Waterspout — Bayside and Gulfside From Craig Key To West End of Seven Mile Bridge, Gulf of Mexico

2023-06-09 · near Marathon, Bayside and Gulfside From Craig Key To West End of Seven Mile Bridge, Gulf of Mexico

Event narrative

Two waterspouts were observed north of Marathon around Mile Marker 54. One waterspout consisted of a condensation funnel cloud all the way to the water surface with a spray ring. The second waterspout consisted of a narrow condensation funnel cloud approximately one-quarter the way down from cloud base with no spray ring observed.

Wider weather episode

The combination of an upper level trough over the Gulf of Mexico and deep lower-to-middle tropospheric ridging over the Greater Antilles supported a deep, moist west-southwest flow over the Florida Keys. A regenerative convective cloud line from the southern portion of Big Pine Key and Bahia Honda Key into the Florida Bay waters north of Marathon became a focus for numerous waterspouts throughout June 9, 2023.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (24.7400, -81.0600)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1116299. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.