A cool, autumn-like air mass that plunged out of Canada over the past week triggered nearly 100 sightings of waterspouts across the Great Lakes region, according to the International Centre for Waterspout Research.

Just over half of the 97 waterspout sightings between Aug. 24 and 28 were over Lake Erie (49), with another 26 spotted over Lake Ontario.

Lake Huron had 14 sightings while seven were observed over Lake Michigan. The ICWR reports a single sighting over Ontario’s Georgian Bay.

A waterspout is similar to a tornado, except it forms over a body of water when there is a significant temperature contrast in the lower layer of the atmosphere.

In most cases, waterspouts are significantly weaker than tornadoes and quickly dissipate before making it to land.

According to the National W

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