Waterspout

A tornado's aquatic cousin, spinning over open water/Weather & Climate

A waterspout is a columnar vortex that forms over a body of water, essentially a tornado over water. Fair-weather waterspouts form from the surface up in relatively calm conditions and are common in the Florida Keys, where up to 500 are observed per year. Tornadic waterspouts, by contrast, form from severe thunderstorms and can be as dangerous as land tornadoes. Most waterspouts last 5 to 10 minutes and dissipate when they make landfall. Despite their dramatic appearance, fair-weather waterspouts are generally weak, with wind speeds around 30 m/s.