Nearly a dozen waterspouts were seen Friday off the coast of the Magdalen Islands. The spectacular weather phenomenon, comparable to a tornado and rare at this time of year, is generally harmless.
Many Magdalen Islanders and vacationers still looked with some fear at these waterspouts that appeared during the afternoon.
“The first one we saw scared us, because it was the first time we had seen that,” said witness Karine Champagne. “A second one came out right next to it! We were impressed. There were some that appeared and disappeared almost immediately.”
The show lasted about an hour. In total, about ten waterspouts were spotted.
These waterspouts are harmless if you stay away from them, unlike tornadoes which are accompanied by large storm cells. The power of this swirling column of water can still cause damage to boats that approach it.
Marc-André Bourgeois-Gaudet from the Magdalen Islands was at sea when he saw these huge filaments emerge from the water. He must have passed close to the waterspout twice. “The thunder was also very loud, but the most impressive thing was the torrential rain that came out of it. I had never seen rain like that before,” he told the Duty. “I didn’t stay to see how it would turn out. I hurried back to the dock.”
Waterspouts form “often” in the Great Lakes, more rarely in the Atlantic, and especially later in the fall, says Environment Canada meteorologist Simon Legault.
The cold air that has enveloped Quebec in recent days is responsible for the somewhat unseasonable phenomenon, according to him. “The water is relatively warm. The water has been warming up all summer and the cold air that is arriving in the region is creating this instability.”
Most of the water that a waterspout projects is formed of non-salty water contained in the clouds or caused by condensation. A little sea water is projected upwards, but very little and only at the foot of the column, adds the expert. These waterspouts quickly lose intensity if they touch land, which does not seem to have been the case Friday in the Magdalen Islands.
This story is supported by the Local Journalism Initiative, funded by the Government of Canada.