Waterspout near Peshawbestown

    

Visibility was near zero today as parts of Grand Traverse and Leelanau counties got socked with snow. But some people near Suttons Bay got to see a winter waterspout form over Grand Traverse Bay.

James Lawson took these shots behind the casino near Peshawbestown.

It was an unusual sight Saturday afternoon, amid the lake effect snow storm.

Some who saw the pictures on social media were calling it a “snow tornado.”

Water spouts can form over big bodies of water in the winter. The conditions need to be right, with colder air blowing over the warmer water beneath it, creating instability. Add some rotation to this warm air rising, and you’ve got a water spout.

Waterspout