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Funnel cloud, possible waterspout, spotted on Manitoulin Island

Cloud was spotted just before 4 p.m. on July 30 west of Little Current
Sudbury.com Staff
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Facebook user Maggie McMurray posted this image of a funnel cloud on Manitoulin Island to the Ontario Storm Reports Facebook group at around 4 p.m. July 30. She said she spotted it about 10 minutes earlier. She said she was west of Little Current and the cloud was east of her, possibly in the area of Birch Island or Whitefish Falls. Facebook.com / Maggie McMurray

A Facebook user on Manitoulin Island posted an image of a funnel cloud Tuesday afternoon, saying they spotted the phenomenon just before 4 p.m.

Maggie McMurray posted the image to the Ontario Storm Reports Facebook group, saying she was west of Little Current when she spotted the cloud and the cloud was east of her, possibly in the area of Birch Island or Whitefish Falls.

In the comment thread under the post, several people said the cloud appeared to them to be a waterspout.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, waterspouts “fall into two categories: fair weather waterspouts and tornadic waterspouts.

“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,” an explanation posted to the NOAA’s website states.

“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.”

A post made to the Instant Weather Ontario X.com account (@IWeatherON) also calls the Manitoulin Island image a waterspout.

“A landspout/waterspout has been reported near Little Current on Manitoulin Island. These storms are almost stationary,” @IWeatherON’s posted, which was signed by user Brennen, states.“If you are in the path, get to the lowest level (preferably a basement) of a sturdy structure and get to the most interior room that has as many walls between you and the outside as possible. Please be safe in the path of this storm!

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