T. Mosley
EF0
Living in the Houston area, I visit Galveston frequently and have seen numerous waterspouts thereabouts. One such, in 1989, was between Galveston Island and Texas City, and was remarkable in that it resembled a Great Plains F2 much more than a 'typical' squiggly waterspout.
However, during the summer of 1998, I was eating lunch with my wife in the famous Gaido's Seafood Restaurant on the Seawall, when someone ran into the restaurant and yelled 'TORNADO'!
Amazingly, most people in the restaurant ran up to the seawall-side windows to have a look. I stayed at the table, looking at all of the glass on three of the four walls, and was contemplating the advisability of getting under our table, knowing better from chase days that taking cover was the best thing to do.
But nothing happened except there were oooh and ahhs coming from the crowd inside, so I decided to have a look myself. What there was was a small ropy waterspouit that had drifted inland over the seawall boulevard and had touched down there, right outside the restaurant. It was maybe 50' wide. of a hazy bluish-grey, and it did little except stir up trash and knock over some bikes. It remained on the ground for less than 5 minutes before dissipating, and there was no damage reported, which is probably why it didn't even make the local news. Top winds were probably not even 70 mph.
But this is the closest that I have ever been to a 'funnel', in this case no more than 75' away, and I have to admit that I was greatly concerned for the first few minutes, anyway. Charter boats stear clear of these things, as do all small craft, and so seeing one up close and personal was a rare experience. Has anyone any similar tales to share? Sorry, no pictures, but there's always next time.
However, during the summer of 1998, I was eating lunch with my wife in the famous Gaido's Seafood Restaurant on the Seawall, when someone ran into the restaurant and yelled 'TORNADO'!
Amazingly, most people in the restaurant ran up to the seawall-side windows to have a look. I stayed at the table, looking at all of the glass on three of the four walls, and was contemplating the advisability of getting under our table, knowing better from chase days that taking cover was the best thing to do.
But nothing happened except there were oooh and ahhs coming from the crowd inside, so I decided to have a look myself. What there was was a small ropy waterspouit that had drifted inland over the seawall boulevard and had touched down there, right outside the restaurant. It was maybe 50' wide. of a hazy bluish-grey, and it did little except stir up trash and knock over some bikes. It remained on the ground for less than 5 minutes before dissipating, and there was no damage reported, which is probably why it didn't even make the local news. Top winds were probably not even 70 mph.
But this is the closest that I have ever been to a 'funnel', in this case no more than 75' away, and I have to admit that I was greatly concerned for the first few minutes, anyway. Charter boats stear clear of these things, as do all small craft, and so seeing one up close and personal was a rare experience. Has anyone any similar tales to share? Sorry, no pictures, but there's always next time.
