Early morning storms prompt tornado warnings, damage throughout Florida
Strong storms are moving across central Florida Thursday morning, producing at least two tornados in the area and keeping residents on high alert.
The National Weather Service had issued a multitude of tornado warnings and watches across the state as the low-pressure system moved through and caused damage along a major highway in Crystal River, about 80 miles north of Tampa.
The Citrus County Sheriff's Office posted an alert on X, formerly known as Twitter, about damages the tornado caused along the highway with debris, shingles and fences sprawled across the road and the city.
About two hours south in Clearwater, no injuries were reported related to the storm, police said. The National Weather Service of Tampa Bay Meteorologist Stephen Shiveley confirmed at least one tornado touched down in Clearwater at around 2 a.m., around the same time another one was spotted in Crystal River.
Shiveley told USA TODAY the office is surveying the area to confirm if a second tornado hit Clearwater or if the first traveled to another area.
A possible tornado was reported in Palm Coast, along Florida's Atlantic coast, causing damage to residences and vehicles, according to photos shared with the Daytona Beach News-Journal, part of the USA TODAY Network. Scott Cordero, a NWS meteorologist in Jacksonville, said a team is also surveying the damage there and referring to radar data to determine if a tornado occurred. He added the determination could take a few hours as most of the state is under a tornado watch until 3 p.m. Thursday, with severe weather still threatening the area until then.
"We still do have a tornado watch going for about five hours. The atmosphere is probably a little less conducive and since we had spinners, we extended the watch all the way through mid-afternoon," Cordero said.
No injuries have been reported at this time, although "there is some significant damage in the area."
The National Weather Service also issued tornado warnings for Flagler and Citrus counties Thursday. Tornado watches are active throughout central to northern Florida.
Storms cause power outages throughout Florida
Latest weather warnings and watches issued across Florida
See expected rainfall across Florida
Weather radar for east central Florida, including Daytona Beach
Weather radar for north Florida including Jacksonville, Saint Augustine
Weather radar in North Florida, including Tallahassee, Panama City
Weather radar for southwest Florida, including Sarasota, Fort Myers
Contributing: Frank Fernandez, Daytona Beach News-Journal; Associated Press
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Severe weather hits Florida as tornados cause damage throughout state
