rare! A 'dragon sucking water' appears in Singapore's Tuas Port

On October 16, a rare "dragon sucking water" phenomenon occurred in the Tuas Port area of Singapore.

The photographer of the photo said that when he was working in the Tuas Port area at 9:05 that morning, he noticed that the clouds in the sky were low, and suddenly a whirlwind appeared on the land and rolled up the dust, forming a "tornado" that shot straight into the sky. ".

The photographer pointed out that the "tornado" lasted for about 15 minutes. During this period, its huge power also lifted a tennis rack weighing 100 kilograms on the land and dragged it 20 to 30 meters away.

In response to media inquiries, the Meteorological Department under the National Environment Agency of Singapore stated that between 9 and 10 am that day, severe thunderstorms were indeed observed in the waters west of Tuas.

It is understood that a tornado, as a type of cyclone, requires geostrophic deflection to form. Singapore is close to the equator and the geostrophic deflection is small, making it difficult for tropical cyclones to occur. The one in the picture may be a "waterspout" or a "landspout". A spokesman said waterspouts usually last about 10 minutes, but larger waterspouts can last up to an hour.

Waterspouts are rotating columns of air associated with intense thunderstorms over the sea, and the accumulation of moisture from the ocean contributes to the formation of thunderstorm clouds. The spokesman said waterspouts usually go undetected due to their small size. "Waterspouts can dissipate quickly when close to shore or close to land. Although waterspouts are generally weaker than tornadoes, they can also pose a hazard to people engaging in water sports and activities, as well as small boats, and can blow objects away."