Video taken by vacationers in Destin, Florida, on Tuesday morning showed a stunning scene as beachgoers awoke in their vacation rentals to see a massive funnel cloud touching down in the waters of the Gulf of Mexico, creating a huge waterspout stretching from an ominous sky.
WESH spoke to one woman in the area named Karen Nash who said she woke up early to watch the storm, but was surprised to spot the massive twister over the water.
James Spann, a Meteorologist in Alabama, shared a video from a Twitter user showing the "remarkable scene" in the Florida Gulf beach town showing an amazing display of lightning bolts flashing behind the huge waterspout.
Remarkable scene at Destin early this morning… Video from @boo_freeman (IG) pic.twitter.com/NRkXMAKaeF
— James Spann (@spann) August 16, 2022
WBRZ reported that the waterspout was said to have traveled east for about 20 minutes before it dissipated and never made landfall.
A waterspout is a column of rotating wind filled with clouds, according to National Geographic. While similar to tornadoes, waterspouts are usually smaller and not quite as intense.