Waterspouts Seen Off East End Yesterday
Some of the Newport to Bermuda race sailors, as well as local comet sailors, were greeted with a few waterspouts off the East End of Bermuda yesterday afternoon [June 18].
Bermuda Weather Service Meteorologist Michelle Pitcher said, “Waterspouts are not uncommon in the summertime. They are referred to as funnel clouds when they do not reach the water and are only waterspouts when they actually reach the water’s surface.
Photo taken off Cooper’s Island yesterday:
Ms Pitcher continued on to say, “They are usually short lived features and we are not always able to observe them. These summertime waterspouts are usually associated with showers, not severe weather.
“We did have a line of showers set up 50-100 km to our southeast today and they most likely were the cause of the funnel cloud and then subsequent waterspout formation.”
On Sunday afternoon the Bermuda Weather Service issued a Severe Weather Warning, and warned of “possible squalls and funnel clouds.”
