Waterspouts and Lake Effect Rain Possible Today

This morning up on Lake Michigan you may be lucky enough to catch a quick glimpse of a waterspout, or you may get impacted by a stray lake effect rain shower. Both of these weather phenomena’s you won’t hear us talk about much, but they are something we deal with every once in a great while here in Michiana. Why is that?

This time of year we get occasional surges of cold air southward over the warm Lake Michigan waters. As this happens there is a big temperature difference over a small area, causing an increase in rising motion and turbulence in our atmosphere. This rising motion coupled with moisture can create those lake effect rain showers and waterspouts.

How long will you have to catch a glimpse of any of these waterspouts? Anytime during this morning and early afternoon. Winds need to remain out of the north and cooler air needs to hold in place. If you don’t get a chance to catch one today, there will likely be a few more chances heading into fall.