Environment

The Great Lakes Could See a 'Waterspout Outbreak'

Ghostly, seaborne twisters are in the forecast into the weekend.

Four waterspouts spin over Lake Huron near Kincardine, Ontario, in 1999.NOAA

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October 16, 2015 at 8:00 AM EDT

Residents of the northern Great Lakes recently have been watching something much better than TV: Dark waterspouts spinning into waves as if drilling for sturgeon and bloater.

The spout-fest hasn’t yet reached the intensity of others in 2003 and 1999 (pictured above), but it’s certainly something to behold. The International Centre For Waterspout Research predicted such an event on Wednesday, calling it a potential “outbreak” that could last for days. Warmer colors in this graphic show where seaborne twisters have a better chance of materializing:

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