Florida, 1998

Waterspout in Florida, December 22, 1998

December 22, 1998 · NWS MOB · 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.

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Event by event

1 waterspout. Local standard time, as filed.

Waterspout, Okaloosa

When
December 22, 8:45 AM CST to 9:05 AM CST
Where
Okaloosa County, Mary Esther
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
30.665, -86.592 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

A waterspout was sighted just over the Intracoastal Waterway south of Mary Esther. The waterspout went back up into the cloud and again reappeared over the Gulf just south of Fort Walton Beach. The waterspout moved east along the coast then went back up into the cloud. No damage was reported.

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

More

Every storm in Florida in 1998Every state in 1998This day in weather historyWarnings in Florida, December 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: 5671158.