Waterspout in Florida, October 31, 1997

Name: Waterspout in Florida, October 31, 1997
Start: 1997-10-31T17:30
End: 1997-10-31T17:30
Location: Florida

October 31, 1997 · NWS TBW · 1 event in 1 county or zone

1 waterspout, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 1 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

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The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 1

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 waterspout. Local standard time, as filed.

Waterspout, Sarasota

When: October 31, 5:30 PM EST
Where: Sarasota County, 4 mi W of Sarasota
Coordinates: 27.183, -82.365 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

A waterspout was observed over the Intercoastal Waterway between Sarasota and Longboat Key.

What these are

Waterspout: A tornado over water. One that moves ashore is filed as a tornado from the coastline on.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Florida in 1997 Every state in 1997 This day in weather history Warnings in Florida, October 1997

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5620664.