CAPE CORAL, Fla. (WINK)—A funnel cloud was spotted over south Cape Coral, shocking residents who witnessed the rare sight.
Ryan Kamba was sitting in his pool when one of the kids pointed to the sky. “One of the kids says, ‘Hey, is that a tornado?’ No, no, it can’t. And wow, sure enough, it is,” Kamba said.
The funnel cloud remained visible for about 90 seconds. Kamba said he was in disbelief because the weather at his location was sunny and pleasant.
“I was in disbelief. I couldn’t believe it, that can’t be a tornado. It’s sunny here. It’s nice,” Kamba said.
For a funnel cloud to become a tornado, it must touch the ground. “I’ve seen tornadoes in Wisconsin, but never in Florida,” Kamba said.
While the funnel cloud spun just miles away, the sun was out at Kamba’s pool. But in another part of Cape Coral, afternoon thunderstorms brought hail.
Ray Batchelder, a former Air Force weather observer, said the hail was significant. “Good enough we could go skiing or something,” Batchelder said.
Batchelder said days like this are a reminder to stay prepared. “We should always make sure we have an interior wall, no windows to go to. There’s no basements here. So we got to make the do it the best,” Batchelder said.
WINK News will continue to bring live coverage of severe weather as Southwest Florida heads into another rainy season.