Bizarre Weather Phenomenon Spotted Off New York Coast

A waterspout is a rotating funnel that touches down over a body of water. Some waterspouts are simply tornadoes that didn't form over land, though these can move ashore and cause heavy damage. Others are known as fair weather (or, non-tornadic) waterspouts, which can appear even on days with in severe weather in the area.

But while most waterspouts are reported off the coast of southern states like Florida, others areas like the Great Lakes can see their share of them as well. Meteorologists says this can happen when cold air pours down over the warmer waters. But can more than one of spinning water funnels touch down at the same time?

Bizarre Weather Phenomenon Spotted Off New York Coast

WROC reports that not one, but almost three waterspouts touched at the same time on Sodus Bay on Lake Ontario Tuesday morning. The footage shows two waterspouts on the lake, while a third comes very close to touching down as well.

Three waterspouts appearing like this at the the same is rare, says weather experts.

NOAA says that while tornadic waterspouts develop downward in a thunderstorm, a fair weather waterspout develops on the surface of the water and works its way upward.

The NWS says that fair-weather waterspouts are usually small and cause no danger. They often form along "dark flat bases of a line of developing cumulus clouds", and are not associated with severe thunderstorms, unlike regular waterspouts, says NOAA.

Record Year For Tornadoes in New York State 

2024 was a year for tornadoes that the state of New York has never seen before. Over the summer, the National Weather Service spent weeks surveying a record number of tornadoes that struck the week of July 15, including a very powerful EF-2 tornado that completely devastated parts of Rome, NY.

Those storms came only a week after the effects of Hurricane Beryl moved though the Northeast, which spawned a number of tornadoes across the state in early July.

See Also: Where in New York State Are You Most Likely To Be Hit By a Tornado?

The National Weather Service says July 2024 set an all-time record for tornadoes in New York for one month alone. New York state set all-time record for tornadoes in one year, with 32 so far reported in 2024.

See Also: Unusual Phenomena Videoed On Lake in New York State