Latest news with #JeniScheid
New York Post
5 hours ago
- Climate
- New York Post
Up-close encounter with dual waterspouts wows Florida boaters on river: ‘Like angels flying to Heaven'
What started as an ordinary afternoon on a Florida river quickly morphed into a breathtaking and heart-pounding spectacle for boaters. Two colossal waterspouts descended from the storm-laden skies over the Manatee River in Bradenton on Sunday, dancing perilously close to one surprised vessel. Advertisement A waterspout is a funnel that contains an intense vortex, sometimes destructive, of small horizontal extent and which occurs over a body of water, according to NOAA. Among those with a front-row seat to Mother Nature's dramatic performance were Jeni Scheid and her daughter, Madisyn, who captured up-close videos of the incredible waterspouts. 'A waterspout touched down right next to us on the boat!' an exhilarated Jeni Scheid recounted in a social media post along with clips of the harrowing event. 'Never seen anything this crazy so close!' As if one wasn't enough, she added, 'another is forming behind us as we run from the storms!!' Advertisement Scheid said her daughter's Snapchat stories also vividly underscored just how intimately close they were to the swirling vortexes. 4 Boaters witnessed two waterspouts over the Manatee River on Sunday. Jeni & Madisyn Scheid/TMX/Fox News 4 Boaters received a front-row seat to the scary spectacle. Jeni & Madisyn Scheid/TMX/Fox News Her footage and unfiltered experience show the first column of water and wind roaring to life mere yards from their watercraft, followed shortly by the ominous appearance of a second. Advertisement 'It looked like angels flying up to Heaven,' Scheid said. While many believe a waterspout is simply a tornado over water, this is only partially true. Depending on their formation, NOAA says waterspouts come in a couple of different types: tornadic and fair weather. 4 Waterspouts can happen during tornadic and fair weather, NOAA claimed. Jeni & Madisyn Scheid/TMX/Fox News Bradenton Mayor Gene Brown and his wife also witnessed these dual fair-weather spout beauties, confirming they remained safely over the water, posing no threat or impact to the city. Advertisement All waterspouts should be taken seriously, no matter the type. The National Weather Service issues Special Marine Warnings when waterspouts have been detected by Doppler radar or are reported by local law enforcement or storm spotters. 4 Witnesses were stunned to see the waterspouts so close to their boat. Jeni & Madisyn Scheid/TMX/Fox News In most cases, waterspouts that make landfall are significantly weaker than tornadoes, produce little or no damage and quickly dissipate. The NWS issues Tornado Warnings in these instances. More storms are in the forecast for Thursday. Boaters should exercise extreme caution and remain vigilant before and during their time on the water.
New York Times
16 hours ago
- Climate
- New York Times
Florida Boaters Capture Twin Waterspouts Up Close on Video
Living on Florida's Gulf Coast, Jeni Scheid has seen waterspouts before. But on Sunday, when she and her husband, D.J., took their boat out with family and a friend, they saw not one, but two of the funnel formations up close. The group had seen ominous clouds on the horizon and, as rain began to pour, decided to head back to dry land. But then Mr. Scheid pointed out water rising up from the Manatee River about 200 feet away from their 30-foot boat — the 'up-Scheid-down.' 'That's going to be a waterspout,' he said, Ms. Scheid recalled. Sure enough, one funnel came down from a spiraling cloud, and then a second. 'Our brains could not compute what we were seeing,' Ms. Scheid said in an interview. 'It looked like something from a movie.' Ms. Scheid and her husband try to take their boat out on the Manatee River in Bradenton, Fla., every Sunday. This time they went with their four children, a cousin and a friend. 'All the kids were excited, loved it, wanted to get closer,' Ms. Scheid said. The group began taking out their phones to capture the scene. But they did not chase the waterspouts and watched from a distance, Ms. Scheid said. Though awe-inspiring, waterspouts can be dangerous and carry winds that can reach up to 100 miles per hour, according to Austen Flannery, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service office in Tampa Bay, Fla. They are 'pretty common' in Florida in the summer, especially in the Keys, but seeing two at once is 'more infrequent,' he said. There are two types of waterspouts, Mr. Flannery said. One is essentially a 'tornado over water' that spins out of a thunderstorm, similar to what people might see on the Great Plains, he said. The dual waterspouts in Bradenton were 'fair weather waterspouts' that can happen during relatively calm weather when sea breezes collide or the leading edge of a thunderstorm brings a gusty front, Mr. Flannery said. Colder, denser air pushes warmer, more unstable air upward, creating a whirlwind, he said. Mayor Gene Brown of Bradenton and his wife also recorded a dramatic video of the twin waterspouts, which was shared by the Bradenton Police Department. The video also shows drivers stopping on a bridge to watch the funnels. Mr. Brown said the waterspouts caused no damage even though 'they were huge.' The rare brush with two spouts wasn't terrifying for Ms. Scheid once she realized how slowly they were moving, she said. It wasn't a tornado with debris flying, she added. When the boat returned to land, Ms. Scheid was surprised that people standing far away had seen the spouts. She realized that they had to have been huge. 'Every movie, you see when spirits or angels are going up to heaven,' Ms. Scheid said. 'That's what it looked like.' Michael Levenson contributed reporting.
