Waterspout spotted off East Coast beach near Bedok jetty

The waterspout lasted around 10 to 15 minutes. PHOTO: ONG MENG KWANG, IKASHA
Ms Carrie Koh, a reader of The Straits Times, said that she saw the waterspout from her apartment in Bedok at around 7am. PHOTO: CARRIE KOH
Facebook user Anj Arcega Subion also spotted the waterspout from her home in Riviera Residences near Upper East Coast Road at 7:03am. PHOTO: ANJ ARCEGA SUBION

SINGAPORE - Sightings of a waterspout off East Coast Park were reported by several people on social media on Saturday morning (July 10).

Ms Carrie Koh, a reader of The Straits Times, said that she saw the waterspout from her apartment in Bedok at around 7am, in the direction of Bedok Jetty, and posted a picture on social media. The waterspout lasted around 10 to 15 minutes.

Facebook user Anj Arcega Subion spotted the waterspout from her home at Riviera Residences near Upper East Coast Road at 7.03am.

"When I got up this morning and opened the window, it was a bit windy. When I saw the waterspout, I ignored it at first but when I saw it moving, I decided to take a photo," she said.

A waterspout is a rotating column of wind associated with intense thunderstorms over the sea.

It is a short-lived weather phenomenon seen occasionally over Singapore's coastal waters and usually dissipates rapidly upon reaching the coast, according to the National Environment Agency.

A waterspout typically forms beneath cumulus or cumulonimbus clouds over warm coastal waters just before showers begin. The "funnel" is formed by water droplets in a rotating vortex of air.

The lifespan of a waterspout varies from a few minutes to half an hour.

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