Multiple waterspouts spotted spinning near Spanish island; Twitterati goes gaga over viral video

Madrid, Sep 20: The video of four giant waterspouts off a Spanish island has been doing rounds on various social media platforms for sometime now. Waterspouts are whirling columns of air and water mist and could be likened to water tornadoes.

While waterspouts may be relatively uncommon, but what made the recent sighting all the more incredible was the simultaneous occurrence of four such spouts in a matter of five minutes.

As per a local Spanish news outlet, Majorca Daily Bulletin, these waterspouts developed after storms hit various parts of Mallorca on Friday.

The footage was captured from a sailboat off the island of Mallorca and was shared on Twitter by a username @ScottDuncanWX on Friday. Netizens are understandably in awe of the incredible spectacle.

What is a waterspout?

Waterspouts fall into two categories: fair weather waterspouts and tornadic waterspouts.

According to US National Ocean Service, a Tornadic waterspouts are tornadoes that form over water, or move from land to water. They have the same characteristics as a land tornado. They are associated with severe thunderstorms, and are often accompanied by high winds and seas, large hail, and frequent dangerous lightning.

Fair weather waterspouts usually form along the dark flat base of a line of developing cumulus clouds. This type of waterspout is generally not associated with thunderstorms. While tornadic waterspouts develop downward in a thunderstorm, a fair weather waterspout develops on the surface of the water and works its way upward. By the time the funnel is visible, a fair weather waterspout is near maturity. Fair weather waterspouts form in light wind conditions so they normally move very little.