Fishhead LSU Fan Purvis, MS Member since Jan 2008 4419 posts
re: Anyone seen a Water Spout before? (Posted on 5/9/12 at 5:21 pm to ottothewise)
quote:
water spout = tornado
there is no difference, at all, in any way, shape or form.
Not so fast.
There are tornados, waterspouts, fair-weather waterspouts', and 'landspouts'. Some waterspouts are indeed just tornadoes over the water...by any definition of tornado, because those waterspouts are associated with mesocyclone bearing supercell t-storms. But others are fair weather waterspouts not associated with a t-storm or mesocyclone at all. Same thing with landspouts...they aren't associated with mesos.