Funnel or Contrail?

NZstorm · Unread post by **NZstorm** » Mon 12/04/2004 20:47

I stumbled across this old link of a contrail out in the Tasman Sea, photographed at Muriawi, West Auckland. However the phtographer and the NZ Meteorological Service were convinced it was a waterspout.

http://www.lkmusic.co.nz/unusual.htm

Manukau heads obs · Tue 13/04/2004 09:51

its a contrail, most definatly
becuase its at a high altitude, and much further west than the other cloud, i.e nearly over the horizon, its still catching the suns full rays, and so is very bright....
and the cloud above it is not big or thick enough to support a waterspout, and it just looks like altocumulus cloud to me....

also, contrails can just be for short distances like that...i.e its not there above the cloud, becuase the conditions for its formation are not always uniform across the sky and or strong winds can disperse them in different sections, etc ,etc

spwill · Unread post by **spwill** » Tue 13/04/2004 11:48

The sky in the photo looks stable so it will not be a waterspout. Waterspouts emerge from Building Cu or Cb.

NZstorm · Unread post by **NZstorm** » Tue 13/04/2004 12:40

I sent the webmaster in this case, my thoughts on the photo and I see my message has been put up on the webpage.