Tallahassee area under tornado watch; storms, squall line could produce damaging winds

Jeff Burlew, Tallahassee Democrat
·2 min read

10:25 a.m. update

The National Weather Service has issued a severe thunderstorm warning for portions of Franklin, Leon, Liberty, Jefferson and Wakulla counties.

At 9:49 a.m., a line of severe storms was producing 60-mph winds, the Weather Service said. The warning is in effect until 10:45 a.m.

Meanwhile, Jim Cantore, meteorologist with The Weather Channel, tweeted at 8:46 a.m. that there was a tornado on the ground southeast of Blountstown.

The National Weather Service in Tallahassee said it has not confirmed the reported tornado. Emergency Management directors in Calhoun and Liberty counties said they had no reports of a tornado or widespread damage.

"It was scary for a little bit, but it seems to have passed," said Lisa Schuler, assistant director of Liberty County Emergency Management.

Morning update

A storm system capable of producing damaging wind gusts and isolated tornadoes is expected to move through the Tallahassee area.

Joe Worster, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Tallahassee, said the squall line is expected to arrive later Wednesday morning or around lunchtime ahead of a cold front.

“We can expect gusting winds of 50 to 60 mph and frequent lightning,” Worster said. “There is an isolated chance for brief tornadoes ahead of it with any pre-frontal convection ahead of it.”

Worster said Tallahassee could see about an inch of rain. Small hail is also possible.

The storms are part of a large system moving across the eastern United States, bringing snow and ice to parts of the north and severe storms to the south.

The Storm Prediction Center says there is a slight risk (2 on a scale of 1 to 5) of severe weather from the Florida Panhandle and Big Bend up into central Georgia.

Tornado watches are in effect for Bay, Calhoun, Franklin, Gadsden, Gulf, Holmes, Jackson, Jefferson, Lafayette, Leon, Liberty, Madison, Taylor, Wakulla, Walton and Washington counties.

Portions of Bay, Calhoun and Jackson counties were under two different tornado warnings as of about 8:35 a.m. Eastern time. The warnings were based on radar-indicated rotation.

Once the cold front settles in, more seasonable winter temperatures are expected to remain in place, with lows in the 40s and highs in the 60s Thursday night through Sunday morning, the Weather Service said.

Contact Jeff Burlew at jburlew@tallahassee.com or follow @JeffBurlew on Twitter.

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Tallahassee weather update: Storms could bring strong winds, tornadoes