Waterspout in Florida, August 19, 1998

Name: Waterspout in Florida, August 19, 1998
Start: 1998-08-19T15:40
End: 1998-08-19T15:53
Location: Florida

August 19, 1998 · 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, Pinellas

When: August 19, 3:40 PM EST to 3:53 PM EST
Where: Pinellas County, 1 mi WSW of Treasure Is
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 27.903, -82.739 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

A well-defined and long-lasting waterspout was observed by hundreds of residents and beach-goers three miles west southwest of Treasure Island. The captain, a certified Skywarn Spotter, of a 150 foot cruise ship that passed within one mile of the waterspout, encountered 60 mph downburst wind and dime sized hail. The height of the waterspout was estimated at 2,000 feet and the base approximately 100 yards wide.

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 1998 Every state in 1998 This day in weather history Warnings in Florida, August 1998

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 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5664241.