The meteorological phenomenon of waterspout

Lately we have been constantly seeing pictures and videos of waterspouts on the internet. The closest example is the waterspout that happened on Tuesday 30th of January, in the Vrysoudia area of ​​Protaras.

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In this article, we will analyze the weather phenomenon and will show you more things about it. To begin with, the waterspout is a natural phenomenon that appears on days with great heat and humidity as a "storm cloud", which ends up on the surface of the sea. The main cause of this phenomenon is the large temperature difference between water surfaces and upper atmospheric layers. Many of the scientists believe that this is due to global warming.

Did the waterspouts appear recently?

Since the ancient times we know about the creation of waterspouts, as the ancients believed that they were demonic elements and a kind of punishment of the gods. Aristophanes in his play "The Frogs" mentions a demon who fought the Gods using a siphon. In Byzantium, there are a number of manuscript references to columns of water that caused destruction to ships and ports in the Mediterranean, while from the end of the 19th century artists of Venetian-occupied Greece painted landscapes with siphons, mainly over the sea.

Which are the differences between a waterspout and a tornado?

Although they have several similarities with tornadoes,namely siphons over land, they most often have different mechanisms of formation. Tornadoes are created by cumulus clouds (dense and voluminous clouds) in which, when special weather conditions prevail, to wit a sharp drop in temperature with height and strong or gale-force winds low in the troposphere, sharp siphons are produced on land. Μost of the waterspouts are equally produced by cumulus clouds. However, the ideal conditions for their creation are the prevalence of weak winds low, near the surface of the water, especially after the end of the rainfall. Of course, there are also waterspouts, which are stronger (but also extremely rare) and are called "intercyclonic waterspouts".

In which speed do waterspouts range and how long can they last?

Usually the waterspouts move at a low speed, around 10-20 km/h, following the average flow of the winds, as well as the path of the cloud from which they are produced, and it is not necessary that they act in tandem with precipitation or any electrical activity. Their duration varies from a few seconds to 30 minutes, and if they form near the coast they can turn into tornadoes, but they weaken quickly.

Can we predict the arrival of the upcoming waterspout?

An easy way to spot an upcoming waterspout in an area is to watch the clouds at a low high. More specifically, in order to cause a waterspout, it is necessary to observe clouds in the shape of a funnel or proboscis in combination with the turbulence of the water surface and the simultaneous reduction in the height of the base of the clouds. Waterspouts can appear in pairs ("twins of waterspouts") or even in large numbers at once ("waterspouts family").