As Hurricane Milton neared Florida, tornadic supercells spun across the southern part of the state. Several tornadoes touched down, including one that formed live on air during WPBF’s coverage in Martin County.
Latest Advisory Update
Hurricane Milton made landfall as a Category 3 storm on Wednesday night near Siesta Key. Since then, it has been downgraded to a Category 1 as it continues its path across Florida.
As of the 1 a.m. Thursday advisory from the National Hurricane Center, Milton was positioned about 40 miles south-southwest of Orlando and 65 miles west-southwest of Cape Canaveral. The storm is moving east-northeast at 16 mph with maximum sustained winds of 90 mph.
Milton is unleashing destructive rains and damaging winds, affecting inland areas across Florida.
At least 19 tornadoes have touched down across Florida as Hurricane Milton’s outer bands wreak havoc across the state.
During an 8 p.m. press briefing on Wednesday, Governor Ron DeSantis reported that 116 tornado warnings had been issued statewide, with 19 confirmed touchdowns so far—and Milton had not even made landfall yet.
The governor remarked that he couldn’t recall a recent storm with so many tornado warnings issued. The tornado-warned storms cut a destructive path across the state, leaving significant damage in their wake.
A second tornado struck the Basswood Estates area of the county, located just northwest of Okeechobee County Airport. It affected Dixie Ranch Acres, where several homes experienced roof and soffit damage.
The tornado traveled 8.5 miles and was classified as an EF-2, with estimated peak winds reaching 115 mph.
Notably, significant damage occurred on U.S. 98, where a mobile home was lifted from its foundation and completely destroyed.
Officials have confirmed fatalities resulting from the tornadoes. St. Lucie County authorities reported “multiple fatalities” in the Spanish Lakes Community following the tornadoes in the area.
