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© i24newsWaterspout in Tel Aviv, November 3, 2014
Israel Meteorological Service to i24news: Waterspout is just as beautiful as a tornado but much less harmful.

The Israeli fall offered Monday morning a beautiful natural phenomenon - a waterspout.

A waterspout is an columnar vortex (usually appearing as a funnel-shaped cloud) that occurs over a body of water, usually above the sea, Amit Savir of the training department in Israel Meteorological Service told i24news.

The phenomenon is usually accompanied by lightning and thunderstorm, Savir added.

Unlike the infamous tornedo, which causes great damage in its wake due to wind speeds of more than 300 miles per hour, diameter of more than two miles (3.2 km) across, and which stays on the ground for dozens of miles (more than 100 km), "the waterspout is very local, it stays above the water and rarely hits land. If the waterspout does hit land, the damage could be minor," Savir explained.

According to Savir, a waterspout is not a rare phenomenon in Israel and could occur several times in a year when the necessary climate conditions come together to create this magnificent view.