– It’s a bit surprising that this is happening now, and it’s not a very common phenomenon.

This is what Eldbjørg Moksnes, a meteorologist at the Meteorological Institute, told Dagbladet after seeing an image showing a cloud pump in the sea, near Kvassheim in Jæren in Rogaland.

Moksnes points out that it’s not a common sight at this time of year, and that cloud pumps usually occur in the summer or fall when the water is warmer.

It’s the local newspaper Jærbladet who first mentioned the problem.

– Unstable air masses

– Cloud pumping could also occur in connection with heavy rains, and we know that on Saturday there was some rain in the area, so that must be the explanation, meteorologists said.

Moksnes explained that the phenomenon usually occurs when the water is warmer, because the higher temperature provides more energy to feed the cloud pump.

– It occurs as a result of unstable air masses in the atmosphere forming a vacuum-like effect in clouds. It looks like a column of clouds with rotation, he said.

– Interesting and scary

According to meteorologists, cloud pumps are cooled moist air. This phenomenon can occur both on land and in water. However, cloud pumping is most common over water.

can be dangerous

These resemble tornadoes, but tend to occur in milder weather and do not have the same intensity as a tornado.

– If you have a period with several heavy rains, then it can happen several times, about once a month, he said.

The phenomenon didn’t last long, as it absorbed colder air, explained the meteorologist.

Tornado ravages: – Total devastation

– It can last from a few seconds to 30 minutes. And the wind speed rises from 10 to 30 meters per second.

While a cloud pump isn’t as powerful as a tornado, Moksnes points out that ending up in a cloud pump cannot be completely harmless.

– It’s quite chaotic and can be a high wind speed. It can move ashore and they can go far. Sitting in a small boat at sea can be dangerous. I recommend observing the cloud pump from a distance, meteorologists say.