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Waterspouts and how they form

Posted at 4:29 PM, Aug 03, 2016
and last updated 2016-08-03 16:38:51-04

Have you ever seen a waterspout? What is it? A waterspout is a small, relatively weak rotating column of air over water beneath a towering cumulus cloud. That’s according to the National Weather Service.

Waterspouts form when sunshine heats shallow water near the coast. Warm, moist air rises quickly to form storms clouds. Easterly winds add to spin in the updraft.