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Waterspout watchers report over 2 dozen sightings on Great Lakes | TribLIVE.com
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Waterspout watchers report over 2 dozen sightings on Great Lakes

Megan Swift
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A waterspout is seen as it dissipates on Lake Pontchartrain, as storm clouds enter the area in New Orleans, Tuesday, July 12, 2016.
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A waterspout spins over the Mediterranean Sea, near the southern city of Sidon, Lebanon, Thursday, Jan. 12, 2006.
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In this Saturday, June 27, 2015, photo, a waterspout spins near boaters on the Kaneohe Bay Sandbar near Kaneohe, Hawaii.

Waterspouts appeared over the Great Lakes over the weekend, including Lake Erie, according to reports.

The International Centre for Waterspout Research, a nonprofit that monitors the phenomenon, reported 23 waterspouts over Western Lake Erie and four over Eastern Lake Ontario on Sunday.

A waterspout is a spinning column of air and water mist above bodies of water, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. They can resemble funnels.

The ICWR said there’s a slight chance waterspout activity could continue on the Great Lakes into Monday, according to the Detroit Free Press.

Waterspouts tend to form on the Great Lakes from August to October, the National Weather Service said, and last from about two to 20 minutes, moving along at speeds of 10 to 15 knots.

The two types are tornadic waterspouts or fair-weather waterspouts, NOAA said, the Free Press reported.

Tornadic waterspouts move from land to water or form over water, often with severe thunderstorms, and typically feature high winds, hail and lightning, NOAA said.

Megan Swift is a TribLive reporter covering trending news in Western Pennsylvania. A Murrysville native, she joined the Trib full time in 2023 after serving as editor-in-chief of The Daily Collegian at Penn State. She previously worked as a Jim Borden Scholarship intern at the Trib for three summers. She can be reached at mswift@triblive.com.

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