Hope Karnopp
Conditions are ripe for waterspouts over Lake Michigan through Tuesday, the National Weather Service says.
Waterspouts occur frequently between August and November, according to the NWS, and typically pop up during the afternoon and evening hours. They are common when water temperatures are warm, the air is cold and moist, and wind speeds are relatively light.
"It happens several times a year," said NWS meteorologist Mark Gehring. "You'll get these strong low pressure areas coming out of Canada, and they have very cool temperatures aloft, and you have the warm waters of Lake Michigan."
Rain and thunderstorms are expected on Monday and Tuesday in the Milwaukee area, with colder temperatures in the mid-50s.
Waterspouts are often associated with showers and thunderstorms, Gehring said, but they can also happen with cumulus clouds, which have rising air and updrafts.
Gehring said a slow-moving front that moved through Milwaukee on Sunday was stuck off the shore and started producing funnel clouds, and the NWS received reports of waterspouts.
Waterspouts can move onshore, at which point NWS may issue a tornado warning. Gehring, who has worked at the NWS Milwaukee/Sullivan office for 24 years, can't recall a waterspout ever moving onto land near Milwaukee. About 10 or 15 years ago, he remembered people viewing waterspouts that were close to the Hoan Bridge.
"Most likely, it'll dissipate before it comes on land. But that is possible, if you have enough of an easterly wind," he said.
Waterspouts pose a danger to boaters, who should head at a 90-degree angle from the direction the waterspout appears to be moving.
Sometimes waterspouts are visible from the shoreline. If you see a waterspout, the NWS encourages submitting a report online or posting a photo and tagging them on X or Facebook.
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