Beachgoers at Sentosa get surprise sighting of a waterspout
By Pearl Forss, Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 13 August 2006 1939 hrs
A waterspout - commonly known as tornadoes over the sea - has been spotted off the coast of Sentosa, spooking many who were spending a lazy Sunday on the beach.
Our reporter spoke to many eyewitnesses on the great storm that came and went in the blink of an eye.
Sunny clear skies turned dark and stormy in less than 3 minutes at around noon on Sunday off Siloso Beach, according to eyewitnesses.
"It was very sunny, then we walked to the café here to have lunch, then the clouds start to form very dark and I saw something very black that form from the sky and it drops all the way down to the sea and after that it starts spinning and when it spin, it gets very big. I've never seen that before," said one eyewitness.
"What we thought was a small typhoon started forming, and once it was formed, everybody was moving towards it and the swimmers were running out of the water because the current was pulling them along. Water was being sucked up like a vacuum from the typhoon," said another.
Instead of seeking shelter, tourists and locals ran to the beachfront and started to take pictures.
The water spout lasted less than 5 minutes.
It also rained for a little while then it was calm again.
The National Environment Agency said intense thunderstorms were the cause of the phenomenon.
Waterspouts are similar to tornadoes - both are formed by air rushing into an area of low pressure, such as when cold air rushes into an area of warm air.
As the air converges, strong convection currents are formed and a funnel starts to form at the surface of the sea and extends vertically.
The water column in a waterspout is not drawn up from the sea but is caused by the condensation of water vapour around the low-pressure centre.
The average diameter of a waterspout is 50 metres and it has average wind speeds of up to 150 kilometres per hour.
Despite its appearance, water spouts in general are not dangerous.
This is because it dissipates as it grows closer to the shore as moisture is being cut off.
But while it is safe for people on shore, waterspouts can cause considerable damage to small boats. -
