New world record smashes previous record, 232 waterspouts over the Great Lakes

Digital WritersThe Weather Network

Published on Oct. 5, 2020, 11:08 PM

Waterspouts require warmer waters and cold air aloft, a combination that has certainly been prevalent over the past week.

From September 28 - October 4th, 232 waterspouts/funnels were sighted over the Great Lakes, according to International Centre for Waterspout Research.

This is the world record for the highest recorded number of waterspouts over the Great Lakes during a 7-day period.

This smashes the previous record of 88 waterspouts, that took place from August 16-18, 2020.

Here are some areas that accounted for the 232 waterspouts:

WHAT'S WITH ALL THE WATERSPOUTS?

"Warmer-than-normal lake temperatures due to a very hot July, combined with cool temperatures and light winds are the perfect atmospheric conditions for many waterspouts to form," explains Weather Network meteorologist Melinda Singh.

Waterspouts are the most common during late summer early fall, when the lake temperatures are still relatively warm, meaning the recent outbreak is happening right on schedule.

These are the basic ingredients that lead to the formation of a waterspout:

IN VIDEOS: WATERSPOUTS HIT THE GREAT LAKES