Martin Kucera
EF2
Today turned out to be an amazing day for waterspouts here in the Keys. It has been very muggy for the past few days and you have to love every minute of it especially because the wet season is slowly coming to an end.
Last night I managed to film a fully developed waterspout several miles south of Islamorada. This spout battled the rain all around it for quite a while - I lost sight of it due to darkness.
[URL="http://www.floridalightning.com/images/Florida_Keys_Waterspout_10_28_2008.jpg"]http://www.floridalightning.com/images/Florida_Keys_Waterspout_10_28_2008.jpg[/URL]
[URL="http://www.floridalightning.com/images/Florida_Keys_Waterspout_Sept28_2008.jpg"]http://www.floridalightning.com/images/Florida_Keys_Waterspout_Sept28_2008.jpg[/URL]
A bit later an amazing thunderstorm developed over the Gulf stream and rumbled on for more than an hour. Lightning action has really been slow this year - we usually get a few amazing days with clear skies and flashing towers over the ocean during August and September. We'll see what the upcoming weeks bring.
As you might know, photographing CG+ bolts has been my passion along with waterspouts. Managed to capture a nice one last night :
[URL="http://www.floridalightning.com/images/Superbolt_Lightning_Sept28_2008.jpg"]http://www.floridalightning.com/images/Superbolt_Lightning_Sept28_2008.jpg[/URL]
I was up again 6am this morning but everything was still worked over from the previous night. Sometimes its a good thing for mid day storms when it doesn't storms during early morning.
First waterspout developed NW of Islamorada at 1pm. This spout was a bit far and noon glare was not ideal for documenting it.
[URL="http://www.floridalightning.com/images/Waterspout_Lower_Matecumbe_10_29_20082.jpg"]http://www.floridalightning.com/images/Waterspout_Lower_Matecumbe_10_29_20082.jpg[/URL]
Went home to get the boat ready as the day looked quite promising. Dews were really high and progs painted a nice instability bulls eye near Islamorada. There was an ok looking line extending into Florida bay and I followed it on the boat. About 9 miles due north of Islamorada a nice funnel formed. Really nobody can hear you screaming from excitement out there in the middle of Florida bay
.
It is not easy to see the funnel when you are directly under the cloud base but of course you look for a spray ring. Another minute later I found it and charged for it. It was a weak waterspout so I let the spray ring pass over the boat a couple times all worried not to cause any damage to it (the spray ring
). It was leaving a nice foamy trail in its wake... what an amazing time to enjoy. After about 15 minutes it got a bit stronger but I could never see a full tube all the way up. This provided for a great close up video. Then, as the spout dissipated I had a tough time trying to find a way out of the shallows even with the GPS and chart plotter. It is quite tough to navigate out there...
Looking back toward the ocean a nice developing cloud line came to view. Wow. Made it back to the ocean side in about 20 minutes and the tops were looking good. I picked the most explosive one with the darkest bottom
. Again, within minutes I was under the base and made a comment on video that there is going to be a waterspout. Well. Another minute later a nice funnel formed. You have to love broad funnels that go one third down and do not form the point. A fat rain shaft developed right behind it so I sped up away and ahead of the rain. The funnel was still there and getting longer. A spray ring ! This one was much bigger. Well I noticed a lobster boat earlier in the distance but now these guys were speeding directly toward the now waterspout... good for them I thought until they took the boat right through the spray ring... the boat seemed to do well and I followed along side trying to wave them off. I just did not want them to disrupt it, which they managed to do a couple times. Eventually I pushed my way next to the spray ring and they backed off
. The spray ring grew even bigger. Since I had only two hands for steering wheel, throttle and a camcorder (plus the spout wobbled quite a bit) I came very close to it a few times - everything got sprayed with salty water. Just when the spout tried to form a translucent cylinder it just about got killed by rain and landed on a nearby Indian Key. I hope the video is going to come up nicely. A small still photo is on my home page. Full account coming soon.... Then the rain arrived and there was no place to hide. I got soaked like as if you jump in the ocean. Tried to hide with the boat under one of the US1 bridges but they've got those gutters (holes) and all this US1 infested water came down on top of me
. So I decided to boat back out on the open ocean and just enjoy the heavy downpour...
