Waterspout Forms Over Lake Superior

Eric Chaney
Published: October 15,2015

A waterspout formed over Lake Superior Thursday afternoon.
(MDOT/Creig Lambert)

A waterspout was sighted over Lake Superior Thursday afternoon, east of Marquette, Michigan. Reports on social media show a thin column of water several miles offshore.

A waterspout sighted on Lake Superior, Thursday, October 15.
(Instagram/Beth Roberts)

“A dip in the jet stream is causing cooler air to move across the Great Lakes,” said weather.com meteorologist Quincy Vagell. “As the cold air moves over the comparatively warm water, it creates an unstable environment.”The National Weather Service office in Marquette issued a tornado warning at 2:42 pm for East Central Marquette county, confirming the waterspout offshore near Harvey, 3 miles southeast of Marquette.
The NWS reported a second waterspout in Michigan at 4:40 pm, this time on Lake Huron near the town of Huron Beach.
(MORE: 6 Things You Don't Know About Waterspouts)
The combination of cool air and warmer water leads to vorticity, the same spinning motion found in tornadoes. Waterspouts are actually considered to be tornadoes, simply called waterspouts when over water.
"Waterspouts are actually quite common in the Great Lakes in the fall," said weather.com meteorologist Jonathan Erdman.
(WATCH: Waterspout Hits Mail Truck On Tampa Bay Bridge)
Waterspout season for the Great Lakes begins in July and lasts until late summer or early fall, says Wade Szilagy, director of the International Centre for Waterspout Research.
“But waterspouts can happen during the day or night and anytime during the year.”
MORE: Great Lakes Waterspouts