Srikanth, a weather blogger who handles the Chennai Rains Twitter handle, said, “It looks like it is connected to the clouds, which is indicative of a waterspout. Normally tornadoes are rare in India especially during monsoon. They are seen during the pre-monsoon season in East India and Bangladesh.”
Rajanikanth Poolla, another weather analyst, who is based out of Vizag, explained the difference between a tornado and a waterspout. He said, “It is not very clear from the angle of the video, but it appears to be a waterspout. It is basically a similar phenomenon, only the name is different. While a tornado often moves over longer distances, watersprouts are more static and move only a shorter distance. Waterspouts mostly remain only above water.”Apart from a few trees that were uprooted, no major damage was reported. In Lingarajupally, few electric poles fell due to the intensity of the waterspout.Last month, a similar sight was witnessed at Yanam in Puducherry. It was also accompanied by strong winds and heavy rains that lashed the region. Makeshift structures and steel roofs had collapsed in the area, back then.