Southport, N.C. - Coastal storm cell drops waterspout

As the last bits of the entire storm system that brought deadly tornadoes exit the East Coast this afternoon, one of its last storm cells in Southport, N.C., formed a waterspout.

Waterspouts are like tornadoes, only they form over water. However, they have similar characteristics to tornadoes and can cause damage to boats that end up in their path or when they move onshore. Luckily, the Southport, N.C., waterspout that formed this afternoon did not cause damage.

As thunderstorms moved along coastal North Carolina, heavy rain and lightning could be seen on the WeatherRadar. The Cape Fear River empties into the Atlantic and the waterspout formed near the mouth of the river.

When you happen to come near a waterspout, the National Weather Service advises moving at a 90-degree angle away from it to avoid damage or worse.

Track the rest of this system moving out to sea on the WeatherRadar.