Water Spout on Tampa Bay

[ashling]

[sharp_stick]

1. Damn

that's a little too close for comfort

[ancianita]

2. Wow. When?

[Fuddnik]

18. Could have been yesterday. When had some severe storms blow through in the afternoon.

But, the one yesterday was part of a large outbreak, over several days last summer. One hit the condos-marina in St. Pete, where my buddy from up north spends the winters. Boats all over the place.

[ancianita]

19. That's a scary sight. I live an hour south, in Bradenton, so I'm a bit concerned.

Thanks for the post. It's an awesome photo.

[sakabatou]

3. Damn...

[burrowowl]

11. Ooooh! Wow!

Beautiful!

Thanks for Pics!

[ashling]

4. More info - Summer 2013

Photographer captures incredible image of massive waterspout towering over Tampa Bay

http://www.imaging-resource.com/news/2013/07/11/photographer-captures-incredible-image-of-massive-waterspout-towering-over

Joey Mole was in his home in Tampa, Florida when a massive waterspout erupted from the bay in front of him. The spout, which looked like something from a Sci-Fi horror movie, spiraled down from a cloud hovering over Old Tampa Bay (Oldsmar), sucking water up into the sky.

Mole grabbed his iPhone and shot images and video of the amazing waterspout and then shared them on social media. Mole's waterspout shot was spotted by meteorologist Jeremy Kappell for WDRB in Louisville, Kentucky who shared it on his own Facebook page and the image quickly went viral.

Some observers, initially, questioned whether the shot might have been Photoshopped. But another meteorologist Jesse Ferrell of AccuWeather.com, contacted Mole, who sent him the original image file. After analyzing the data, Ferrell concluded that the image data did not appear to have been altered.

"I'm 95 percent sure of the photo's authenticity, which is about as sure as I get without taking the picture myself," Ferrell wrote on his blog.

Check out Mole's image below along with a video of local news coverage of the spout. (Note: the bright spot in the bottom right of the image is not the sun, it's the flash from Mole's iPhone being reflected in the window.)

Waterspouts typically form when air and mist combine to create a powerful vortex. These types of spouts don't usually come so close to shore and, in this case, the waterspout actually made landfall. No one was, reportedly, injured but the spout did cause extensive property damage.

[Callmecrazy]

5. Way cool...

I saw four or five of them while on a cruise ship.

[steve2470]

6. that is one brave photographer

I don't think I'd want to do that, but thanks for a super awesome photo, wow !

[CaliforniaPeggy]

7. Greatest Page for this incredible photo! n/t

[allan01]

8. cue opening fanfare from the opera " the flying dutchman"

( that was used in old cartoons to denote a storm) beautiful once -in-a-lifetime shot.

[Mira]

15. am humming it now...one of the greatest

overtures ever.
What a scary and eye opening photograph that is.

[trusty elf]

9. Stunning photo!

[nikto]

10. Aw, c'mon, that's CGI

[valerief]

12. Holy crap!!!! That's terrifying. nt

[Scruffy Rumbler]

13. NO! That's all sciency and stuff....It is really...

Jesus using his new crazy straw!

[madamvlb]

14. I was there..

I was in Tampa to spend what I knew was going to be my brothers last birthday and saw this spout. I never thought about getting out my phone to take a picture as I had his birthday cake in my hand. He never knew I drove down from PA to see him, I surprised him to have a pizza and cake and then drove home. He was 45 and passed from breast cancer a few months ago.

[KG]

16. seen one before myself, they were a regular occurance last summer.

relatively harmless compared to actual tornado...

[awoke_in_2003]

20. Really?

Still looks scary as hell

[jjblazes]

17. Mother Nature is awesome.

[greytdemocrat]

21. Cool stuff

But not uncommon. I'm in Sarasota and see them
almost every year.