(Cleveland) - A new record was set on Lake Erie last weekend. 181 waterspouts were spotted over the great lake, more than doubling the previous record of 82 set in October 2020. According to Wade Szilagyi, Director of the International Centre for Waterspout Research, the aquatic phenomenon occurs when the temperature of the water stays warm late into the season, and a stream of very cold air originating in Canada moves over the warm water, resulting in extremely unstable conditions which are conducive to a waterspout outbreak.
Szilagyi also said that there were probably a lot more waterspouts on Saturday than observed because they happen at night, too, but are not counted because no one can see them. He estimates there could have been as many as 300 that day.
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