Did you see it too? Possible waterspout spotted off Sentosa
A staycation at Sentosa turned into an unexpected weather-watching experience when a man spotted what appeared to be a waterspout over Singapore’s southern waters.
Stomper Phadz said he noticed the phenomenon while staying at Shangri-La Rasa Sentosa with his family on June 21.
At about 11.36am, he was looking out from his balcony when something unusual caught his eye.
“At first, it looked like a long white smoke trail stretching from the sea to the clouds above,” he told Stomp.
“Then I realised it was actually moving towards the shore, so I quickly whipped out my phone and started taking photos.”
According to Phadz, the funnel-shaped column appeared to extend from the cloud base towards the water and remained visible for several minutes.
The Stomper said the sighting occurred near Imbiah Lookout, facing Singapore’s southern waters. Weather conditions at the time were cloudy, with apparent thunderstorm activity in the surrounding area.
Phadz did not alert the authorities to the phenomenon. “It happened quite quickly,” he said.
What is a waterspout?
According to the National Environment Agency (NEA), waterspouts are rotating columns of air that descend from the base of thunderstorm clouds.
They are typically short-lived, lasting between 10 and 30 minutes before dissipating, especially when they approach the coast.
NEA said there are, on average, about three waterspout occurrences in waters off Singapore each year.
The agency also advised members of the public who spot a waterspout while out at sea to leave the waters quickly, as waterspouts can move at speeds of up to 80kmh.
Explore more on these topics
See something interesting? Contribute your story to us.
