Streams on Lake Michigan; A swirling column of air, enticing fog
Swelling on the banks of Racine
Water on the banks of the Racine River captured by FOX6 News viewer Tom Van Eps.
Milwaukee – Spots of water were seen over Lake Michigan on Wednesday morning, September 13
A waterspout is a swirling column of air and water mist and often occurs over the Great Lakes in August, September, and October when the water is at its warmest level of the year.
Sign up today: Get daily headlines, breaking news emails from FOX6 News
How waterspouts form
A swell occurs when cold air moves over a lake causing a large temperature difference between the warm water and the overriding cold air. They can last a minute or two or 20 minutes or more — and move slowly at 10 to 15 knots.
Download for free: Get breaking news alerts in the FOX6 News app for iOS or Android
Watersheds fall into two categories:
- Fair weather streams Typically developing cumulus clouds form along the dark flat base of a line. This type of watershed is not usually associated with thunderstorms. A fair weather aquifer forms at the surface of the water and works its way up. By the time the funnel is visible, a fair weather reservoir is nearing maturity. Fair weather waterspouts form in light winds, so they usually move very little.
- Tornadic currents Downward development into a thunderstorm.
How to form a reservoir
People living along the shores of Lake Michigan may have seen one of the few bodies of water that formed on Wednesday, September 13, 2023. How is a reservoir formed? FOX6 meteorologist Stephanie Barrichello provided an explanation.
Although Wednesday morning’s swells were associated with some thunderstorm activity, they resembled fair weather over the watershed due to calm, non-severe conditions.
If a tornado moves ashore, the National Weather Service issues a tornado warning, as some of them can cause significant damage and injury to people. Generally, fair weather water spouts dissipate quickly when they make landfall and rarely penetrate inland.
