Waterspouts Spotted Off Miami Beach
MIAMI BEACH (CBS4) – Two waterspouts were spotted Monday morning off Miami Beach.
Chopper 4 spotted the ominous looking spouts dipping down from banks of rain about five to six miles off the beach around 44th Street.
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.
Click here for a slideshow gallery of the waterspouts off Miami Beach.
Unlike tornadoes, waterspouts usually are not connected with thunderstorms, and can develop from ordinary rain clouds, as appeared to be the case Monday. 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.
