Residents of Ashdod, a small Israeli port in the Mediterranean, were surprised to see a large waterspout swirling in the open sea approaching them.
The latter formed in the sea as the rain fell on the city.
Although it got closer to land, the phenomenon did not cause any damage.
See also Sea waterspout, flooded tunnels… The spectacular images of thunderstorms in Corsica
A waterspout is a tornado occurring on water, it may be marine
(on the sea or the ocean) or lake (on a lake or a water reservoir).
Equally impressive, this phenomenon is nevertheless to be distinguished from most tornadoes that can be experienced in the United States, for example.
The waterspout is caused when several factors are combined, especially when there are fairly large contrasts in air and water temperatures.
Waterspouts are quite common in temperate coastal areas during thunderstorms.
They usually only last about ten minutes and are less violent than land tornadoes.
If, on the water, they rarely do damage, when they arrive on the coast, they can destroy many trees in their path.
