The locals of Destin, Florida were in for a shock when they witnessed a massive waterspout forming over the Gulf of Mexico. Some managed to record the spectacular phenomenon on film and uploaded it on various social media platforms, but many were left horrified as they drove past it during their morning commutes to and from work.
Waterspouts are formed when cumulus clouds grow very quickly over the water, resulting in a whirling column of air and water mist rising hundreds of feet into the air. They look like tornadoes, and so they are sometimes called “tornadoes on the water,” although waterspout is their official name.
The waterspout in question was spotted at 7 am off the Emerald Coast on Florida’s Panhandle. It was formed due to massive storms flowing over the Gulf of Mexico in recent days. Video footage shared by locals showcased the giant waterspout filling up a large section of the sky as it pulled water and air up from the ocean and into its twirling walls.
AccuWeather’s Jesse Ferrell confirmed that this was not a typical waterspout, but rather a legitimate tornado over water formed by a supercell thunderstorm. Data from the weather service indicated that a thunderstorm formed off the coast in the Gulf of Mexico, triggering the waterspout as it moved southeast across the waters.
The National Weather Service issued a marine warning after the waterspout was spotted, urging boaters and swimmers to stay clear of the water until the storm passed. This was the fifth waterspout sighted off the Florida panhandle this summer, but data on waterspouts are not plentiful, so authorities do not know much about their typical activity.
Readers of the DailyMail were awestruck by the footage, with one commenting, “Spectacular footage. The beach in the Panhandle is beautiful, and it is lovely to watch when a storm rolls in.”
Another reader shared their personal experience, saying, “While working on the family shrimp boats when young, we saw a lot of them, albeit much smaller than the one shown. Seemed sort of common when squalls were coming in, but we were too busy pulling up the gear before the storm arrived to gawk at them much.”
Despite their awe-inspiring appearance, Floridians seemed unfazed by the waterspout, with one commenter saying, “As a Floridian, I can assure you that waterspouts don’t scare us.”
WATCH the video below for more details:
Source: AWM