Weather Watch:  Waterspouts

There are two kinds of waterspouts: tornadic and fair-weather.
Tornadic waterspouts occur when a tornado over land moves over water,
whereas fair-weather waterspouts form over water.  Tornadic
waterspouts tend to be more violent and long-lived than fair-weather
waterspouts.  The Florida Keys and the Gulf of Mexico coast are the
most common locations for waterspouts, although they have also been
reported over the coastal waters of the Atlantic and Pacific, Great
Lakes, Great Salt Lake, and Lake Tahoe.  Waterspouts can happen
anytime, but tend to occur in the afternoon and early evening from May
to October.  Warm water temperatures favor the conditions that produce
fair-weather waterspouts.  More information and pictures of
waterspouts can be found at <http://www.cimms.ou.edu/~schultz/c-k>.

-David Schultz, NOAA/National Severe Storms Laboratory