Key West, Florida Waterspout Photos

I've said it before and I'll say it again: I wish I lived in Key West, Florida (Waterspout Capital of the World**). Monroe County Sheriff's Office Director Becky Herrin took these pictures of a waterspout in Key West, Florida yesterday afternoon. She said that it appeared that the waterspout was near the causeway at the Naval base near North Roosevelt Boulevard.

MORE PHOTOS (SEE ALL):

All in all, three different waterspouts were reported yesterday in Southern Florida. Here is a map. The one to the furthest west in the Florida Keys is the one pictured above (it was also sighted by NWS employees). The NWS says in an Associated Press article that the waterspout moved onshore from the south (technically then becoming a tornado) then moved back offshore to the north.

Now, remember, waterspouts don't necessarily show up well on radar, and this situation is even worse, because the waterspout was nearly "under the radar." But I've posted radar loops for you to download anyway,* with a screenshot below at the time of the report from The NWS [JessePedia] (the photos above were taken at 3:56 PM). Here is a complete report of the storm spotter reports that were filed with the NWS (20Z = 4 PM).

*Quicktime required. "Save Target As" required for IE.

**According to a statement issued by the NWS (scroll way down on this page).

09/29/2008 17:00 Z: SPOTTER CALLED IN WITH REPORT OF WATERSPOUT NEAR MILE MARKER 73 ON BAYSIDE.SPOTTER CALLED BACK AT 110 PM AND REPORTED SPOUT HAD DISSIPATED. DURATION OF EVENT WAS 10 MINUTES.

09/29/2008 19:52 Z: THE NWS FORECAST OFFICE IN KEY WEST OBSERVED A FUNNEL CLOUD DEVELOP JUST OFF THE SOUTHEAST SHORE OF SIGSBEE PARK THIS AFTERNOON...AROUND 352 PM EDT. A SPRAY RING EMERGED FROM BEHIND A VISUAL OBSTRUCTION AS IT DEVELOPED INTO A MATURE WATERSPOUT. THE WATERSPOUT MOVED WEST-SOUTHWESTWARD OVER GARRISON BIGHT CHANNEL...BETWEEN SIGSBEE PARK AND FLEMING KEY. NO DAMAGE WAS REPORTED WHEN IT BRIEFLY CAME ASHORE ON FLEMING KEY...AND THEN DISSIPATED OVER MAN OF WAR HARBOR. DURATION 19 MINUTES.

09/29/2008 20:07 Z: A MATURE WATERSPOUT WITH A SPRAY RING WAS OBSERVED BY A TRAINED SPOTTER OVER HAWK CHANNEL 2 MILES SOUTH OF INDIAN KEY. THE WATERSPOUT MOVED NORTH AND DISSIPATED OVER INDIAN KEY AT 421 PM EDT. TOTAL DURATION 14 MINUTES.

09/28/2008 23:11 Z: A TRAINED SPOTTER OBSERVED A MATURE WATERSPOUT WITH A SPRAY RING AT THE SEA SURFACE ABOUT 6 MILES SOUTHEAST OF LOWER MATECUMBE KEY OFFSHORE MILE MARKER 78. THE WATERSPOUT DEVELOPED BENEATH A CLOUD LINE...AND EVENTUALLY DISSIPATED AS A RAIN SHAFT OVERTOOK THE FUNNEL. MOVEMENT WAS EASTWARD 5 TO 10 KNOTS. DURATION 23 MINUTES.