Funnel Shape Forms at www.japanese-home-gardens.com

A waterspout is essentially a tornado at sea, forming in much the same conditions, but more frequently in the tropics than in the mid-latitudes. A funnel shape forms at the base of a cumulonimbus cloud and spirals downward. Beneath it, the water surface is agitated and spray extends upward quite visibly. The funnel-shape cloud continues to descend until it merges with the spray; it then becomes a tube from the sea surface to the cloud. The diameter of a waterspout varies from 20 to 200 feet or more, while its length from the sea to the base of the cloud is usually between 1,000 and 2,000 feet. Waterspouts last from 10 minutes to a half-hour. Movement of the upper part of a waterspout may be in a different direction and at a different speed from that of its base, making the tube look stretched out. Finally, the tube breaks, and the lower portion quickly subsides.

A tornado is essentially a Whirlpool of small horizontal extent that spirals down from a cumulonimbus cloud and has a funnel-like appearance. The average diameter of the visible funnel cloud is only about 250 yards, but the destructive effects may extend out as far as half a mile. The wind speed near the core is not measurable, but is undoubtedly as much as 200 knots or more.

Miniature and slow-growing conifers are particularly useful for providing winter interest. Chamaecyparis lawsoniana "Ellwoodii" Slow-growing and forms a dark-green columnar shape. For a golden color choose "Ellwood's Pillar." Chamaecyparis pisifera "Boulevard" Slow-growing and forms a cone shape with intense silver-blue foliage.