Moment destructive water spout off Clearwater Beach makes landfall

Terrifying moment waterspout tears through Florida beach whipping up cabanas and chairs and injuring two people as swimmers run for cover

• A waterspout came ashore on Clearwater Beach Friday, injuring two beachgoers
• Footage shows how the weather event sent shade cabanas flying, causing chaos
• It happened around 4 pm, near the southern portion of the usually scenic beach

A waterspout suddenly came ashore in Clearwater Beach over the weekend, leaving two beachgoers injured by flying debris.

The unforeseen weather event happened around 4pm ET Friday on the Sunshine State’s Gulf Coast, on what appeared to be a busy beach day.

The affected area was a small stretch at the south of the usually placid beach, where there were no watches or warnings in effect when the cyclone suddenly made landfall.

Footage shows some of the chaos it left in its wake – with cabanas and chairs flying and beachgoers screaming in a moment of general unrest.

Officials have since confirmed that two tourists from Kansas were struck by the wayward debris. A 70-year-old woman and a 63-year-old man, they were both hospitalized Friday with ‘minor injuries.’

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A waterspout suddenly formed off Clearwater Beach over the weekend, leaving two beachgoers injured by flying debris after it made landfall Friday around 4pm ET

Footage shows some of the chaos it left in its wake – with cabanas and chairs flying and beachgoers screaming in a moment of general unrest

‘A small #waterspout moved ashore quickly this afternoon on #ClearwaterBeach near lifeguard Tower 2,’ the Clearwater Fire & Rescue Department wrote in a statement roughly four hours after the sea tornado moved in on the scenic beach community.  

‘Two people went to the hospital with minor injuries after being struck by flying debris.’

Video shared by the department showed people screaming and running from the spout as it whipped powerful winds across the beach’s trademark white sands, overturning dozens of cabanas and chairs in the process.  

The footage from the responders was less than 15 seconds long, but showed the power of the sizable vortex, which could be seen moving from the water onto the sand with frightening speed.

Another vantage offered by a different beachgoer showed a more aerial angle of the towering cyclone, and how it dissipated in a matter of moments after hitting land.

But by the time the sands and storm settled, however, the damage was already done – with clips showing hundreds of strewn chairs, tents, and cabanas caught up in the spout’s winds.

Fortunately, revelers to the north – towards Pier 60 and beyond – were spared, with the temporal tempest being localized to no more than a few hundred yards of the 2.5 beach in the community of Clearwater.

Out of the dozens seen scrambling in the storm’s wake on Friday, only the two aforementioned revelers were hit seriously enough to be hospitalized, with officials confirming no others received treatment as a result of the waterspout.

The two injured tourists, who were both unnamed, were treated by lifeguards at the scene before being taken to Morton Plant Hospital, officials said.  

The extent of their injuries was not known but are thought to be minor, according to statements from the the fire and rescue department.

Their identities were not immediately available, with first responders only releasing their ages and state of origin.

The affected area was a small stretch at the south of the usually placid beach, where there were no watches or warnings in effect when the cyclone, seen at the top left of the above photo, suddenly made landfall

Video shows people screaming and running from the spout as it whipped powerful winds across the beach’s white sand, while overturning cabanas that look to hit several people

Clips posted by bother first responders and revelers showed the power of the sizable vortex, which can be seen here moving from the water onto the sand with frightening speed

Officials have since confirmed that two tourists from Kansas were struck by the wayward debris. A 70-year-old woman and a 63-year-old man, they were both hospitalized Friday with ‘minor injuries’

The towering cyclone dissipated in a matter of moments after hitting land, but left a mess of damage in its wake. Photos show hundreds of strewn chairs, tents, and cabanas caught up in the spout’s winds, that have since been cleaned up

As for the spout, it was not clear where it exactly formed, apart from it being somewhere over the Gulf of Mexico.

As was the case for other similar cyclones common near Florida’s coast, it petered off shortly after hitting land, sparing any further victims.

Weather in the area has since returned to normal, after causing a stir in and around the Tampa region.

Clearwater is set just west of the Central Florida city, and is known for sporting one of the best beaches in the country.

The couple injured was reportedly enjoying a meal at one of the beach town’s many restaurant when the rough weather rolled through, authorities said.

Following the incident, police were checking the area and conducting interviews with likely rattled witnesses. DailyMail.com has reached out for comment. 

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