Waterspout

A waterspout is an intense columnar vortex (usually appearing as a funnel-shaped cloud) that occurs over a body of water, connected to a cumuliform cloud. In the common form, it is a non-supercell tornado over water.^[1] While it is often weaker than most of its land counterparts, stronger versions spawned by mesocyclones do occur.^[2][3] Waterspouts do not suck up water; the water seen in the main funnel cloud is actually water droplets formed by condensation.^[4] While many waterspouts form in the tropics, other areas also report waterspouts, including Europe, New Zealand, the Great Lakes and Antarctica.^[5][6] Although rare, waterspouts have been observed in connection with lake-effect snow precipitation bands.
Waterspouts have a five-part life cycle: formation of a dark spot on the water surface, spiral pattern on the water surface, formation of a spray ring, development of the visible condensation funnel, and ultimately decay.