The National Weather Service in Miami announced Wednesday that seven tornadoes hit Florida ahead of Hurricane Milton.
Hurricanes and tropical cyclones can produce tornadoes.
According to the National Weather Service, 53 tornado warnings had been issued as of 3 p.m. ET Wednesday, 41 of which were issued by the Miami Weather Bureau.
The National Weather Service reported in X on Wednesday that it had “received reports of building damage in Lakeport” as “a storm system for which a tornado warning was issued passed through the area.” The agency said it was the second tornado to impact Lakeport, an unincorporated community about two hours from Miami, on Wednesday.
A tornado was caught on video tearing through Fort Myers and crossing Interstate 75, a major highway, while cars were still driving.
Hurricane Milton has been downgraded to Category 3 but remains a serious threat to Florida, officials said.
10/9 3:00 PM: Below is a view of all *Tornado Warnings* issued so far by NWS Tampa Bay, NWS Miami, and NWS Melbourne.
As of 3pm today, a total of 53 tornado warnings have been issued.
41 Published by NWS Miami
Please be aware of current and future tornado warnings. https://t.co/j3fr86cifC pic.twitter.com/Zc3WjqD7D6
— NWS Miami (@NWSMiami) October 9, 2024
A tornado watch is in effect until 9 p.m. ET Wednesday night, the paper said, and is in effect for the south, including Miami, Key Largo, Tampa, Port St. Lucie, Jupiter Farms, Sebring, Sebastian, Sarasota, Northport, Cape Coral and Bonita Springs. Covers part of Florida. Agency.
Videos and photos posted online showed several spotted tornadoes growing in size as they moved across southern Florida.
The agency also warned that isolated hail of up to half an inch was possible and isolated wind gusts of up to 70 mph (112 kph) were possible. Approximately 12.6 million residents, along with 2,424 schools and 170 hospitals, could be exposed to the tornado.
The tornadoes come as Hurricane Milton is expected to double in size as the “storm of the century” by the time it makes landfall late Wednesday or early Thursday.
Florida continues to reel from widespread damage from Hurricane Helen several weeks ago, with the record-breaking storm expected to bring storm surge of up to 15 feet (4.5 meters) along the state’s coast.
