Waterspout — Vermilion To Avon Point Oh, Lake Erie

2021-08-01 · near Avon Point, Vermilion To Avon Point Oh, Lake Erie

Event narrative

Video of three waterspouts accompanying a line of showers and thunderstorms just offshore Shell Cove Park in Sheffield Lake, OH.

Wider weather episode

A surface low moved from northern Lake Huron during the predawn hours of the 1st to eastern Lake Ontario by early afternoon. This allowed the trailing cold front to sweep southeastward across Lake Erie during the midmorning through late morning hours. Isolated to scattered showers and thunderstorms developed amidst weak to moderate MUCAPE and effective bulk shear along and ahead of the front. Some of the cells were accompanied by waterspouts. Horizontal wind shear along the cold front and downshear gust fronts generated surface-based vertical vorticity. In turn, the waterspouts likely formed as updrafts ingested the surface-based vertical vorticity and stretched it to greater strength.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (41.4964, -82.0889)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 976059. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.