© Diane Baltins
A strong downpour spawned a waterspout near New Topsail Inlet between 10 and 10:30 Wednesday morning.
Viewers like Stephanie Bradshaw, Diane Baltins, and others snapped the photogenic feature just northeast of Scotts Hill as it was swirling toward the inlet and, ultimately, the ocean.
© Stephanie Bradshaw
Some waterspouts form from severe, rotating thunderstorms called "supercells," but most waterspouts form over warm water amid more "run of the mill" tropical downpours.
The structures of these waterspouts tend to be more delicate than funnels and tornadoes that supercell thunderstorms produce. But even still, these somewhat weaker waterspouts have been known to capsize boats and, in rare cases, come ashore and cause minor structural damage.
The National Weather Service issued a Marine Weather Statement to account for the storm that spawned the waterspout. Additional scattered downpours and, for the coastal waters, even waterspouts, will remain possible for the remainder of Wednesday.
