Rare Clockwise Waterspout Spotted Over Boston's Pleasure Bay

Unusual weather phenomenon captured on video by local resident

Apr. 8, 2026 at 8:23am

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A vast, majestic seascape painting depicting a pair of towering, swirling waterspouts emerging from the choppy waters of Pleasure Bay, with the distant Boston skyline barely visible through the hazy atmosphere. The dramatic, sweeping composition emphasizes the overwhelming power and scale of the natural forces at play.The rare, clockwise-rotating waterspout captured on video over Boston's Pleasure Bay serves as a humbling reminder of the unpredictable forces of nature.Boston Today

A local resident captured video of an unusual weather event over Boston's Pleasure Bay on Tuesday morning - two waterspouts, one of which was rotating in the opposite, clockwise direction, which is highly uncommon. Meteorologists and weather experts analyzed the footage and provided insights on the rare occurrence.

Why it matters

Waterspouts are relatively rare in the Boston area, and a clockwise-rotating waterspout is an even more unusual sight. This event highlights the unpredictable and dynamic nature of local weather patterns, which can produce surprising natural phenomena, especially near coastal areas.

The details

In the video captured by Michael Bianculli, two distinct waterspouts can be seen traveling across Pleasure Bay, near Castle Island. What makes this event particularly unique is that one of the waterspouts appears to be rotating in a clockwise direction, which is the opposite of how most waterspouts and tornadoes spin. Meteorologists from the National Weather Service and local TV stations analyzed the footage and provided explanations for the rare occurrence, suggesting it may have been caused by instability in the atmosphere combined with the potential influence of low-flying aircraft in the area.

  • The incident occurred on Tuesday morning, April 8, 2026.

The players

Michael Bianculli

A resident of Walpole, Massachusetts who captured the rare weather event on video during his daily walk around Pleasure Bay.

A.J. Burnett

A meteorologist with WCVB's StormTeam 5 who provided expert analysis of the unusual waterspout behavior seen in the video footage.

National Weather Service

The government agency that sent a representative to comment on the rare weather phenomenon and offer potential explanations for the clockwise rotation of one of the waterspouts.

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What they’re saying

“That's kind of wild. Is that a waterspout?”

— Michael Bianculli

“What makes these waterspouts even more unique is that the closer waterspout seems to be rotating clockwise, which is opposite most funnels, spouts and tornadoes.”

— A.J. Burnett, Meteorologist

“There's definitely two eddies there, and perhaps both of them got caught in some very shallow instability to get the eddy to spin up.”

— National Weather Service Representative

What’s next

The National Weather Service will continue to monitor weather patterns in the Boston area and investigate the factors that contributed to this rare clockwise waterspout event.

The takeaway

This unusual weather occurrence serves as a reminder of the dynamic and unpredictable nature of local weather, even in a coastal city like Boston. It highlights the importance of being prepared for unexpected natural phenomena and the value of having expert meteorologists analyze and explain these rare events.