It's Raining Fish and Spiders (5 page)

Waterspout: Cousin to the Tornado

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration/Department of Commerce; Photographer: Steve Nicklas

A waterspout is a tornado over water. Waterspouts are common along the southeast U.S. coast—especially off southern Florida and the Keys—but they have been seen as far north as New York City, over the Great Lakes, and even off the coast of California. In one season, as many as 390 waterspouts were observed within 50 miles of the Florida Keys, making them far more prevalent than previously thought.

Waterspouts occur over seas, bays, and lakes worldwide. Although waterspouts are tornadoes, they don't officially count in tornado records unless they hit land. Waterspouts commonly come from rapidly growing cumulus clouds that have not and often do not become thunderstorms. Waterspouts are smaller and weaker than the most intense Great Plains tornadoes, but still can be quite dangerous. They can cause the same type of damage as an EF0 or an EF1. Waterspouts can overturn small boats, damage ships, do significant damage when hitting land, and kill people.

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration/Department of Commerce

What Is the Difference Between a Tornado Watch and a Tornado Warning?

A tornado watch means that approaching weather
may
produce a tornado. In a tornado watch, you need to be alert to the fact that the weather conditions are favorable for the formation of tornadoes. You need to be prepared to go to a safe shelter or other place of safety if tornadoes do happen or if a warning is issued. This is the time to turn on local TV or radio to get the latest information. You should also make sure your friends and family are aware of the potential for tornadoes in the area.

Once the outline of a watch area is defined by the NWS Storm Prediction Center, a list of counties within the watch area is posted to make sure residents and travelers understand exactly which counties are possibly in the path of a future tornado. These watch areas are shown on television by a meteorologist or weathercaster, and the counties are named in a special weather bulletin on radio and television. Many television broadcast or cable channels will scroll the names of the counties across the TV screen in what is called a
crawl
.

Tornado Warning

A tornado warning is issued when a hook echo is indicated on weather radar. A hook echo is produced when rain, hail, or debris is wrapped around a super cell, indicating that the hook echo that has been sighted could potentially drop down to the ground and become a tornado.

A tornado warning is also issued when an official weather spotter (someone who is trained to detect a tornado with the human eye) sees a funnel cloud and alerts local authorities such as police, sheriff, fire department, or the local National Weather Service office. It can take only a few moments between a funnel cloud being sighted on radar and a tornado touching down. By the time a warning is heard on radio or seen on television, the tornado may already be on the ground.

It's important to know the details and find out if your county is in the watch area. Have a plan and be ready to act if and when a tornado warning is issued.