Violent Waterspout?

[Andrew Pritchard]

Check out this warning text...

http://kamala.cod.edu/offs/KEYW/0506101129.wfus52.html

* AT 718 AM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A VIOLENT WATERSPOUT 8 MILES SOUTHEAST OF ISLAMORADA...MOVING NORTHWEST AT 40 MPH. IF THIS STORM HOLDS TOGETHER...IT MAY CROSS THE ISLANDS AS A TORNADO.

 

[Philip Flory]

I noticed that this morning too. Not sure if they had confirmed confirmation the waterspout was "violent" or if they just included the wording due to the nature of a tropical system being responsible.

 

[Ben Cotton]

This probably goes back to something I've heard Doswell discuss (I'm sure he's got in on his website somewhere, if I felt motivated enough to look for it.) A tornado over water is a tornado over water, not a waterspout. True waterspouts are more akin to dust-devils than tornadoes. (Doswell -- IMO Skywarn Advanced Spotter Seminar, March 2003). I would argue that the report is more accurately of a violent tornado which happens to be located over the water as opposed to a waterspout.


$0.02,
Ben

 

[Kevin Bowman]

This probably goes back to something I've heard Doswell discuss (I'm sure he's got in on his website somewhere, if I felt motivated enough to look for it.) A tornado over water is a tornado over water, not a waterspout. True waterspouts are more akin to dust-devils than tornadoes. (Doswell -- IMO Skywarn Advanced Spotter Seminar, March 2003). I would argue that the report is more accurately of a violent tornado which happens to be located over the water as opposed to a waterspout.
$0.02,
Ben

Well even doppler radar cant tell if a Tornado is "violent" maybe they were using the term because it was a actual tornado and not your run of the mill waterspout

 

[Ben Cotton]

Well even doppler radar cant tell if a Tornado is "violent" maybe they were using the term because it was a actual tornado and not your run of the mill waterspout

Thats what I was saying...

I would argue that the report is more accurately of a violent tornado which happens to be located over the water as opposed to a waterspout.

The word "waterspout" should not, IMO, have been involved in the first place.


Ben

 

[Nick Smith]

FYI: the storm did appear to be a supercell on the Key West (BYX) radar.

I agree with the "tornado over water" vs "waterspout" in this case. Aren't special marine warnings issued for cases where true waterspouts are being reported?

 

[Kevin Koivula]

you would think with all the lakes here in Minnesota, we would see more water spouts....but i guess out of the few twisters that we do get per year....it doesnt happen :cry: