Tropical funnel cloud forms in Melbourne
(Credit: Christine Rivera)
MELBOURNE, Fla. - Viewers reported seeing a funnel cloud in Melbourne around 3:10 p.m.
The funnel cloud did not touch down, but did create gusty winds and a scare to those who spotted it.
As a rainstorm moved over Melbourne, multiple boundaries (the sea breeze coming off the east coast, outflow boundaries from other storms in the area and the lingering cold front) created enough spin at the surface to form a brief funnel cloud.
A tropical funnel is a little different than how your typical tornado forms. This is known as a "tropical funnel cloud," which happens when we have a lot of tropical moisture in the atmosphere like we had on Sunday. That, combined with the boundaries colliding and little eddies (areas of circulation along a boundary), created the funnel cloud. When those eddies get lofted into the atmosphere by the warm air rising over the land, it stretches on the way up and creates the funnel cloud.
The main difference between a tropical funnel cloud and a tornado is that tropical funnels are much weaker. They quickly form and dissipate and rarely touch the ground. They can cause produce damage if they do end up touching the ground, but winds usually stay less than 70 mph.
Although they look similar to tornadoes, they are different and very common in Florida especially when we see the daily afternoon and evening storms.