It was a busy start to August with an outbreak of waterspouts over the Great Lakes.

What You Need To Know

  • Up to 52 waterspouts and funnels were spotted

  • At least one caused minor damage 

  • The record remains at 82 from last October

According to the International Centre for Waterspout Research, in total, 52 waterspouts were reported over Lake Erie, Lake Huron and Lake Ontario on August 1. One observer saw up to 30!

A new one-day waterspout record was set on October 1, 2020 with a total of 82.

Onlookers were dazzled by the latest outbreak which frequently occurs starting late summer through mid-fall as the Great Lakes are at their warmest. From August through October, shallower water can rise to 80 degrees, especially in Lake Erie.

 
 

Warming lake temperatures coupled with cooler air from Canada over the weekend help set up the right weather conditions for waterspouts and funnels.

There was at least one waterspout that moved onshore with minor damage reported.

Check out the map below of all the waterspouts from August 1, 2021 from the IWRC.

Did you see a waterspout, your Weather on the 1s team would love to see them! Don’t forget you can submit your photos and videos with us with your Spectrum News 1 app!