Hope this was helpful!

Answer 2

A water spout is a intense columnar vortex which occurs over water. It is very similar to a tornadoes shape and structure, but collect water instead of dirt and debris. Their winds are not as strong as a tornadoes, and they usually last only from 2 to 20 minutes. For one to form over open water, there needs to be a temperature difference of 16 degrees Celcius (61 degrees fahrenheit) between the lake surface and the air at 5,000 feet.

There are two types of water spouts, tornadic and fair-weather. Tornadic water spouts begin as tornadoes over land (in association with a thunderstorm) and then move over water. Fair-weather water spouts form over water from an unstable air mass above.

Answer 3

A waterspout is an intense columnar vortex usually appearing as a funnel-shaped cloud that occurs over a body of water and is connected to a cumuliform cloud. In the common form, it is a nonsupercell tornado over water, and brings the water upward. Also, it is weaker than most of its land counterparts .Waterspouts exist on the microscale, meaning their environment is less than two kilometers in width. While some waterspouts are strong 'tornadic' like their land-based counterparts, most are much weaker and caused by different atmospheric dynamics. They normally develop in moisture-laden environments with little vertical wind shear along lines of convergence, such as land breezes, lake effect bands, lines of frictional convergence from nearby landmasses, or surface troughs

Answer 4

It is a tornado over water. A dust devil is a really really weak tornado that usually forms in relatively clear air.

From Wikipedia:
"A waterspout is an intense columnar vortex (usually appearing as a funnel-shaped cloud) that occurs over a body of water and is connected to a cumuliform cloud. In the common form, it is a nonsupercell tornado over water, and brings the water upward. Also, it is weaker than most of its land counterparts."

Answer 5

Great question and both cases are true, but a tornado over water is the hardcore definition.

Note for below: dust devils would be in the landspout class.

Definition from the National Weather Service:
In general, a tornado occurring over water. Specifically, it normally refers to a small, relatively weak rotating column of air over water beneath a Cb or towering cumulus cloud. Waterspouts are most common over tropical or subtropical waters.

The exact definition of waterspout is debatable. In most cases the term is reserved for small vortices over water that are not associated with storm-scale rotation (i.e., they are the water-based equivalent of landspouts). But there is sufficient justification for calling virtually any rotating column of air a waterspout if it is in contact with a water surface.

Answer 6

It's a tornado over water.Their just as strong as a tornado over land. If the water spout hits land it can become a tornado.

Answer 7

It is a tornado over a body of water! Ive seen one from a distandce, its pretty cool....fish fall everywhere...hahahaha

Answer 8

Tornado that forms on a lake or a ocean