A waterspout was spotted over the Black Sea off Tirebolu in northeastern Türkiye as severe thunderstorms swept across Giresun Province, bringing torrential rain, flooding and landslides to parts of the region.
The funnel developed offshore on August 13 and was clearly visible from the coast. Videos captured by residents showed the rotating column extending from the storm cloud toward the sea.
🌪️ Giresun'un Tirebolu ilçesi açıklarında deniz üzerinde aniden ortaya çıkan hortum, kameralara yansıdı.
— Hürriyet.com.tr (@Hurriyet) August 13, 2026
🌊Hortum, kıyıya ulaşmadan kısa sürede etkisini kaybetti. pic.twitter.com/iGqeTrNxfo
The European Severe Weather Database places the event at around 19:45 local time, although the exact timing remains preliminary.
The waterspout stayed over the Black Sea and dissipated before reaching the coastline. No injuries or damage were reported from the vortex itself.
Waterspout developped during intense thunderstorms
The waterspout formed during a broader episode of severe convective weather affecting Türkiye’s eastern Black Sea coast.
Moist air from the unusually warm Black Sea was feeding thunderstorms developing near the coast. Strong upward motion within the storms, combined with localized low-level convergence and rotation, provided an environment capable of producing a short-lived waterspout.
Waterspouts can form when rotation close to the water surface is stretched vertically beneath a developing thunderstorm.
Many are weaker and shorter-lived than tornadoes produced by powerful supercells, but they can still generate dangerous winds and become a serious threat if they move ashore.
In Tirebolu, the vortex weakened before reaching land.
The thunderstorms produced considerably greater impacts away from the immediate waterspout.
Official observations showed 24-hour rainfall totals reaching more than 90 mm (3.5 inches) around Görele-Kuşçulu and more than 81 mm (3.2 inches) at Çanakçı. Nearly 59 mm (2.3 inches) was recorded around Keşap.
The sharp differences between nearby rainfall stations highlight how localized the strongest thunderstorms were.
Giresun'da etkili olan şiddetli sağanak yağış Doğankent, Espiye, Güce, Tirebolu ve Yağlıdere ilçelerinde taşkınlara yol açtı.
— KÜRESEL SAVAŞLAR (@kurese1savaslar) August 14, 2026
Bizi takip etmeyi unutmayın lütfen pic.twitter.com/jTB69n07E4
Heavy downpours triggered flooding, overflowing drainage channels and landslides across parts of Giresun Province. The Tirebolu-Doğankent road was temporarily blocked after rocks, branches and other debris fell onto the route, while authorities received dozens of weather-related incident reports around Tirebolu.
Giresun Keşap Karabulduk Yolu. pic.twitter.com/724xCVblN1
— Sakıncalı Piyade (@CoplukBen) August 13, 2026
Another round of severe Black Sea weather
The Giresun storms followed another period of damaging weather farther east along Türkiye’s Black Sea coast.
Meteo.Events previously reported on heavy rainfall affecting Artvin and neighboring provinces, where thunderstorms, intense rainfall and steep terrain combined to produce flooding and infrastructure damage.
The same geography makes much of northeastern Türkiye particularly vulnerable during intense summer storms. Mountains rise abruptly behind the Black Sea coastline, forcing moisture-rich air upward and helping enhance rainfall.
Once heavy rain reaches the steep slopes, runoff can rapidly funnel into narrow valleys and streams, while saturated ground increases the risk of landslides.
The Tirebolu waterspout was therefore one dramatic feature of a broader spell of unstable and potentially hazardous weather along Türkiye’s Black Sea coast.
