Residents of the Shetland Islands, located in the North Sea between the United Kingdom, Iceland and Norway, captured images of a waterspout passing through a blizzard last Tuesday (7/3).
Terrestrial cyclones are similar in appearance, occur in aquatic areas and generally have a shorter duration than those formed on land. According to Metzul’s explanation, this rare formation is the result of an encounter between cold air and warm water off the British coast.
Through social networks, Scottish farmer Michael Peterson witnessed the phenomenon while tending to his sheep this week. See:
Called “snownatos” – a portmanteau of the words snow and tornado -, snow eddies are rare because they depend on very specific weather scenarios:
A cold air mass moving over a relatively warm surface warmed by sunlight;
A gathering of air currents to form the classic circulation of a hurricane;
Or, a sudden change in wind direction or speed.
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Jane Austen is a writer and contributor covering culture, literature, lifestyle, and society. Her work focuses on thoughtful storytelling, social trends, and the issues shaping everyday life, delivering engaging and accessible content for readers across the United Kingdom.
