SANDWICH — It may have looked more like Kansas than Massachusetts Tuesday near the Cape Cod Canal.
Several people took photos and videos of what appeared to be tornadoes touching down on the water at various locations including near the Bourne Bridge and all the way to Town Neck Beach in Sandwich.
But, despite reports to the contrary, they were not tornadoes, according to weather experts. At least not yet.
These were waterspouts, which are like cousins to the destructive vortex of rotating winds known as tornadoes, according to the experts.
A waterspout is a whirling column of air and mist occurring over the sea or other bodies of water, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. They can be as powerful as tornadoes.
“Waterspouts and tornadoes are closely related, just not exactly the same,” said Lenore Correia, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Norton.
The waterspout would have had to touch down on land for it to be considered a tornado, Correia said.
The National Weather Service told the Times on Wednesday that they don’t have official confirmation of a tornado on the Cape at this time.
“We are not aware of a tornado in Sandwich yesterday,” the weather service wrote in a message. “We are aware of a waterspout. That could change if definitive information comes in that proves otherwise.”
by Jason Kolnos (2018, October 24) Cape Cod Times
