PALM BEACH, Florida — Seeing one waterspout rotating over the sea is a sight in itself, but what would it be like to see two?

Two waterspouts swirled just feet apart as a storm passed off the coast of Palm Beach, Florida, Thursday afternoon.

Palm Beach police video captured the surreal sight of the smokestacks, initially positioned some distance apart but then brought together as if being coaxed into a complicated dance maneuver with the Atlantic Ocean serving as an improvised dance floor.

In addition, a third and possibly fourth funnel were still in the early stages, flanked on either side of the main waterspouts.

“Sometimes we are lucky enough to observe interesting weather from a safe distance,” Palm Beach police posted on X.

Waterspouts are essentially tornadoes that form over bodies of water. However, unlike tornadoes, they can also form in fair weather conditions that include warm water temperatures and high humidity. In fact, waterspouts are more common in fair weather.

WHAT IS A WATERSPOUT?

“Strong temperature gradients between water and land contribute to the formation of these localized areas of surface vortexes, which are the result of sharp but mostly weak changes in wind direction over the bay and adjacent Gulf waters,” NWS mobile meteorologists told FOX Weather after several waterspouts were spotted off the coast of Alabama in 2022.

The change in wind direction causes rotation and can result in multiple funnels.

Waterspouts are not an uncommon sight off the coast of Florida, as the Sunshine State has the most thunderstorms in the United States, as well as plenty of warm water and high humidity.

Right on time, Florida is the state with the most rainfall in the country this week, according to the FOX Forecast Center.

A stalled front has combined with abundant tropical moisture to spawn multiple thunderstorms across much of Florida this week. Some areas have already received several inches of rain, and another 1 to 3 inches are expected through the weekend.

Source of the original article: Storm in Florida creates two waterspouts in a complicated dance