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Waterspouts in the U.S. are most common around The Florida Keys and other waters near Florida. They are also not an uncommon sight on the Great Lakes.
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When do waterspouts form?
Waterspouts most often form when storms develop over water that is warmer than the air.
Why aren't waterspouts as powerful as tornadoes?
Most waterspouts form by a different mechanism than the typical tornado. Tornadoes are most often a product of powerful rotating thunderstorms called supercells, the strongest thunderstorms on earth. Most waterspouts don't form from supercells, but are a result of the instability that occurs when cool air moves over warm water, which doesn't provide as much power.
When do waterspouts mostly occur?
Waterspouts most often occur when a relatively cool air mass moves over a warm body of water, resulting in instability. A bit of turbulence near the surface can then give the spin necessary to get waterspouts started.
Are waterspouts usually more dangerous than tornadoes?
No, in fact, they are much less powerful. ----- A waterspout is a tornado that forms over water instead of land. Unless you are on water, in its path, a tornado would be worse, because more people live on land.
How would a watersprout tornado look differerent than a tornado that forms over land?
Most waterspouts have a a more tubelike appearance while most land based tornadoes are more funnel shaped. This has mostly to do with the fact that most waterspouts form and are driven by a different mechanism than most land tornadoes.
Why do waterspouts spin slower than tornadoes?
Typical waterspouts form by a different mechanism from tornadoes. Most tornadoes are produced by the mesocyclone of a supercell, the most powerful type of thunderstorm on earth. By contrast most waterspouts form during non-severe thunderstorms, and can even form from large cumulus clouds. So the reason they are not as strong is simply because they don't have a very strong power source compared with tornadoes. However, sometimes a tornado produced by a supercell either forms on or moves out over water. In such a case it is called a tornadic waterspout.
Could it rain animals?
Yes. There have been reports of animals, most often fish, falling from the sky. Such incidents are generally the result of tornadoes and waterspouts.
What are tornadoes or waterspouts made of?
Tornadoes and waterspouts are essentially spinning columns of wind. Water vapor condenses to form the visible funnel cloud, and dust and debris, or water spray in the case of a waterspout may be lifted into the vortex as well. But for the most part they are made of air.
Are waterspouts larger than tornadoes?
No. Waterspouts are generally smaller than most tornadoes. Though a few are in the same size range that tornadoes typically fall into.
Does Alaska have tornadoes?
They do in the south near Kodak Island, but most are waterspouts.
How are tornadoes and waterspouts different?
There are two types of waterspout: tornadic waterspouts and "fair weather" waterspouts. Tornadic waterspouts are normal tornadoes that form from supercells that happen to be on water. However, most waterspouts are of the "fair weather" variety. These waterspouts are weaker than supercell tornadoes and they typically are associated with developing storms while normal tornadoes are produced by very strong mature thunderstorms. Their formation is more like that of dust devils. They form when a line of developing storms or even cumulus clouds with strong convection move into an environment where the water is warmer than the air. The air just above the surface will be warm and naturally tend to rise. If there is weak rotation near the surface it can be taken up into this updraft and intensify. As this happens the ground level updraft becomes one with the higher-level updraft from the developing storm or cloud and the two joined updrafts enhance one another..
How is a watersprout different from a tornado?
A waterspout is essentially a tornado on water; if one goes on land it is considered a tornado. Additionally, most waterspouts form differently from normal tornadoes. A typical tornado forms from a mesocyclone, which is a large, rotating updraft found in some severe thunderstorms. Some waterspouts, called tornadic waterspouts, form in this way but are rather rare. More common are what we call fair-weather waterspouts, which form when convection caused by cool air passing over warm water interacts with turbulence at the surface. The rising moist air, warmed by the water pulls in slowly rotating air, causing the rotation to stretch upward, tighten, and intensify. Because they do not have a severe thunderstorm to provide energy, fair-weather waterspouts are generally not as strong as ordinary tornadoes.
