A waterspout was sighted in the waters off Marine Parade in Singapore from 2.20 to 3 pm today and could be seen from as far away as the high rise offices in the central business area. AsiaOne reader Jagan thought it was a tornado. The IT business development manager spotted the “tornado” from his office at Suntec City Tower One and quickly snapped it with his digital camera.
He said the weather was cloudy but not rainy then and the phenomenon lasted for two to three minutes and vanished as suddenly as it appeared.
The Meteorological Services, in a statement, said it was a waterspout. One or two such sightings take place in an average year, it said, pointing out that last waterspout was seen last August.
Waterspout is a small weather phenomenon usually observed under cumuliform clouds during intense weather conditions associated with thunderstorms. Due to the lower pressure conditions under the clouds in such conditions, one or maybe two columns of water can be sucked towards the base of the clouds giving the traditional picture of a funnel, and as such waterspouts are sometimes also called funnel clouds.
In waters off Singapore, waterspouts have short life cycle of few to tens of minutes. Speed of movement of the waterspout over water ranges from a few to up to 15 knots.
Waterspouts are known to dissipate rapidly near the coast and are not expected to cause other danger to lives and property on land besides the usual dangers associated with thunderstorms. Waterspouts usually occur in water in the tropics, said the Meterological Service.
More images after the jump.
Link & Image: Asiaone
Tags: Watersprout
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