Three waterspouts descend on a Chinese lake at the same time

[Batu69]

Incredible footage shows the rare moment THREE waterspouts descend on a Chinese lake at the same time

• Rare phenomenon was captured on Qinghai Lake in north-west China
• Stunned tourists filmed the multiple rotating columns on Wednesday
• They were caused by temperature difference in waters and air, expert said

 

Tourists in north-west China were treated to a rare phenomenon this week when multiple waterspouts swirled over a lake.

These giant columns appeared to have descended on waters at the same time. At one point, as many as three could be seen rotating in close proximity.

The incredible scenes lasted for five minutes on Qinghai Lake in Qinghai Province on Wednesday, reported People's Daily Online.

Fascinating rare triple waterspouts spotted in China
 

 

Spectacular: Three giant water columns appeared on China's Qinghai Lake on Wednesday

Incredible: Tourists were stunned by the multiple waterspouts that occurred at the same time

The 26-second-long footage was taken by one of the onlookers and was released by China Central Television Station yesterday.

According to eyewitnesses, the spectacle occurred at around 10:30am when clouds suddenly appeared in the skies. 

Onlookers quickly took out their mobile phones to capture the incredible sight.

The meteorological phenomenon is known as 'dragon sucking water' in Chinese.

One unnamed spectator told a reporter from local Xining Evening News: 'The phenomenon suddenly occurred above the calm Qinghai Lake. This is so exciting.

'I have heard of "dragon sucking water" before. I'm so happy to witness the stunning scenes with my own eyes.' 

The waterspouts rotated for around five minutes.

One excited eyewitness said the phenomenon suddenly occurred above the calm Lake

A local meteorological expert said it is not uncommon to see waterspouts above Qinghai Lake

A spokesman from the Hainan Region Meteorological Observatory said that waterspout is a common sight on Qinghai Lake. 

The spokesman said: 'The temperatures above Qinghai Lake have been high recently. When a cold front comes, it's quite normal to see the phenomenon.'

According to the National Ocean Service of the United States of America, waterspouts fall into two categories: the tornadic ones and the fair-weather ones.

Tornadic waterspout are usually accompanied by high winds and seas, large hail, and frequent dangerous lightning. They develop downwards from thunderstorms.

On the other hand, fair-weather waterspouts form along the dark flat base of a line of developing cumulus clouds. They develop on the surface of waters and work their way upwards.

As fair-weather waterspouts form in light wind conditions, they normally move very little.

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