Panama City Beach, Florida was hit by a serious tornado on Tuesday, Jan. 9, and the damage is still being calculated. The town suffered a “water spout tornado,” according to a report by WSBTV, and the damage is described as “extensive.” It’s still unclear if anyone was injured in the natural disaster.
Panama City Beach is a gulf coast town located east of Tallahassee, and is a beloved vacation spot – especially for people from Georgia looking for the fastest path to the coastline. The town was hit by a waterspout – a column of air and mist that rises up when a tornado forms over the ocean or another large body of water. So far, local reporters have confirmed that at least one building was flattened, one home was blown off of its foundation and one large marina was torn up and severely damaged in a twisting motion. There was damage along the town’s thriving beach and other highly populated areas.
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The tornado’s damage was mostly focused on St. Andrew’s State Park, the Grand Lagoon area and the Treasure Island Marina. The storm destroyed a restaurant called the Waffle and Omelet House, and it scattered trash and debris all over the beach itself. The storm continued inward, causing notable damage in the town of Marianna about 70 miles inland. Photos and videos from the scene went viral on social media as users were shocked by this sudden damage.
According to the National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration, a waterspout can be a harmless during fair weather or “tornadic” if it forms during a certain kind of storm. Tornadic waterspouts share many characteristics with land tornadoes, including their general association with thunderstorms, high winds, hail, lightning and storm surges. The NOAA issues tornado warnings for these events just as they would for a land tornado. While these events tend to dissipate rapidly, they can cause serious damage.