At the same time (around 4pm) a pulled a radar image to see a SMW box directly over Key West. As NWS KW forecaster later confirmed - a very, very nice waterspout formed just N of Key West and for some reason moved SSW. Everything else today was moving NNW. Maybe an earlier boundary moving from north of there... the forecaster said this spout was one of the best he had seen in two years or so and they will put some images on their home page soon.
I managed to obtain photos of this waterspout as well. What an amazing waterspout. Some of them are blurry but it is easy to get the idea. Would have been awesome to be on north end of Key West. You would have been right under it as well. The footage has been airing on local channels all evening.
[URL="http://www.floridalightning.com/Key_West_Waterspout.html"]http://www.floridalightning.com/Key_West_Waterspout.html[/URL]
We'll see what tomorrow brings.
Last night I managed to film a fully developed waterspout several miles south of Islamorada. This spout battled the rain all around it for quite a while - I lost sight of it due to darkness.
[URL="http://www.floridalightning.com/images/Florida_Keys_Waterspout_10_28_2008.jpg"]http://www.floridalightning.com/images/Florida_Keys_Waterspout_10_28_2008.jpg[/URL]
[URL="http://www.floridalightning.com/images/Florida_Keys_Waterspout_Sept28_2008.jpg"]http://www.floridalightning.com/images/Florida_Keys_Waterspout_Sept28_2008.jpg[/URL]
A bit later an amazing thunderstorm developed over the Gulf stream and rumbled on for more than an hour. Lightning action has really been slow this year - we usually get a few amazing days with clear skies and flashing towers over the ocean during August and September. We'll see what the upcoming weeks bring.
As you might know, photographing CG+ bolts has been my passion along with waterspouts. Managed to capture a nice one last night :
[URL="http://www.floridalightning.com/images/Superbolt_Lightning_Sept28_2008.jpg"]http://www.floridalightning.com/images/Superbolt_Lightning_Sept28_2008.jpg[/URL]
I was up again 6am this morning but everything was still worked over from the previous night. Sometimes its a good thing for mid day storms when it doesn't storms during early morning.
First waterspout developed NW of Islamorada at 1pm. This spout was a bit far and noon glare was not ideal for documenting it.
[URL="http://www.floridalightning.com/images/Waterspout_Lower_Matecumbe_10_29_20082.jpg"]http://www.floridalightning.com/images/Waterspout_Lower_Matecumbe_10_29_20082.jpg[/URL]
Went home to get the boat ready as the day looked quite promising. Dews were really high and progs painted a nice instability bulls eye near Islamorada. There was an ok looking line extending into Florida bay and I followed it on the boat. About 9 miles due north of Islamorada a nice funnel formed. Really nobody can hear you screaming from excitement out there in the middle of Florida bay
It is not easy to see the funnel when you are directly under the cloud base but of course you look for a spray ring. Another minute later I found it and charged for it. It was a weak waterspout so I let the spray ring pass over the boat a couple times all worried not to cause any damage to it (the spray ring
Looking back toward the ocean a nice developing cloud line came to view. Wow. Made it back to the ocean side in about 20 minutes and the tops were looking good. I picked the most explosive one with the darkest bottom
At the same time (around 4pm) a pulled a radar image to see a SMW box directly over Key West. As NWS KW forecaster later confirmed - a very, very nice waterspout formed just N of Key West and for some reason moved SSW. Everything else today was moving NNW. Maybe an earlier boundary moving from north of there... the forecaster said this spout was one of the best he had seen in two years or so and they will put some images on their home page soon.
I managed to obtain photos of this waterspout as well. What an amazing waterspout. Some of them are blurry but it is easy to get the idea. Would have been awesome to be on north end of Key West. You would have been right under it as well. The footage has been airing on local channels all evening.
[URL="http://www.floridalightning.com/Key_West_Waterspout.html"]http://www.floridalightning.com/Key_West_Waterspout.html[/URL]
We'll see what tomorrow brings.
