The Tribune

By RICARDO WELLS

A WATERSPOUT spotted off the northeastern coast of New Providence this week, which tried to form a tornado over land, sparked alarm among local schoolchildren, raising the question of what people should do to safely avoid them.

The recent sporadic weather, with hot sunny days interspersed with drenching rain, has brought a number of waterspout sightings.

On Wednesday afternoon, Andy Knowles, the national swimming coach, was alerted to a “huge” waterspout off Fox Hill. “I was at St Anne’s School coaching swimming and saw the funnel trying to form into a tornado on land,” Mr Knowles said. “Kids were on the field and all over the place and everyone started screaming and running, but to where? I just think we, as Bahamians, don’t know what to do if a tornado is sighted. Should the schools have at least a plan? They do fire drills.”

Michael Stubbs, chief climatological officer with responsibilities for the forecast office in the Department of Meteorology, said most Bahamians know what waterspouts are, but don’t fully understand exactly what these “dangerous tornado-like” elements are.

“Waterspouts are similar to tornadoes over water,” Mr Stubbs said. “Waterspouts are generally broken into two categories: fair weather waterspouts and tornadic waterspouts. Tornadic waterspouts are simply tornadoes that form over water, or move from land to water. They have the same characteristics as a land tornado. Fair weather waterspouts are usually a less dangerous phenomena, but common over South Florida’s coastal waters from late spring to early fall. The term “fair weather” comes from the fact that this type of waterspout forms during fair and relatively calm weather, often during the early to mid-morning and sometimes during the late afternoon.”

Mr Stubbs suggested that the best way to avoid a waterspout is to “move at a 90-degree angle to its apparent movement.” He warned never to move closer to investigate it. He said that some waterspouts can be just as dangerous as tornadoes.

He offered four tips:

• Listen for special marine warnings about waterspout sightings broadcast on local ​​​​radio stations.

• Watch the sky for certain types of clouds. In the summer, with light winds, look for a possible waterspout underneath a line of cumulus clouds with dark, flat bases. Any time of the year, a thunderstorm or line of thunderstorms, can produce very intense waterspouts.

• If a waterspout is sighted, immediately head at a 90-degree angle from the apparent motion of the waterspout.

• Never try to navigate through a waterspout. Although waterspouts are usually weaker than tornadoes, they can still produce significant damage to you and your boat.

Fair weather waterspouts are small and extremely hard to detect on radar. In fact, even radars equipped with Doppler wind detection capabilities have had little to no success detecting fair weather waterspouts.

“Despite having the name ‘fair weather’ waterspout, this phenomenon does pose a danger,” Mr Stubbs said. “The main threat is to people on the water. Boaters, swimmers and beach goers should stay well away from these storms.”

He added: “Despite usually having winds below hurricane strength, they are capable of capsizing boats and tossing dangerous projectiles into the air, posing a threat to those who remain outdoors when they move ashore.”