Tornadic waterspout appears in Hakaluki Haor

A rare occurrence of sudden waterspout appeared at Hakaluki Haor in Moulvibazar on Saturday evening.

A waterspout is a powerful columnar vortex that appears over a body of water.

No damage was reported due to the waterspout that reportedly lasted for about 3 minutes in the Barohali Chatla Beel area in Hakaluki Haor.

According to local sources, sudden gusts of wind pulled water from the Haor in an intense columnar vortex as the sky turned dark.

Sirajul Islam of Juri upazila who watched the waterspout from the shore said such a phenomenon is a rare occurrence at Hakaluki Haor. “People who were on boats in the haor got scared and came back quickly,” he said.

Sujanagar Union Parishad chairman Badrul Islam confirmed the matter and said hundreds of people in the area saw witnessed the scene on Saturday evening.

According to meteorologists, the tornadic waterspout was not strong enough to hold its shape and dissipated quickly.

Saeed Ahmed Chowdhury, a senior meteorologist at the Sylhet Meteorological Office said these kinds of tornados can spread to at least 10-12km. Hence, the waterspout seen on Hakaluki Haor could have been more extensive. “The locals could not comprehend the horror of the waterspout as videos could not show its speed. It could have been disastrous if the waterspout had moved,” he said.