Expat Catches Birth of Waterspout over Panama Bay
By Mike - You just never know what's going to happen next. We were having a number of friends over for Christmas dinner this afternoon when a storm came up and we were forced to close up the balcony / living room area that we normally keep open. The sky got very dark and then Diane Hopkins called everyone to the windows because debris was being sucked up into the air from our parking lot and the street immediately behind. Palm branches and other pretty healthy-sized stuff was being sucked up 4 or 5 stories into the air in a circular motion not 40 feet off our now-closed balcony. We stood there watching this for a couple minutes as it gradually moved down the street and out over the water. I closely watched the water surface for the next couple minutes and sure enough, a circular motion began to appear there as well. At that point I grabbed the camera and began shooting. (more)
The whole time this was going on the sky was very dark and rainy so what appear to be black and white photos are actually in full color and accurately reflect the tone of sky and water as we watched the waterspout form and then slowly march out to sea. When it eventually disappeared from view in the rain, it was approximately a mile out to sea and still growing. A very, very special Christmas for all of us who were there…
I have posted about 30 pics online at:
They are large and have not been edited or "adjusted" in any manner. Dial-up users should be aware that the thumbnails open into large pics that will take some time to load.
The pics can do little justice to such a fascinating event. To have been only feet away from a waterspout's birth is something that I'll never forget…
Mike… just a bit awed this evening…
Editor's Comment: Great pictures, Mike. FYI for everyone else, it's common for waterspouts to form this way, just as soon as they get out of Panama City and out over the water where the tall buildings don't interrupt the flow of air and the temperature change between the water and airmass is more pronounced. They start up right close and then grow and get large as they move off shore. About three years ago the same thing happened and it damaged some ships that were parked in the anchorage just off shore, waiting to go through the Panama Canal.
