Puri: A rare waterspout formed off Odisha’s Astaranga coast in Puri district Monday, drawing crowds of tourists and residents as a giant funnel-shaped vortex appeared between dark storm clouds and the sea.
Videos of the phenomenon quickly went viral on social media, sparking widespread discussion across the region. Eyewitnesses said dark rain clouds gathered suddenly over the Bay of Bengal, creating a turbulent atmosphere along the coastline.
Shortly afterwards, a long rotating funnel descended from the clouds toward the sea surface, resembling an elephant’s trunk. Simultaneously, a swirling vortex developed over the water a few kilometres offshore, creating a dramatic visual spectacle.
This phenomenon locally known as ‘Hatisundha’ for its resemblance to an elephant’s trunk,
Meteorologists identify the phenomenon as a waterspout, a rotating column of air that forms over water bodies such as seas, oceans and lakes. Waterspouts generally develop when warm, moisture-laden air rises rapidly and interacts with unstable atmospheric conditions beneath storm clouds.