Giant waterspout spotted near the coast of Mauritius

© Delphine Hugounenc

Waterspout

A giant waterspout has allegedly been observed at La Preneuse beach on Friday 6th of March. The sighting of the meteorological phenomenon is attributed to Delphine Hugounenc, a French woman who has settled down in Mauritius for two years now.

Delphine Hugounenc related that she was at the public beach of La Preneuse with her family on the 6th of March. Around 16h00, something bizarre caught her attention. According to her, she saw a waterspout over the sea. When she pointed it out to a friend of hers, they were both shocked at such a sight. Delphine Hugounenc also admitted that on seeing the phenomenon, a feeling of insecurity swept over them.

When this was narrated to forecaster Vimal Mungul, he explained that waterspouts appear as a consequence of the formation of cumulonimbus clouds; active clouds accompanied by thunder are behind the strange occurrence. He also added that waterspouts are not considered to be dangerous. However, one should always be careful and not approach the region where they are seen.

Generally, waterspouts resemble funnel-shaped clouds over water bodies; they are connected to the cumulonimbus clouds. They are known to form mostly in tropical and sub-tropical areas.