Bayesian Yacht Sinking: Climate Change Created Perfect Storm for Waterspouts

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1. While the cause of the sinking of the *Bayesian* hasn’t officially been determined, weather conditions and witness reports from Sicily, where the yacht was anchored off the coast, have led experts to suspect a waterspout, a [whirling column](https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/waterspout.html) of air and water mist. The key factor for waterspout formation is warm water—and the past year has seen the ocean surface heat up to [record-breaking temperatures](https://www.wired.com/story/ocean-temperatures-keep-shattering-records-and-stunning-scientists/), in part due to climate change.

   “If this rate of warming is going to be continuing in the future, it’s very possible these phenomena will be common and not rare,” says Michalis Sioutas, a meteorology PhD who studies waterspouts in Greece and is a board member of the Hellenic Meteorological Society. “It’s very possible to talk about waterspouts or even tornadoes and extreme storms becoming common.”

   Read more: [https://www.wired.com/story/bayesian-yacht-sinking-climate-change-waterspout-extreme-weather-mike-lynch/](https://www.wired.com/story/bayesian-yacht-sinking-climate-change-waterspout-extreme-weather-mike-lynch/)