A waterspout outbreak over the Great Lakes is forecast to continue through Friday, and we’ve already seen some amazing funnels develop.
A rare “sextuplet” waterspout formation – six funnels snaking between the clouds and the water’s surface – was spotted on Lake Erie on Tuesday off Long Point, Ontario in Canada, according to the Toronto-based International Centre for Waterspout Research.
You can see the video of the rare sextuplet waterspout at the link here.
The six sister spouts were among at least 8 waterspouts spotted on Lake Erie on Tuesday, the research agency said. In our current outbreak, nearly all of our Great Lakes could see these whirling funnels of air and mist develop. The current forecast shows they are more likely to spin up over Lake Michigan, Lake Huron, Lake Erie and Lake Ontario.
When cool air moves over warm waters, fair weather waterspouts can form. These are often weak and short-lived, but boaters should always avoid them.NOAA
Why the waterspout outbreak now? The weather conditions are perfect, with colder air blowing over the comparatively warmer surface water of the Great Lakes.
MLive Chief Meteorologist Mark Torregrossa has explained the set-up for these water funnels, and why fall can be prime time to see them.
“The perfect set-up for multiple waterspouts is a very cool blast of air from the northwest, a cold front and an upper-level low pressure system. Each of these ingredients has their own special part in forming a waterspout.
“A waterspout forms when cold air at 5,000 feet up and higher moves over the Great Lakes region. The large temperature difference between the air aloft and the … surface water creates an unstable situation.
“In weather, unstable means the air aloft is heavy and wants to fall to the ground. The warm air at the water surface is light and wants to be higher in the atmosphere. The two air masses get on the move, going lower with the cold aloft and higher with the warmth at the surface. As the air switches places, a rotation can also start.”
The video below shows the Great Lakes waterspout forecast for the next couple of days:
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