PlainHazard

Waterspout

NOAA Storm Events type · 6,279 records since 1996 · 50 states and territories

The National Weather Service defines waterspout as: "A rotating column of air, pendant from a convective cloud, with its circulation extending from cloud base to the water surface of bays and waters of the Great Lakes, and other lakes with assigned Marine Forecast Zones." NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 6,279 waterspout records from 1996 through June 30, 2026, the most in Florida (750), with 5 deaths recorded.

How the National Weather Service files waterspout

A rotating column of air, pendant from a convective cloud, with its circulation extending from cloud base to the water surface of bays and waters of the Great Lakes, and other lakes with assigned Marine Forecast Zones. A condensation funnel may or may not be visible in the vortex.
National Weather Service Instruction 10-1605, Storm Data Preparation (July 26, 2021), Appendix A, entry 52

Source: National Weather Service Instruction 10-1605. Read the instruction (PDF).

Waterspout, 1996 to 2026

Records per year (2026 to June 30, 2026).

  • recorded, no damage figure
  • under $10 million
  • $10 million or more
  • $100 million or more
  • $1 billion or more, or 100 deaths
  • $10 billion or more, or 1,000 deaths
  • a year's colour: its recorded damage or deaths
  • a year with a death
Records
6,2791996 to June 30, 2026
Deaths
55 injuries
Damage, 2025 dollars
$7.8Mas filed (scale steps before 1993)
Counties with a record
166of 3,266

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026. Search the record at NCEI.

Where do waterspout records happen?

States

  1. Florida 750
  2. Puerto Rico 66
  3. Ohio 56
  4. California 44
  5. North Carolina 37
  6. Alabama 37
  7. U.S. Virgin Islands 34
  8. Hawaii 31
  9. Virginia 23
  10. Texas 22
  11. South Carolina 16
  12. Pennsylvania 16
  13. Mississippi 12
  14. Michigan 12
  15. Wisconsin 11

Counties

  1. Monroe County, FL 314
  2. Miami-Dade County, FL 74
  3. Palm Beach County, FL 64
  4. Broward County, FL 46
  5. Pinellas County, FL 39
  6. Collier County, FL 30
  7. Baldwin County, AL 26
  8. Manatee County, FL 18
  9. Lee County, FL 18
  10. Arroyo Municipio, PR 17

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database (forecast-zone records count on every county the zone covers).

When do waterspout records happen?

The busiest month is July.

The values, month by month

Jan 113 · Feb 126 · Mar 204 · Apr 278 · May 591 · Jun 950 · Jul 1,185 · Aug 1,160 · Sep 927 · Oct 489 · Nov 166 · Dec 90 (records).

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began.

The deadliest waterspout records

The waterspout records with the most deaths
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2000-03-15 WaterspoutTheriot, Terrebonne Parish, LA A waterspout struck a fishing boat approximately 3 miles offshore in the coastal waters of Terrebonne Parish, causing the vessel to be flipped in the air, tossing the three occupants in the water. Two of the men subsequently perished. One man swam ashore and was rescued several hours later. 2 0 $34K

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, deaths direct and indirect as filed.

The most recent waterspout records

To June 30, 2026
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2000-03-15 WaterspoutTheriot, Terrebonne Parish, LA 2 0 $34K
1999-07-03 WaterspoutDrummond Is, Chippewa County, MI 0 0 $354K
1997-07-24 WaterspoutKill Devil Hills, Dare County, NC 0 1 $74K

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.

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