Mr. George William Omony, a meteorologist working at Uganda National Meteorlogical center speaking at the Uganda media center has explained the recent phenomenom that occurred on Lake Bunyonyi in south western Uganda.
In a video that circulated widely on social media, a waterspout is seen on the shores of lake Bunyonyi during a heavy downpour. The video left many in shock and awe amid speculation of what might have caused the previously unseen occurrence raising more fears about climate change and its effects.
In a statement by mr Omony, “On Earth, the common weather phenomenon include wind, cloud, rain, snow, fog and dust storms. Less common events include natural disasters such as waterspouts, tornadoes, hurricanes, typhoons & ice storms. What happened at Lake Bunyonyi on 21st January, 2019 is none other than a waterspout not a tornado”.
“A waterspout is a small diameter column of rapidly swirling air in contact with a water surface and are closely related to other atmospheric phenomenon such as a tornado”.
“An average waterspout would be around 50 meters in diameter and its associated wind will move at an average speed of about 40-50 miles an hour (64-80 Km/hr).
The lifespan of a typical waterspout is on average 5-10 minutes but occasionally a large waterspout may persist for up to one hour”.
A waterspout is more than likely to stay on the water and be typically harmless. However, sometimes a waterspout may transcend over to land & turn into a full scale tornado that can run havoc on lives and property.