Reprinted courtesy of the Outer Banks Voice
By Sam Walker
The stormy weather over the Outer Banks this weekend spun up a waterspout around midday Sunday off Ocracoke Inlet.
Amanda Swan of Gordonsville, Virginia, was on the beach near South Point on Ocracoke Island when she captured pictures and video of the waterspout that appeared several miles to the south towards Portsmouth Island and then moved offshore as it grew.
Waterspouts are tornadoes over the water, but are much weaker than those that form over land. Local fisherman say it’s not unusual to see multiple waterspouts form well offshore.
Deep moisture coupled with upper level low pressure and a stalled front will lead to a very wet week across eastern North Carolina, with the possibility of slow-moving showers and thunderstorms that are known to produce waterspouts.
Between two and six inches of rainfall is possible through Thursday, according to the National Weather Service in Newport/Morehead City.
Living in Texas, when I saw the pictures I said to myself – that looks like a tornado. But I had no idea that there was truth to it!
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