Gulf sprouts a windfall of waterspouts

By The Tampa Tribune
Published: June 20, 2009

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It was neither bird nor plane, but there was something in the air Friday morning over the water at Pinellas County beaches.

Several waterspouts formed over the Gulf of Mexico.

Although there is some debate about the exact characteristics of one, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, a waterspout is a "funnel which contains an intense vortex, sometimes destructive, of small horizontal extent and which occurs over a body of water."

They are most common over tropical or subtropical waters and tend to form when the water is warm and there is a high level of humidity. Both were the case Friday.

Today's forecast for the Bay area calls for lower humidity but temperatures remaining high - low 90s for the coast, upper 90s inland - with a heat index over 105 possible. WEATHER, back of Views.

A staff report

Keyword: Waterspout, for video of the phenomenon.