Florida Panhandle hit with string of tornadoes, golf ball-sized hail Thursday

Brandon Girod, Pensacola News Journal
·3 min read
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The National Weather Service in Tallahassee confirmed that three tornadoes touched down along the Florida Panhandle and the Big Bend Thursday afternoon after a series of severe thunderstorms brought strong winds and golf ball-sized hail.

NWS Tallahassee reported the first tornado around 2:55 p.m. CST southwest of Hosford, an unincorporated community in Liberty County, Florida, with a population of around 600, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Tornado near Panama City: NWS confirms tornado in Lynn Haven, near Panama City

Golf ball-sized hail in Florida: Tornado warnings, golf ball-sized hail hit Panama City Thursday afternoon

Garrett Harvey, a Florida State University meteorology student, documented some of the damage he witnessed in the town through photos he shared in a series of tweets.

The images show several fallen trees, some of which have blocked roads, and at least two damaged structures.

A second tornado touched down a 3:07 p.m. CST near Lynn Haven, Florida, located about 6 miles north of Panama City.

WMBB News 13 meteorologist Kristen Kennedy tweeted an image of a collapsed structure lying in the front yard of a Lynn Haven home near A.L. Kinsaul Park.

The NWS Tallahassee confirmed earlier in the day that a water spout had formed in the Gulf of Mexico in Panama City Beach.

In Wakulla County, a third tornado touched down in the Apalachicola National Forest around 4:23 p.m. CST.

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The line of severe storms are still moving east, according to NWS Tallahassee. The strongest areas of the line are in southern Georgia, near Valdosta, and across the southeast of Florida's Big Bend.

Scattered showers and storms are expected to develop Friday morning and afternoon, offering a slight reprieve as more rounds of strong to possibly severe storms are expected to form on Saturday.

Florida Panhandle sees golf ball-sized hail

Thursdays storms also brought golf ball-sized hail similar to what many other parts of Florida has experienced over the past week.

Late spring in Florida can create just the right conditions conducive for hail. Godsey explained that the cooler temperatures aloft mixed with warmer surface temperatures is "fuel" for thunderstorms.

These late-spring thunderstorms can become very tall, causing the water droplets to freeze in the cooler temperatures and become hail.

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Florida tornadoes, large hail: Panhandle hit with severe weather