MADEIRA BEACH, Fla. — Here's something that'll wake you up if you're at the beach!
Pop-up showers and storms along the Pinellas County coastline spurred a few non-severe waterspouts Monday morning in Madeira Beach, Florida.
There are two types of waterspouts, according to NOAA. One is a fair-weather waterspout, which someone might see hanging off a cloud on an otherwise partly cloudy day. Another is a tornadic waterspout, though there are no reports this one moved onshore to become an actual tornado.
Spotting multiple waterspouts within one storm cell is a special sight to see, but waterspouts that quickly develop with summertime onshore-moving storms are not uncommon here.
With a more southerly flow in place through mid-week, more isolated downpours could very well form along the coast, some becoming capable of producing these whirling columns of air and water.
Many waterspouts we see this time of year are often benign and short-lived, dissipating before moving onshore.
A few more isolated showers and storms are forecast to develop along the coast through midday before more scattered storms develop and push inland, according to 10 Tampa Bay meteorologist Grant Gilmore.
