Waterspout sighted off Singapore's east coast

A waterspout has been spotted at about 2.30pm yesterday from the eastern parts of Singapore. The phenomenon lasted for about 15 minutes & can be seen in several areas including Chai Chee, East Coast Park, Suntec City and Potong Pasir. The National Environment Agency (NEA) said intense thunderstorms were the cause of the phenomenon.

Waterspout is a small weather phenomenon usually observed under cumuliform clouds during intense weather conditions associated with thunderstorms. Due to the lower pressure conditions under the clouds in such conditions, one or maybe two columns of water can be sucked towards the base of the clouds giving the traditional picture of a funnel, and as such waterspouts are sometimes also called funnel clouds.

An average diameter of a waterspout is 50 metres and it has average wind speeds of up to 150 kilometres per hour. Waterspouts are known to dissipate rapidly near the coast and are not expected to cause other danger to lives and property on land besides the usual dangers associated with thunderstorms. Waterspouts usually occur in water in the tropics.