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And just after midday today this peculiar sight was brought to our attention hovering over the coastline near ButtonWood Bay.
It's a Water Spout and according to Forecaster Tariq Mathews from the National Met service, it's normal to see them at this time of year. He gave us more details today.
Tariq Matthews, Forecaster, Met Service
"Well a water spout is nothing new it is a phenomena that does not occur all the time so when the public gets to see it or when some people get to see it they are fascinated about it no, but basically a water spout is a whirling column of air it's a swirling column of air. Basically it has the same characteristics of a Tornado on land which is usually associated with strong winds dangerous lightning and large hail. In this canario it has high seas it was churning around high seas. Basically there are two types of water spouts, one called the tornadic water spout which is associated with severe thunderstorms and the other is associated with fair weather. And that one that occurred near Buttonwood that was associated with fair weather that was a fair weather waterspout basically. Which forms from the dark flat bases of developing cumulus so."
"Well the first thing you should do is avoid it no because like I said before it is similar to a tornado on land so it produces strong winds and in the case of thunderstorm activity you know lightning and so forth so I would I advise them to either go around it or avoid it on a whole."
