Waterspouts can be described as a rotating column of water and spray formed by a whirlwind occurring over the sea.
They sometimes form along the dark, flat base of cumulus clouds and may sometimes be seen in the coastal waters around the Cayman Islands. They are typically not harmful as they travel slowly and the wind speeds associated with the waterspouts are usually less than 69 miles an hour. Also, they are only active for about 20 minutes. Typically these waterspouts dissipate quickly when they make landfall.
Waterspouts are often confused with tornadoes which are a very rare phenomenon for the Cayman Islands. When they do occur, they are usually weak. Even minor reports of damage associated with tornadoes are uncommon.