In Klaipeda, a whirlwind of water scared vacationers

On Monday, the nature of Klaipeda spoiled tourists with sunny weather, but the footage captured a whirlwind of water rising over the sea.

This image has been shared by many Internet users on the social network Facebook.

Although there were doubts that this natural phenomenon was recorded in Lithuania, the representatives of the budget institution Beaches Klaip institutiondos, who are in charge of the safety of tourists, 15 minutes confirmed that the vortex appeared on Smiltyne Beach on Monday.

“It just came to our knowledge then. In our country this phenomenon is classified as tornadoes, but in other countries they are not considered tornadoes because they are much weaker. However, the principle of formation is exactly the same”, – the climatologist J. Kilpys spoke about an unexpected natural phenomenon.

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Hurricanes of different origins

The climatologist warned that to admire such whirlpools you have to retreat from a safe distance – trying to “catch” a better shot should not get too close, because then this phenomenon can be dangerous.

The most common water hurricanes in Lithuania are short-lived and disappear in just a few minutes.

“We must not confuse whirlwinds of water with earth. The latter are formed in the presence of a very intense convection, when there is lightning, hail, heavy rains. On land, a whirlwind usually accompanies these phenomena.

And a water whirlwind can happen as it does today, even in good weather conditions, when the sun is shining. It is not usually accompanied by more dangerous phenomena or storms ”, – said the calming specialist.

15min.lt reader’s photo / Aftermath of the visit in Ginkūnai

A rare phenomenon

According to J. Kilpis, on the territory of Lithuania, recently, such whirlpools have been recorded more often than usual, but so far it is not possible to unequivocally state that this is due to climate change.

“Such phenomena are very rare and can be seen in a very small area. It is difficult to compare statistics: water hurricanes occur in Lithuania at least once a year.

“It seems to be more common lately, but it is difficult to attribute it only to climate change, it is possible that more people only have telephones and as a result more shots of this type are recorded,” said the climatologist.

J. Kilpys recalled that there were serious categories of tornadoes in Lithuania.

Last year, the tornado broke out in the Šakiai district, in 2011 registered in Šiauliai district, Ginkūnai.

The largest tornado in Lithuania, the third category, is fixed 1981 in Širvintos.