On Wednesday, WINK News Weather Watchers and viewers sent in images of a waterspout off of the coast of Fort Myers Beach and Sanibel. Chief Meteorologist Matt Devitt showed multiple angles of it on his social media pages.
Viewers had many questions about waterspouts, from how they form to how common they are. Here is a basic breakdown of this interesting phenomena:
Are they the same as tornadoes?
Yes and no. There are two types of waterspouts: Tornadic and “fair weather” waterspouts. The key difference between these is how they form.
Tornadic waterspouts form from the cloud and down to the surface of the water. They are more common during severe thunderstorms. Tornadic waterspouts are more dangerous than fair weather waterspouts, as they can move farther and have the potential to go onshore. If they do go onshore, a tornado warning will be issued.
Fair weather waterspouts form from the surface of the water up toward the cloud. They can form in either fair weather or during a typical thunderstorm. They often fizzle out pretty quickly.
In general, both of these form because of rotating winds that support an updraft from a thunderstorm. Fair weather waterspouts start from the water with either heating at the surface or winds that meet (or converge) to support the rotation toward the cloud.
The animation below demonstrates how a tornado forms, which is similar to a tornadic waterspout’s development.
The WINK Weather Authority believes that the waterspout seen on Wednesday was a fair-weather waterspout. Although it formed during a thunderstorm, there was not significant activity on our velocity tracker from our Doppler 3x radar. This tracker allows us to see if there is rotation within the clouds. We believe that the waterspout formed below the cloud, therefore being a fair-weather cloud. The title can be misleading!
Where and when are waterspouts seen? Why are we seeing them now?
Key West is the world’s capital for waterspouts, but they are also seen in areas of Southwest Florida. The National Weather Service (NWS) has done a case study on Key West’s waterspouts. They found that most waterspouts form in the Keys between May through July. We are most likely seeing them now in SWFL due to a change in wind direction from the southwest.
What do I do when I see a waterspout? How do I stay safe?
The NWS says if you are on a boat and see one, “immediately head at a 90 degree angle from the apparent motion of the waterspout.”
If you are on the beach and spot one, watch it closely and keep your distance. Is it a fair-weather waterspout, or a tornadic one?
As said previously, waterspouts can move inland and pose dangers. It is better to be safe than sorry, so take precaution and move inland if necessary.
Some waterspout fun facts!
The NWS found studies that explored how fast the wind speeds are inside waterspouts. The Lower Keys Waterspout Project found a waterspout with maximum rotating wind speeds of 190 miles per hour! The average wind speed was around 30 miles per hour. The NWS also said that fair weather waterspouts can move at speeds between 12-17 miles per hour or can stay stationary. On average, waterspouts are 128 feet in diameter.
Overall, waterspouts are fascinating, but they can occasionally be dangerous. We'd like to thank our WINK Weather Watchers for all of the content sent in on Wednesday. These photos and videos are our “eyes on the ground,” because sometimes waterspouts (and other forms of weather) can be missed on radar.