whirlwinds and waterspouts

[matty40s]

moored up in lovely sunny Loughborough today, I've been down to Pillings lock to pick up some boaty bits, and all was calm. There were a couple of us boaters painting bits and some families from houses on the off side enjoying the waterfront.

About 3 pm, the breeze picked up suddenly, it became extremely windy very quickly.

Suddenly, dust, rubbish and leaves were being lifted up in a whirlwind, it moved over the water and a small waterspout formed, moving across the canal. The family opposite grabbed their little ones and moved up the bank.

It seemed to reach the other bank and disappear, however, was still very windy and the dust was still flying round in circular movements, it then moved towards the bridge.

The boat two down from me had a big red umbrella over the cruiser stern area, this was sucked vertically up about 300 feet and then stayed there for several minutes in the same place. It then drifteddown over the other side of the basin.

5 minutes later all was still and hot again, I have never seen anything like it before, I have seen strange weather conditions, but not out of a clear blue sky and with no logical or meteo reason before.

Did anyone else see anything strange today, or has anyone else seen something like this before?

[Steilsteven]

moored up in lovely sunny Loughborough today, I've been down to Pillings lock to pick up some boaty bits, and all was calm. There were a couple of us boaters painting bits and some families from houses on the off side enjoying the waterfront.

About 3 pm, the breeze picked up suddenly, it became extremely windy very quickly.

Suddenly, dust, rubbish and leaves were being lifted up in a whirlwind, it moved over the water and a small waterspout formed, moving across the canal. The family opposite grabbed their little ones and moved up the bank.

It seemed to reach the other bank and disappear, however, was still very windy and the dust was still flying round in circular movements, it then moved towards the bridge.

The boat two down from me had a big red umbrella over the cruiser stern area, this was sucked vertically up about 300 feet and then stayed there for several minutes in the same place. It then drifteddown over the other side of the basin.

5 minutes later all was still and hot again, I have never seen anything like it before, I have seen strange weather conditions, but not out of a clear blue sky and with no logical or meteo reason before.

Did anyone else see anything strange today, or has anyone else seen something like this before?

 

Had a similar experience here at our moorings at Burghfield a couple of years ago. Started much as you described and travelled along the water for the length of the moorings and then crossed to open land opposite where it did a circuit picking up dust. Absolutely amazing.

 

Never got a camera when you need one!

 

Keith

[fender]

Many years ago whilst boating past the Braunston Banks a very large tornado was seen crossing the fields near Wolfhampcote. It was so near, I could see stuff being sucked up its twisting funnel. I was very concerned at being so close to it as a narrowboat isnt exactly a means of getting away fast. Feared the twister might bisect the canal but it veered south west and faded.

 

PS I was too nervous to even think about getting the camera out!

 

(edited to correct mis-grammar)

Edited July 31, 2011 by fender

[WotEver]

Aliens.

 

More seriously, in a TV programme about Tornados a while back they did in fact state that this country has more tornados than any other country in the world; but they're mostly tiny little ones as described here.

 

Tony

[nicknorman]

moored up in lovely sunny Loughborough today, I've been down to Pillings lock to pick up some boaty bits, and all was calm. There were a couple of us boaters painting bits and some families from houses on the off side enjoying the waterfront.

About 3 pm, the breeze picked up suddenly, it became extremely windy very quickly.

Suddenly, dust, rubbish and leaves were being lifted up in a whirlwind, it moved over the water and a small waterspout formed, moving across the canal. The family opposite grabbed their little ones and moved up the bank.

It seemed to reach the other bank and disappear, however, was still very windy and the dust was still flying round in circular movements, it then moved towards the bridge.

The boat two down from me had a big red umbrella over the cruiser stern area, this was sucked vertically up about 300 feet and then stayed there for several minutes in the same place. It then drifteddown over the other side of the basin.

5 minutes later all was still and hot again, I have never seen anything like it before, I have seen strange weather conditions, but not out of a clear blue sky and with no logical or meteo reason before.

Did anyone else see anything strange today, or has anyone else seen something like this before?

Its just what we glider pilots call a thermal. Sun heats ground, ground heats air next to ground, air rises a bit but is contrained by difficulty of getting anything to replace it (a bit like surface tension on a bubble in liquid) then bubble of hot air breaks away from ground and starts to rise. Although it starts to cool as it rises, if it continues to be surrounded by cooler air it continues to rise. Air gets sucked in near ground level to replace it. Because of rotating spherical earth, air does not flow straight in but circulates like water going down the bathplug, picking up speed. Air continues to rise until it meets air that is warmer than it is, typically many thousands of feet up. This may or may not form a cloud, depending on the humidity of the air. So in summary its the replacement of the rising air, and the propensity of the inflowing air to circulate round the "missing" air rather than flow straight in, that causes these effects. Not really a tornado since that generally requires the greater vertical extent and additional instability caused by cloud forming. Its commonly known as "dust devil" especially in hotter countries than UK. Due to the large volume of air involved, the effect has a lot of power, it can effortlessly raise my glider with me in it (450kg or so) and a number of other gliders in the same thermal, at maybe 900'/min (10 mph straight up) on a good day.

 

Alternatively it might be the work of aliens

 

Nick

[Tiny]

One rare warm day I was working in our field when bits of cut hay started falling from the sky. There is no hay cut for miles around yet floating south-west over our field was a slowly spiralling column of hay. You could catch up with the column from which odd bits fell as it moved on across the field and feel it as a very soft warm breeze lowly cirling in a 10' circle with hay bit stretching up into the sky marking the position of the column. How far it had come I don't know but it went on its way dropping hay over the next field leaving a trail of the stuff behind it. I seem so natural yet weird if you thought about it.

[LoneWolf]

moored up in lovely sunny Loughborough today, I've been down to Pillings lock to pick up some boaty bits, and all was calm. There were a couple of us boaters painting bits and some families from houses on the off side enjoying the waterfront.

About 3 pm, the breeze picked up suddenly, it became extremely windy very quickly.

Suddenly, dust, rubbish and leaves were being lifted up in a whirlwind, it moved over the water and a small waterspout formed, moving across the canal. The family opposite grabbed their little ones and moved up the bank.

It seemed to reach the other bank and disappear, however, was still very windy and the dust was still flying round in circular movements, it then moved towards the bridge.

The boat two down from me had a big red umbrella over the cruiser stern area, this was sucked vertically up about 300 feet and then stayed there for several minutes in the same place. It then drifteddown over the other side of the basin.

5 minutes later all was still and hot again, I have never seen anything like it before, I have seen strange weather conditions, but not out of a clear blue sky and with no logical or meteo reason before.

Did anyone else see anything strange today, or has anyone else seen something like this before?

 

ooooo that sounds like a portal opening and closing

 

Aliens.

...

 

or (cyborg) visitors from the future

 

I'd be very wary of anyone who takes everything you say literally & uses archaic words