Waterspout — Coastal Waters From Pt Mansfield To Rio Grande River Tx Out 20nm, Gulf of Mexico

2013-08-24 · near South Padre Island, Coastal Waters From Pt Mansfield To Rio Grande River Tx Out 20nm, Gulf of Mexico

Event narrative

Several beachgoers and at least one fishing boat reported a waterspout 5 miles north of South Padre Island, roughly offshore just south of beach access number six. The waterspout was visible on the South Padre Island Beach Camera. The waterspout remained offshore for its duration and caused no damage, and meandered in the same area for more than an hour based on tracking by beach cameras and photos by the public.

Wider weather episode

Weak surface troughiness combined with a very moist tropical air mass allowed for scattered showers and thunderstorms to develop over the Lower Texas Coastal Waters. The combination of the tropical air mass and generally light surface winds set up a good environment for waterspout formation. A waterspout was spotted on the morning of August 24th over the nearshore Gulf Waters east of South Padre Island, just south of Beach Access 6.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (26.1524, -97.1300)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 467884. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.