Several waterspouts seen in Florida Keys

Chris Bianchi
Weather Nation
Tue, 08 May 2018 10:28 UTC

A string of waterspouts were spotted offshore from the Florida Keys on Tuesday morning, though none of the spouts caused damage or moved onto land.

At least seven waterspouts were reported from United States Coast Guard and National Weather Service officials at several different points on the Keys. Here's a look at some of those spouts:

In the last 90 minutes, marine weather spotters reported two waterspouts adjacent to the #flkeys. One north of Plantation Key, the other NE of Cottrell Key (pictured below courtesy of @FloridaKeysNMS Captain) . Conditions remain favorable for waterspouts this AM. #KeyWest pic.twitter.com/UYPSqMQHs7

— NWS Key West (@NWSKeyWest) May 8, 2018

Waterspout as seen earlier today (5/8/18) at around 11:15 am EDT about 3-5 miles northwest of #KeyWest. Pic submitted by Crystal Bangs. Conditions will remain favorable for waterspout formation on nearshore waters adjacent to the #FLKeys into at least the early afternoon. #FLwx pic.twitter.com/8kKZ8do1WK

— NWS Key West (@NWSKeyWest) May 8, 2018

These short-lived (they lasted 10 minutes or less, according to observers) twisters are considered to be fair weather waterspouts, meaning they form through a different process compared to traditional supercell thunderstorms, such as the ones that produce powerful, destructive tornadoes on land.