'A UFO! No, Wait': Upside-Down Tent Spotted Flying Over Florida
By Zuri Anderson
October 28, 2022
Florida is no stranger to unusual sights, but a recent weird sighting certainly takes the cake.
Matt Dewitt, a meteorologist with WINK News in Fort Myers, shared a photo from a viewer of a flying upside-down tent. He said it was spotted Tuesday (October 26) over Iono, a coastal community in Lee County.
"HOW CRAZY IS THIS?!" Dewitt wrote in a Facebook post. "Likely launched up by a surface whirlwind. Thankfully nobody was in it!"
This phenomenon happens when the air near the ground heats up and rises, according to the meteorologist. Cooler air floods in to fill in the gap, creating an "upward lift into the sky." Reporters say such force can blow inflatable bounce houses into the air.
HOW CRAZY IS THIS?! 🤯 Large tent spotted randomly floating high in the sky above Iona in Southwest Florida on Tuesday. Likely launched up by a surface whirlwind. Thankfully nobody was in it! Credit: Amanda N.
Posted by Matt Devitt WINK Weather on Wednesday, October 26, 2022
Needless to say, Floridians and social media users were quick with the jokes and puns. Scroll through the comment section, and you'll see references to Wizard of Oz and Pixar's Up!
"A UFO! No, wait… it’s a large tent?!" Denise Gutzmer quote-tweeted.
A UFO! No, wait… it’s a large tent?!?! https://t.co/UkMVlXb7tg
— Denise G 🌻 (@DeniseGutzmer) October 26, 2022
— Keith 🍎 ⚡️ (@radboy68) October 26, 2022
#Floridaman goes camping! https://t.co/UencgNO7Ni
— Rick /Afterglow (@Afterglow_2112) October 28, 2022
Typical day in Florida https://t.co/wfR1LytXpt
— Michael Solomonides (@masolomonides) October 27, 2022
“Somebody missed a great opportunity to tie some ropes with a chair under that tent,” Mike Stanislaw wrote.
One Facebook user said: "'That vacation was amazing. We were completely blown away!'”
"Now THAT's an AirBnB..." A Twitter user posted.
"Wow! That's pretty in-tents!" another person commented.
Ba-dum-tiss...