Dangerous weather events are not exactly commonplace along the gulf coast. You may come across a story of a tornado that caused mild damage to something already predisposed to damage, but it’s not usually severe. The more common waterspout is usually over water, typically dissipating in shallow water. I don’t think I’ve ever heard of any damage caused by a waterspout in all my life living near the water. These systems are only minor threats to coastal communities. They’re really more like exciting phenomenon for your viewing pleasure than any type of real threat.

The occasional dangerous tornado is possible, but exceedingly rare. There hasn’t been any talk of a dangerous tornado in quite some time. The last one I remember is the one that came onto the coast in Venice when the far outer bands from Hurricane Hermine were reaching the coast. Even with those high winds a solid, closed center circulation didn’t form. More often you’ll see cloud formations that resemble a tornado, but have no resemblance to a dangerous tornado. In fact, most people I know are excited to see something that looks like a tornado forming in the sky. It’s primarily because we know those types of events so quickly dissipate, and have a very low likelihood of causing any serious damage to reasonably well constructed buildings, at least in west Florida.

A small scale tornado in Clearwater:

You may also come across a waterspout. These types of cyclones are a bit more common, but still rare. These water cyclones are way, way less dangerous than even the mildest of tornadoes. They’re narrow, and don’t require super high winds to form, just the right combination of wind and water in the air. You could probably drive through one of these things on a boat and it would just dissipate, although I wouldn’t recommend it. They are a really cool sight to see.

You’ll notice in the picture above that everyone is in swim attire. That means the weather is warm, and that it’s probably summer. You’ll also notice the surf’s up. That means there’s probably some type of tropical cyclone in the gulf. That’s when most of the adverse weather impacts the coast.

Picture and video by Pinellas County Government