Cool WWII era waterspout image

[Bill Hark]

I found this image by accident while searching for waterspout images/video from the Mid-Atlantic. It's pretty cool.

http://www.photolib.noaa.gov/historic/nws/wea00344.htm


Bill Hark

 

[Jason Persoff]

Nice find Bill ...

Given the collar and the intensity of what appears to be wide area circulation (as best as can be determined), this appears to be a waterborne tornado as opposed to a waterspout.

Very cool.

 

[Darren Addy]

I can find no definitions differentiating between "waterborne tornado" and waterspout. All waterspouts are waterborne tornadoes, aren't they?

Cool image!

PS... here's one that harassed a boat race in Sydney in 2002

Darren Addy
Kearney, NE

 

[Kevin Myatt]

I'm sure he means that it looks like a true supercell-spawned tornado that happened to touch down on water as opposed to the typical thin, relatively weak waterspouts that form from thundershowers or even modest cumulus clouds along the coast.

Cool images, nonetheless.

 

[Steve Miller TX]

There is a difference between a landspout and supercell tornado, right? It's almost the same type of distinction in the two photos above.

In alot of the Florida and east coast waterspout pics and video I've seen, the are slender, fairly weak and protruding from a rather flat and smooth cloud base and even elevated abit by comparison. They often form under towering cumulus, showers, and weak/moderate thunderstorms similar to landspouts. The dynamics are different than that of supercell/meso spawned tornadoes.

These two photos are pretty clear to me that they are supercells and the Sydney event was absolutely a supercell without a doubt...complete with golfball hail and other winds that assaulted them. They definitely look like strong tornadoes to me....but over water.

Now, I know that this all is going to lead into a battle of symantics and definitions both old and new. I think that the parent storm structure for the "waterspout" needs to be clearly distinguished as these two photos do. In that regard, we should distinguish the type of "waterspout" it is. Perhaps we need to create a new definition for water-born supercell tornadoes and call them "waternados" or "wetnados" or "aquanados" or "H2Onados" or "Seanados"....LOL

 

[Glen Romine]

While there has been interest in trying to quantify the parent storm type for tornadoes, no such effort has ever been started for waterspouts. By definition, a tornado must be in contact with the ground - water doesn't count - so there is no such thing as a tornado over water. If the surface circulation of a tornado crosses over a lake - it is a waterspout during it's transit of the lake, regardless of whether it is spawned from a supercell or not. Same would go for other bodies of water.

Glen

 

[Steve Miller TX]

And as Glen fires the first shot, let the battle of symantics and definitions begin! LOL!!

 

[Karen Politte]

I think there's a definite, conclusive difference in types of waterspouts. Personally, I hate the term waterspout because even if you have a major mesocyclonic F-5 wedge and it just happens to wander over somebody's backyard pool - it seems to instantaneously become a waterspout. A rose by any other name......

But anyway - it interests me. I think that WWII "waterspout" picture at the top here is quite spectacular - and to me there is no question that THAT is a major mesocyclonic tornado at work there - just so happens it's over water.

Differences can be drawn between these types of waterspouts, and the Floridian-esque type of waterspouts - which seem much more high-based and are not necessarily associates with deep wall clouds etc. It's fairly easy to see that waterspouts - like landspouts and tornadoes (or non-mesocyclonic and mesocyclonic tornadoes) - should be at least defined in a more accurate sense. Perhaps mesocyclonic and non-mesocyclonic waterspouts?

I saw a forum someplace several years ago that had a most amazing collection of mesocyclonic waterspout photographs taken just off the coast of Spain. One of them was a bona-fide WEDGE tornado - just off the coast. It was truly remarkable - a storm that would rival ANY of the Great Plains' any day. Actually - if anybody has access to these images and knows what I am talking of - please let me know where I can find them. I lost the link and can't find thiese images any more - they were fairly recent.

KR

 

[rdale]

"let the battle of symantics and definitions begin"

No battle - he's just wrong ;> A supercell tornado that crosses a body of water is still a supercell tornado. What happens when the tornado crosses a river? Or small lake? Using "semantics" the tornado track would need to be stopped and then a new tornado would start on the other side. In the meantime you would clear the tornado warning for those 15 seconds and issue a Special Marine Warning???

- Rob

 

[James Siler]

Wow and all Bill wanted to do is show us a neat picture. I think it is cool looking. The oneon the Sydney boat race was also cool!

 

[Steve Miller TX]

Originally posted by Karen Rhoden

I saw a forum someplace several years ago that had a most amazing collection of mesocyclonic waterspout photographs taken just off the coast of Spain. One of them was a bona-fide WEDGE tornado - just off the coast.

I think I found it....pretty cool images!

http://www.doncactus.com/tornado/tornado01.shtml

In particular, here is the "wedge" over water:

http://www.doncactus.com/tornado/tornado16.shtml

 

[Karen Politte]

Originally posted by Steve Miller TX+--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Steve Miller TX)</div>

<!--QuoteBegin-Karen Rhoden

I saw a forum someplace several years ago that had a most amazing collection of mesocyclonic waterspout photographs taken just off the coast of Spain. *One of them was a bona-fide WEDGE tornado - just off the coast. *

I think I found it....pretty cool images!

http://www.doncactus.com/tornado/tornado01.shtml

In particular, here is the "wedge" over water:

http://www.doncactus.com/tornado/tornado16.shtml[/b]

Oh hell yea! Thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That must've been a truly once-in-a-lifetime amazing storm. It's great to see a European storm rivalling what we see over here..... :wink: Just it doesn't happen that often......

KL

 

[Craig Maire II]

Very nice/ominous tornadic water spout Bill! Definitely would have wanted to sail clear of that one!