COCOA BEACH, Fla. — A 15-year-old is being treated for a head injury after a funnel cloud touched down on Cocoa Beach.
Brevard County Ocean Rescue Assistant Chief Eisen Witcher said the funnel whirled down onto the sand Sunday afternoon, spinning for about 15 seconds before moving onto the ocean for another 20 seconds.
He told Florida Today there were nearly 1,000 beachgoers when the win picked up quickly. Umbrellas, kayaks and pop-up tents were blown off the ground from the wind.
Witcher said, "Everybody hit the ground. Some weren't so fortunate and got hit by flying debris."
The boy was struck in the head by a flying canopy and transported by ambulance to Cape Canaveral Hospital. No other injuries were immediately reported.
A beachgoer uploaded a YouTube video that shows strong winds picking up more than dozen beach umbrellas.
In the short clip, some beachgoers are scrambling to catch the flying umbrellas. The large beach umbrellas were picked up by strong winds as a storm moved into Cocoa Beach Sunday afternoon.
Several umbrellas were thrown far out into the water after being picked up by the whirling wind, which the National Weather Service said was a gustnado. According to the NWS, a gustnado is a "short-lived, ground-based, shallow vortex that develops on a gust."
WFTV
