By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

A water spout, a type of tornado which forms on water, appeared yesterday afternoon off the coast of Bredco Port in Bacolod City.

The water spout appeared around 12:45 p.m. and touched down just a few yards from the port area. The weather phenomena, however, quickly dissipated.

Bacolod City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office head Jose Ma. Vargas explained the water spout is usually caused by changing wind patterns.

Vargas explained that based on weather forecast by the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) yesterday, the Visayas including Negros Occidental and Bacolod City are likely to experience cloudy skies with scattered rain showers and thunderstorms caused by the Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ).

Vargas said the ITCZ usually appears as the country’s weather shifts from the hot season to the rainy season.

He further stated the area where the water spout formed, the Guimaras Strait, is no stranger to the weather phenomena as the winds in the area are constantly shifting.

There were no reports of damage caused by the water spout in the area./DGB, WDJ