Waterspouts take a spin in Gulf

Waterspouts went for a spin this morning in the Gulf of Mexico, as can be seen in these photos below, taken from beaches along the Florida Panhandle.

For extra fun, at the bottom is a photo of a waterspout today in Turkey.

The general definition of a waterspout is "any tornado over a body of water," according to the American Meteorological Society's Glossary of Meteorology.

"Such events consist of an intense columnar vortex (usually containing a funnel cloud) that occurs over a body of water and is connected to a cumuliform cloud," the glossary notes.

If you're looking for waterspouts, head for the Florida Keys, which "are the greatest, natural vortex lab in the world," according to NOAA meteorologist and waterspout expert Joseph Golden. "Waterspouts probably occur more frequently in the Florida Keys than anywhere in the world."

Waters around the Keys, especially from Marathon past Key West on westward to the Dry Tortugas, probably see 400 or 500 waterspouts a year, he said. Since they are so common, most go unreported unless they cause damage.

After the Florida Keys, the next most active U.S. waterspout area is the southeast Florida coast from around Stuart south to Homestead. Tampa Bay has the greatest number of damaging waterspouts, probably because the shores of the Bay are so built up.

Places around the Gulf of Mexico along with the Atlantic Coast northward to Chesapeake Bay are also likely to see waterspouts.

Waterspouts have been reported on the West Coast from Tatoosh Island, Wash., south to San Diego, but they tend to be weak and short lived. Waterspouts also skip across the Great Lakes and Utah's Great Salt Lake from time to time.