Starship Asterisk*

A true waterspout is the analogue of a dust devil, but over warm water rather than land. These were often seen over Lake Erie in late summer during clear days. Pictured here is a tornado over water.

[quote=jmaxey46@att.net post_id=330500 time=1682297145]
Minor detail. Tampa is on the Gulf of Mexico on the west coast of Florida, while the Atlantic Ocean is off the east coast of Florida.
Cheers. Jeff Maxey
[/quote]

Of course, if we want to pick the nits even deeper, the caption doesn't really say that this was on the Atlantic Ocean. And in the big scheme of things, the Gulf of Mexico [i]is [/i]part of the Atlantic Ocean. ;-)

Minor detail. Tampa is on the Gulf of Mexico on the west coast of Florida, while the Atlantic Ocean is off the east coast of Florida.
Cheers. Jeff Maxey

they showed one on TV yesterday! It actually made land and then dissipated! 8-)

So, based on the description at the "featured image" link stating that the funnel spiraled down from the clouds, that this is a true "tornado over water" spout rather than a "fair weather water spout" in which the funnel starts at the surface of the water and develops upward.

[quote="Roger Venable" post_id=330487 time=1682246892]
Why do you call this "Astronomy Picture Of the Day"?
[/quote]

Well as I see it, yesterday was 'Earth Day'. You were supposed to celebrate being on the Earth yesterday. Apparently the executive in charge of choosing the pictures of the day must have forgotten. Too late. He or she slapped their forehead, "OMG! I forgot Earth Day." So .. better a day late than never .. he or she picked an Earth photo for today.

[quote="Roger Venable" post_id=330487 time=1682246892]
Why do you call this "Astronomy Picture Of the Day"?
[/quote]

Because planetary phenomena are part of astronomy, and the closest planet we have to study is our own. Similar weather exists elsewhere in the Solar System.

Why do you call this "Astronomy Picture Of the Day"?

I didn't think you were supposed to drink salt water.

That is terrifying! ...you know thats been close to the last thing some poor persons seen at one point in history, having had no prior knowledge of water spouts, only to see what appears like a monstrous elephant trunk reach from the sky to the water to gobble you up!

...i feel for them, having had their whole world of understanding destroyed in those last fleeting seconds as they're tossed about by this 'thing'!

...if the Matrix movie franchise was a thing back then you can bet conspiracy theories would've been rife with talk about glitches 😂 ...but they had to settle for monsters, which is probably just as interesting

[url=https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap230423.html] [img]https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/S_230423.jpg[/img] [size=150]A Waterspout in Florida[/size][/url]

[b] Explanation: [/b] What's happening over the water? Pictured here is one of the better images yet recorded of a [url=https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/waterspout.html]waterspout[/url], a type of tornado that occurs over water. [url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waterspout]Waterspouts[/url] are spinning columns of rising moist air that typically form over warm water. [url=https://www.weather.gov/apx/waterspout]Waterspouts[/url] can be as dangerous as [url=https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap110814.html]tornadoes[/url] and can feature wind speeds over 200 kilometers per hour. Some [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hN7ug1zoWWE]waterspout[/url]s form away from [url=https://www.nssl.noaa.gov/education/svrwx101/thunderstorms/faq/]thunderstorms[/url] and even during relatively fair weather. [url=https://www.youtube.com/shorts/K7ws_3kypqQ]Waterspouts[/url] may be relatively transparent and initially visible only by an [url=https://s.yimg.com/os/en_US/News/BGR_News/scared-surprised-cat-face.jpg]unusual pattern[/url] they create on the [url=https://climatekids.nasa.gov/menu/water/]water[/url]. The [url=https://www.imaging-resource.com/news/2013/07/11/photographer-captures-incredible-image-of-massive-waterspout-towering-over]featured image[/url] was taken in 2013 July near [url=https://youtu.be/_4unrMjOCUk]Tampa[/url] Bay, [url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florida]Florida[/url]. The [url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlantic_ocean]Atlantic Ocean[/url] off the coast of Florida is arguably the most active area in the world for [url=https://www.naplesnews.com/story/weather/2022/09/01/waterspouts-florida-what-they-and-how-dangerous-they/7952124001/]waterspouts[/url], with hundreds forming each year.


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