A moist and unstable atmosphere was present over the central Mediterranean, together with some wind shear (a difference in wind speed or direction over a relatively short distance in the atmosphere). A convective cloud with an intense updraft (a current of rising air) ingested and tightened a rotating layer of air. This led to the formation of a confirmed waterspout off Gozo’s northeast coast. The waterspout developed at around noon and lasted for less than 15 minutes. The same cloud produced a downpour over parts of Gozo. At least two funnel clouds were reported over the past few days. The instability that led to the formation of this waterspout was also responsible for the series of isolated thunderstorms that affected the Maltese Islands from Sunday 01/09 till Friday 06/09.

Thanks to Andrea Muscat, Audrey Marie Bartolo, Nyam Cassar and Jonathan Debono for the photos!