Waterspouts Spotted Off Fort Lauderdale Beach
FORT LAUDERDALE (CBSMiami) -- Two waterspouts were spotted offshore near Fort Lauderdale on Friday morning.
Chopper 4 spotted the ominous looking spouts dipping down from the clouds east of the beach near Port Everglades.
About 6:45 a.m. the National Weather Service in Miami issued an advisory indicating that a shower system capable of producing funnel clouds was near fort Lauderdale and moving north at about 10 mph.
While the waterspouts look like tornadoes, they are generally much weaker, last for a short time, and unless they move over land, are only dangerous if they happen to pass over a boat.
GALLERY: WATERSPOUTS OFF FORT LAUDERDALE
Unlike tornadoes, waterspouts usually are not connected with thunderstorms, and can develop from ordinary rain clouds.
They generally form and disappear in a relatively small area.
Despite the appearance of the spout, which looks like it is sucking water from the ocean into the clouds, the watery appearance is caused by condensation in the spout. Nothing is sucked up into the cloud, but where it touches the water it can cause turbulence that makes waves and can toss boats around.
Boaters are warned to navigate away from heavy rain where the waterspouts may appear.
