Tornado warnings, golf ball-sized hail hit Panama City Thursday afternoon

Brandon Girod, Pensacola News Journal
·3 min read

Update 3:15 p.m.: The National Weather Service in Tallahassee confirmed that a tornado touched on the ground near Lynn Haven at 3:06 p.m.

The tornado is moving east at 15 miles per hour and is expected to be near Springfield around 3:15 p.m. and Callaway around 3:20 p.m.

A tornado warning remains in effect until 3:45 p.m. for southeastern Bay County.

Original: The National Weather Service in Tallahassee issued several severe weather alerts in the Panama City area Thursday afternoon as a thunderstorm capable of producing tornadoes and golf ball-sized hail moved eastward through the area.

NWS Tallahassee issued a severe thunderstorm warning for Bay County and South-central Walton County until 3:45 p.m.

NWS Tallahassee meteorologist Kelley Godsey said that once the last batch of storms pass through the area Thursday, there will be a brief break Friday before more storms hit the area again on Saturday.

Latest from the National Weather Service Tallahassee

Tornado warning issued for Panama City

A tornado warning for central Bay County was issued between 12:49 and 11:15 p.m., saying that the storm would continue moving east at about 25 miles per hour.

Godsey said that while there were no indications that a tornado touched down in the area, he did confirm that a water spout formed and moved toward shore.

A video showing the spout as it formed over the Gulf of Mexico in Panama City Beach was shared on Twitter.

"We don't have any confirmation that we had a tornado touch down in Bay County, however, we did have indications on radar. There were strong rotation as the storm moved through Panama City Beach, Panama City and Lynn Haven," Godsey said. "We're continuing to get information back from emergency management to see if there was any damage in the area. So far at this point we don't have any damage reports to share."

Panama City 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: Tornado warnings, hail hit Panama City Thursday afternoon