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Waterspouts are often thought to be less "deadly" than tornadoes because there is not really any property for them to pick up/destroy: They generally are not carrying gigantic amounts of debris to cause destruction, and hardly any human lives are at risk.
However, they ARE tornadoes - just on water- They have "deadly" winds (think about how heavy all that water is).
While fair-weather waterspouts rarely produce winds over 70 mph, tornadic waterspouts can be just as strong as any tornado.
Wiki User
∙ 10y ago
Wiki User
∙ 9y agoThey can be. The typical "fair weather" waterspouts are weaker than ordinary tornadoes, but can still capsize small boats. They will occasionally come on shore and cause damage, but usually do not last long afterward. Tornadic waterspouts are essentially ordinary tornades that happen to be on water. These are more dagerous that fair weather waterspouts ast they are just as strong as tornadoes on land.
Wiki User
∙ 12y agoWaterspouts are dangerous because they can swallow up boats going over seas with cargo and if the boats are going over warm water, then it would be a high risk. If it is cold water that the boat is going over, it wouldn't be dangerous at all. They wouldn't get hurt, just only if they went over warm water. That answer your question?
Wiki User
∙ 14y agoYes! It is best to avoid waters if there is a warning in the area. Waterspouts can destroy and damage ships. They have been cause people's ships were destroyed because of waterspouts. Waterspouts can be dangerous for swimmers, ships, and even planes.
Wiki User
∙ 10y agoWaterspouts are primarily a danger to boaters as they can capsize small boats. Waterspouts can also occasionally move onto land and cause damage. However, they are usually not as strong as ordinary tornadoes and so damage is usually minor.
Wiki User
∙ 8y agoNo. Ordinary tornadoes are usually more dangerous. Most waterspouts form by a different mechanism from tornadoes. They are weaker and rarely come on land, and dissipate quickly if they do.
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Why are tornadoes becoming more dangerous for humans?
With increasing population growth and suburban sprawl there is more opportunity for tornadoes to kill people can cause major damage. The tornadoes themselves are not becoming stronger or more dangerous. In fact, the number of strong tornadoes in the United States has actually decreased in the past 60 years.
How many tornadoes happen in the UK?
The majority of UK tornadoes are not recorded. So most statistics on the number of recorded tornadoes in the UK are usually around 70. Most UK tornadoes happen in the countryside (so don't get noticed) and are very small (usually). It is common belief that more tornadoes happen in the UK than in the US (tornado ally included) - Although US tornadoes are way bigger and stronger than those in the UK and so more are likely to be noticed and therefore recorded. Tornadoes in the UK usually happen in the summer when the weather conditions are right.
Do tornadoes occur in the winter?
That usually is a factor in tornado development but more is needed. When warm and cold air collide this is usually called a front. Thunderstorms can develop along these fronts, but most never produce tornadoes. In order to produce a tornado a storm must rotate. This rotation usually comes from something called wind shear. Even then, most storms like this don't produces tornadoes. Why some do and some don't is the subject of ongoing research.
Do tornadoes occur more in the morning or the evening?
More in the afternoon because that is when the air is warmest and thus has the most energy to power storms.
What happens to a waterspout when it hits land?
None really. A waterspout occurs on water and a landspout is essentially the same thing on land. Though a smaller percentage of waterspouts are actually classic supercell tornadoes on water.
Which is more dangerous tornadoes or waterspouts?
Tornadoes are generally more dangerous as they are stronger than waterspouts.
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.
Can water tornadoes be dangerous or make F5 or EF5 tornadoes?
Waterspouts can be dangerous but it would be very unusual for one to reach EF5 strength. There are two types of waterspout: tornadic waterspouts and fair weather waterspouts. Fair weather waterspouts are the more common variety by far. They form from convection over a warm body of water. They are weaker than true tornadoes, rarely exceeding EF1 strength. They rarely cause damage, but they can be dangerous to people in boats. Tornadic waterspouts are simply tornadoes that happen to be on a body of water. They can be just as strong and just as dangerous as regular tornadoes. One reaching EF5 strength would still be unusual. EF5 tornadoes are rare as it is. It so happens that the regions (at least in the U.S.) where violent tornadoes are most common don't have many large bodies of water. Occasionally, though, a violent tornado has crossed a lake or river and briefly become a waterspout of sorts.
Is a tornado dangerous?
All tornadoes are dangerous. Wedge tornadoes are usually stronger and thus more dangerous than smaller tornadoes, though this is not always the case.
Why do waterspouts wedge tornadoes and rope tornadoes different from tornadoes?
"Rope" and "wedge" are just terms to describe the appearance of a tornado; they are not distinct phenomena. A rope tornado is a tornado that has a very narrow, often winding appearance. Tornadoes often go through a rope stage as they dissipate. A wedge is a very large tornado that appears wider than it is tall. Such large tornadoes are often strong. Waterspouts come in two varieties. Tornadic waterspouts are simply tornadoes that happen to be on water. Fair-weather waterspouts, which are more common, are a product of small-scale convection rather than rotation in a severe thunderstorm. These waterspouts are generally much weaker than ordinary tornadoes but they can still be dangerous to boaters.
Is a wedge tornado dangerous?
All tornadoes are dangerous. Wedge tornadoes are usually stronger and thus more dangerous than smaller tornadoes, though this is not always the case.
Is a waterspout tornado greater than a regular tornado?
No. Waterspouts are generally weaker than normal tornadoes, usually equivalent to no more than a low EF0 tornado.
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..
Are the water spouts a warning of a tornado?
There are two types of waterspout, tornadic waterspouts and fair-weather waterspouts. Tornadic waterspouts are exactly the same as ordinary, supercell-spawned tornadoes except for the fact that they occur on water. Fair-weather waterspouts are a different matter. Instead of forming from the mesocyclone of a supercell they form when the water surface is warmer than the air above, when this meets vorticity near the surface a circulation may start to form, and then connect to a developing thunderstorm's updraft, or the updraft of a cumulus congestus cloud. In short these waterspouts form mostly from the ground up whereas ordinary tornadoes form from the cloud base down. Additionally, fair-weather waterspouts are generally weaker than supercell tornadoes, with winds not usually exceeding 70 mph. They usually dissipate if they hit land. However, there is a variety of tornado that occurs on land, often called a landspout or non-supercell tornado. These tornadoes are similar in structure and formation to fair-weather waterspouts. They are generally weaker than ordinary tornadoes but have been known to reach high F2 or even low F3 intensity.
Are tornadoes more dangerous than hurricanes?
In short, tornadoes are more violent than hurricanes and usually produce more severe damage, albeit over a much smaller area.
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.
Can waterspouts form over swimming pool?
Not really. Waterspouts require a much larger body of water to form, such as a lake. However, there are land based cousins of waterspouts called landspouts. In structure they are more like waterspouts than normal tornadoes. It is possible for one to strike a swimming pool, but it would be purely coincidental.
