Waterspout — Sebastian Inlet To Jupiter Inlet 0-20nm, Atlantic South

2024-10-09 · near St. Lucie Inlet, Sebastian Inlet To Jupiter Inlet 0-20nm, Atlantic South

Event narrative

The waterspout began as a long-track EF-3 tornado that impacted portions of Fort Pierce and Vero Beach. The tornado entered the Indian River as a waterspout east of the intersection of US-1 and Indian River Blvd. After crossing the Indian River, additional damage occurred on the barrier island of Vero Beach, mainly near and west of A1A between Bay Dr and Jaycee Park. Crossing the barrier island, the circulation then moved offshore once again into the Atlantic near Tracking Station Beachfront Park. The end time and location of the waterspout have been estimated via radar data.

Wider weather episode

Hurricane Milton made landfall as a category 3 hurricane near Siesta Key on Oct 9 before crossing the peninsula and re-emerging into the Atlantic as a category 1 hurricane. Overall, sustained winds reached tropical storm force across the Atlantic waters of east central Florida, with occasional gusts to hurricane force. Numerous waterspouts were witnessed on KMLB radar during the afternoon hours of Oct 9, several of which began as tornadoes before emerging into the Intracoastal and Atlantic waters of the Treasure Coast.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (27.6094, -80.3693)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1220260. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.