These spectacular images and video were taken as two giant waterspouts formed on Lake Michigan in the USA on Thursday.
Waterspouts are funnel clouds that form on an ocean, sea or large lake often during a major storm. Much weaker than land tornados and more common to tropical climates they are formed when cold air rushes above the warmer waters. Although they frequently appear on the US Great Lakes in the autumn - 2012 was a record-breaking year with 186 waterspouts spotted - they are still seriously impresssive forces of nature.
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