Through this video, I learned that a waterspout (water tornado) can be as dangerous as a tornado (over ground) if it makes a landfall in a populated area.
This video is impressive and shows a waterspout jumping on the ground and traveling a few meters in direction of the recorder… Scary movie!
What is the difference between a tornado and a waterspout?
The difference between a waterspout and a tornado is that a tornado is on land a waterspout is over water.
Waterspout off Key West, Florida, USA – September 6 2013
As Defined by the National Weather Service:
Waterspout
A violently rotating column of air, usually a pendant to a cumulus or cumulonimbus cloud, over a body of water with its circulation reaching the water. In the summer and spring, these phenomena are usually “tornadoes over water” that have been generated by thunderstorms. In the fall months, these most often begin as cold air funnels, being generated by a cold air mass passing over much warmer waters. Such waterspouts are generally much less intense than tornadoes and usually dissipate upon approaching shore.
Waterspout galveston texas september 7 2013
Tornado
A violently rotating column of air in contact with the ground and extending from the base of a thunderstorm. A condensation funnel does not need to reach to the ground for a tornado to be present; a debris cloud beneath a thunderstorm is all that is needed to confirm the presence of a tornado, even in the total absence of a condensation funnel. It nearly always starts as a funnel cloud and may be accompanied by a loud roaring noise. Tornadoes are classified by the amount of damage that they cause.
