Jacksonville Waterspout, An Awesome Sight

Friday afternoon, June 26, 2009, had a little excitement here in Jackonville, Florida. A fully formed waterspout took a leisurely cruise up the St. Johns River from near the Buckman Bridge to San Marco. It was visible for over twenty minutes.

Around 5 p.m., a friend called me to tell me to look out my window because there was a tornado. I thought she was nuts. The sun was shining. I live on the third floor on the east side of a high rise apartment, and she is on the opposite side of the building on the 12th floor. I had my television on a local channel. There was a severe thunderstorm warning, there was no tornado watch or warning. I told her I would come right up. I wanted to reassure her.

My first clue that maybe something really was happening was when I got on the elevator. Another resident told me she was going to her apartment "to escape the tornado." However, this resident is mentally challenged so I was not convinced.

The second clue was the remarks of one of our security workers. She was rushing downstairs and said to me, "Be careful, there is bad weather nearby." That gave me pause. Maybe my friend was not being alarmist.

When I walked into her apartment and looked out the west-facing window, my jaw dropped. Right in the middle of the window was this perfectly formed stovepipe tornado reaching from a wall-cloud to below the tree line. I was shocked. I had a hard time believing my eyes.

The sight was both frightening and beautiful. It was a rich blue, backlit by the sun. It was on the leading edge of a storm that trailed behind with menacing black clouds. I was mesmerized. The photo taken by a Florida Times-Union photographer from University Blvd. West is exactly what we saw. Go to: http://photos.jacksonville.com/mycapture/enlarge.asp?image=24344779&event=785549&CategoryID=29031 to see it.

Together, my friend and I watched the tornado slowly move from south to north, which was a relief. It was not moving towards us. I said to my friend, "If it is on the ground, there is going to be major damage." However, as I watched it, I became hopeful that it was a waterspout on the river. The distance from us looked right, and the blue color told me it was not picking up debris.

As it moved further to the north, it gradually shrank in size and began to rope out, indicating that it was weakening. The TV stations began reporting on it, confirming that it was a waterspout.

My biggest concern was the bend in the river at downtown. Would it follow the river around that right angle bend or would it make landfall into downtown? What would happen if it crossed the Fuller Warren bridge which carries I-95 across the river on the south edge of downtown? It was the height of evening rush hour. There are some very dramatic shots looking south across the bridge at the approaching waterspout and the traffic on the bridge. Fortunately, it dissipated or lifted before reaching the bridge.

The storm that was trailing to the south of it hit our building full force, obscuring our view of the waterspout. The lightning was horrendous and very close, and the rain came down in wind-whipped sheets. There was a small amount of pea-size hail. I did back away from the windows, then.

The television stations showed several pictures of funnel clouds reforming and attempting to lower over downtown or Riverside, but none of them reached the ground. Just this morning on Channel 4, I saw a Riverside viewer's photo looking straight up into a funnel. It was close enough to the ground to see the debris (leaves, shingles, small branches) swirling in and around it. Fortunately, there was only minimal damage from the storm.

Having grown up in the Midwest, I went through many tornado drills. Afterwards, I realized I broke all the rules that had been drummed into me about what to do in a tornado. I went up, not down, in a highrise. I did not get away from the windows. I did not go into an interior room or stay out in the hall. Instead, I stood there and watched. I now have an inkling of what attracts storm-chasers to see tornados. It was an awesome sight.