At around 11am Tuesday, a water spout developed near St. Ignace in the straits of Mackinac.
The funnel passed just north of Mackinac Island.
Water spouts develop similarly to Tornadoes but over water, though they can form over land and move over the water. To form there needs to be cold air aloft and warmer air at the surface. The cold air is thanks to an upper level low known as “cold lows” they develop in the mid to upper atmosphere.
When cold air moves across the Great Lakes it can result in large temperature differences between the warm water and the overriding cold air. Most water spout funnels can last from a few minutes to about half an hour. They move at about 10 to 15 knots. Water Spouts can creates funnels which contains an intense vortex, and sometimes they can be destructive.
