Watch a ‘wild’ waterspout make landfall as a tornado at a Florida beach resort
Beachgoers must have felt like they were in the middle of a disaster movie Saturday in Southwest Florida during a burst of stormy weather.
Video taken near the Lani Kai Resort in Fort Myers Beach show a massive water spout churning toward shore, knocking down chairs, tables and other objects in its path.
In a quick clip taken by an onlooker and posted from the Twitter account @lukeincanada, some people just stand there as the rotating spray rushes through. Others run for cover, screaming.
The National Weather Service confirmed the whirling column of water had moved onshore around noon as “a weak tornado” that had peak winds of about 65 mph.
According to the National Ocean Service, the best way to avoid being hurt during weather like this is to try to navigate away. Move at a 90-degree angle to the spout’s apparent direction.
“Never move closer to investigate,” the federal agency warned.
Melissa Schneider, spokeswoman for the waterside resort, told the Miami Herald on Monday that the spout swiped through the beach access area and then quickly dissipated.
Damage was minimal and no one was hurt.
“Due to the weather, very few people were on the beach,” she said. “It was wild, but we were lucky: We had just installed hurricane windows.”
