Spinning Vortex Filmed Over Galway Bay

19th October 2022

A screenshot from a video of the waterspout over Galway Bay that has been confirmed by Met Eireann as an intense columnar vortex - usually appearing as a funnel-shaped cloud - that occurs over a body of water. see video by Mark Purcell below

A spinning vortex filmed moving over Galway Bay last weekend was caused by “globular “ cumulonimbus clouds, Met Éireann’s head of forecasting Evelyn Cusack has said.

As Afloat reported earlier, the vortex or water spout was filmed by Mark Purcell from Galway docks with Rabbit Island and the Leverets rocks in the background at 11.08 am last Saturday, October 15th.

Ms Cusack, who viewed the video, said that the spout is an intense columnar vortex - usually appearing as a funnel-shaped cloud - that occurs over a body of water.

She said that most waterspouts do not suck up water, and are “small and weak rotating columns of air over water spinning down from the cloud”.

She said that the cold, unstable southwesterly airflow covering Ireland on October 15th last generated heavy, squally showers and some thunderstorms also.

On Saturday, 15th October, 2022 a cold, unstable southwesterly airflow covered Ireland. This generated heavy, squally showers. Some thunderstorms also. The clouds were cumulonimbus clouds which are strong convective clouds with strong updrafts and downdrafts and rotating columns of air or vortices.

“The clouds were cumulonimbus clouds which are strong convective clouds with strong updrafts and downdrafts and rotating columns of air or vortices,” she explained.

Radar images from Saturday, October 15th, show the intense echoes, and the crosses on the images indicate the thunderstorms/lightning, she noted.

The Radar images from Saturday show the intense echoes and the crosses indicate the thunderstorms/lightning

Waterspouts have been known to suck fish, frogs and even turtles all the way up into the cloud, and they may not fall back to earth until after the spout stops spinning.

There have been reports of people witnessing “raining fish” caused by this phenomenon as far as 160km or 100 miles inland. Much depends on how fast the winds from a waterspout are whipping.

This satellite image shows the ‘globular’ cumulonimbus clouds which produced the spinning vortex descending from the cloud towards the surface of Galway Bay.

Published in Galway Harbour, Weather

Published in Galway Harbour

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Galway Bay

About The Author

Lorna Siggins

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Lorna Siggins is a print and radio reporter, and a former Irish Times western correspondent. She is the author of Search and Rescue: True stories of Irish Air-Sea Rescues and the Loss of R116 (2022); Everest Callling (1994) on the first Irish Everest expedition; Mayday! Mayday! (2004); and Once Upon a Time in the West: the Corrib gas controversy (2010). She is also co-producer with Sarah Blake of the Doc on One "Miracle in Galway Bay" which recently won a Celtic Media Award

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Galway Port & Harbour

Galway Bay is a large bay on the west coast of Ireland, between County Galway in the province of Connacht to the north and the Burren in County Clare in the province of Munster to the south. Galway city and port is located on the northeast side of the bay. The bay is about 50 kilometres (31 miles) long and from 10 kilometres (6.2 miles) to 30 kilometres (19 miles) in breadth.

The Aran Islands are to the west across the entrance and there are numerous small islands within the bay.

Galway Port FAQs

How old is Galway port?

Galway was founded in the 13th century by the de Burgo family, and became an important seaport with sailing ships bearing wine imports and exports of fish, hides and wool.

How old is Galway bay?

Not as old as previously thought. Galway bay was once a series of lagoons, known as Loch Lurgan, plied by people in log canoes. Ancient tree stumps exposed by storms in 2010 have been dated back about 7,500 years.

What is the tonnage of the port?

It is about 660,000 tonnes as it is a tidal port.

Who is the harbourmaster of Galway port?

Capt Brian Sheridan, who succeeded his late father, Capt Frank Sheridan

When are the lock gates open?

The dock gates open approximately two hours before high water and close at high water subject to ship movements on each tide.

What's the biggest ship that can 'fit' in the harbour?

The typical ship sizes are in the region of 4,000 to 6,000 tonnes

Is renewable energy generating a lot of business for Galway port?

Turbines for about 14 wind projects have been imported in recent years, but the tonnage of these cargoes is light. A European industry report calculates that each turbine generates €10 million in locally generated revenue during construction and logistics/transport.

Is Galway a European cable location?

Yes, Iceland has selected Galway as European landing location for international telecommunications cables. Farice, a company wholly owned by the Icelandic Government, currently owns and operates two submarine cables linking Iceland to Northern Europe.

What's the update on the Galway port expansion plans?

It is "very much a live project", Harbourmaster Capt Sheridan says, and the Port of Galway board is "awaiting the outcome of a Bord Pleanála determination", he says.

Where does all the scrap go at Galway Port?

90% of the scrap steel is exported to Spain with the balance being shipped to Portugal. Since the pandemic, scrap steel is shipped to the Liverpool where it is either transhipped to larger ships bound for China.

Why is Galway Port exporting silage and the Irish farmers are crying out for it?

It might look like silage, but in fact, its bales domestic and municipal waste, exported to Denmark where the waste is incinerated, and the heat is used in district heating of homes and schools. It is called RDF or Refuse Derived Fuel and has been exported out of Galway since 2013.

When is the new ferry starting service from Galway?

The new ferry is arriving at Galway Bay onboard the cargo ship SVENJA. The vessel is currently on passage to Belem, Brazil before making her way across the Atlantic to Galway.

Is the Volvo Ocean Race coming back to Galway?

Two Volvo round world races have selected Galway for the prestigious yacht race route. Some 10,000 people welcomed the boats in during its first stopover in 2009, when a festival was marked by stunning weather. It was also selected for the race finish in 2012. The Volvo has changed its name and is now known as the "Ocean Race". Capt Sheridan says that once port expansion and the re-urbanisation of the docklands is complete, the port will welcome the "ocean race, Clipper race, Tall Ships race, Small Ships Regatta and maybe the America's Cup right into the city centre...".

When is Seafest coming back to Galway?

The pandemic was the reason why Seafest did not go ahead in Cork in 2020. Galway will welcome Seafest back after it calls to Waterford and Limerick, thus having been to all the Port cities.