Viral video: Rare elephant trunk-like waterspout appears over sea in Odisha, stuns tourists
Locals and tourists witnessed a rare waterspout near Astaranga coast in Odisha, as a funnel-shaped cloud descended over the sea and formed a swirling vortex.
Viral video: Rare elephant trunk-like waterspout appears over sea in Odisha, stuns tourists | Image: X
A Rare Elephant Trunk-Like Waterspout Emerges From The Sea: Saturday became a memorable day for tourists who visited Astaranga Beach as they witnessed a natural phenomenon formed off the Astaranga coast that looked straight out of a disaster movie. Dark clouds gathered over the sea and shadowed it, then a long, elephant-trunk-like funnel descended from the clouds and touched the water, forming a vortex. According to the Meteorological Department, the natural phenomenon was caused by unstable weather conditions over the Bay of Bengal.
In the local dialect, the natural phenomenon is termed 'Hatisunda' (Elephant's Trunk). According to tourists, dark clouds gathered over the sea and the weather suddenly became stormy. Moments later a long, funnel-shaped column started descending from the clouds towards the sea.
Watch The Viral Video Here
Locals and tourists gathered quickly and started recording the rare event on their smartphones.
Hatisunda
The formation of the natural phenomenon resembled an elephant's trunk, this is the reason why locals refer to it as Hatisunda in the regional dialect. People could see water swirling beneath the funnel, which created a vortex on the sea surface. The rare sight immediately gathered tourists' attention.
What Is A Waterspout?
In meteorological terms, the natural phenomenon is called a waterspout. It is a powerful rotating column of air that usually forms over sea, oceans and lakes. It occurs when warm and moist air interacts with an unstable atmospheric environment under storm clouds.
This kind of natural phenomenon occasionally occurs over the Odisha coast during atmospheric instability in the Bay of Bengal.
The weather department issued an advisory for fishermen to remain alert when such a system begins to form at sea.
IMD Weather Forecast
The weather department on Monday said that thunderstorms and gusty winds are expected across several parts of Odisha over the next five days. The sudden change in weather is being linked to a low-pressure system which is developing over the Bay of Bengal.
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