Two tornadoes confirmed Monday evening near Port St. Lucie, Stuart
Two tornadoes touched down Monday evening on the Treasure Coast, according to the National Weather Service in Melbourne.
They were reported after the NWS issued a tornado warning about 5:30 p.m. for St. Lucie and Martin counties and extended it through 6:30 p.m.
The first tornado appeared to touch down west of Interstate 95 and travel northwest to North River Shores, said meteorologist Cassie Leahy. Damage to trees and fences was reported near Woodbine Way.
The second tornado appeared to touch down near Becker Road and I-95, Leahy said. No damage was reported.
She didn’t know the strength of the tornadoes because meteorologists still are collecting damage reports.
Motorists on I-95 pulled off the side of the road for safety and to watch the dramatic images.
The following are reported sightings of tornadoes in Martin County:
4:46pm - Stuart Tower reported tornado touch down 8-10 miles west of airport.
4:51pm - Call from 6906 SW Woodbine Way in Palm City for tornado that touched down, causing the powerline to hit a palm tree. pic.twitter.com/dTXNRI8WFw— Martin County Fire Rescue (@MartinCountyFR) January 15, 2024
Tornado Warning including Port Saint Lucie FL, Palm City FL and Stuart FL until 6:00 PM EST pic.twitter.com/QYBr3iVhIW
— NWS Melbourne (@NWSMelbourne) January 15, 2024
Area residents were urged to take cover and move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a sturdy building and avoid windows.
Hundreds were without power as of 8 p.m. across the Treasure Coast, according to the FPL Power Tracker Map, including over 500 outages in Martin County and over 400 outages in St. Lucie County.
Heavy rain and strong winds continued in St. Lucie County through the early evening. A cold front will trigger more showers and storms on Tuesday.
The line of storms was from a front passing through that will cool off temperatures and lower humid conditions for the rest of the week, clearing the way for sunny skies in South Florida through Friday.
James Coleman is a journalist at the Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach him at jcoleman@pbpost.com and follow him on X (formerly known as Twitter) at @JimColeman11. Help support our journalism. Subscribe today.
Laurie K. Blandford is TCPalm's entertainment reporter and columnist dedicated to finding the best things to do on the Treasure Coast. Follow her on Twitter @TCPalmLaurie and Facebook @TCPalmLaurie. Email her at laurie.blandford@tcpalm.com. Sign up for her What To Do in 772 weekly newsletter at profile.tcpalm.com/newsletters/manage.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Two tornadoes confirmed Monday evening near Port St. Lucie, Stuart