A tornado hit Florida on Wednesday, just hours before Hurricane Milton was forecast to make landfall, raising concerns about severe weather conditions in the state.
Tornadoes tore through south Florida, first appearing north of Alligator Alley in Collier County. A traffic camera was later taken to a road near Alligator Alley, west of Weston in Broward County.
Alligator Alley is an area of ​​Interstate 75 in south Florida that runs through the Everglades, connecting the west and east sides of the state. It is about 80 miles from Naples in Collier County to Fort Lauderdale in Broward County. The name comes from the many crocodiles that live in the swamps along the route.
A traffic camera caught an impressive tornado through Alligator Alley just west of the Westin in Broward County this morning. No populated areas are affected. The outer band of rain from Hurricane Milton may continue to produce tornadoes in parts of Florida. Here is the timelapse. pic.twitter.com/d0LlGmyA4d
– Brandon Orr (@BrandonOrrWPLG) October 9, 2024
Weather Channel meteorologist Molly McCollum said during the broadcast that it is unusual to see tornadoes in tropical environments.
“It’s not typical in a tropical tornado environment to have this tornado so visible, and the people who were able to see it now have helped, at least to confirm the tornado,” McCollum said. “We’ve had several confirmed tornadoes in South Florida so far, and there are still several tornado warnings in effect.
“It’s been behaving like a tornado warning that you usually see in the Plains states – Kansas, Oklahoma – a supercell storm, an isolated cell that actually maintains its strength and shows signs of consistent rotation.”
The National Weather Service emphasizes the hurricane has the potential to spawn tornadoes.
“These tornadoes most often occur in thunderstorms attached to rain bands far from the center of the hurricane; however, they may occur near the eyewall. The majority of tornadoes associated with tropical systems occur in the right front quadrant of the storm. The area usually has the most wind shear and most of the instability of tropical tornadoes that affect central South Carolina and eastern Georgia from tropical systems that make landfall in the Gulf of Mexico and continue on their way to the north / northeast by relatively weak and short-lived tropical cyclones, but still a threat significant,” read the National Weather Service website.
A tornado watch is in effect until 9 p.m. for areas north of Fort Myers to the Everglades.
Mike Carlson / AP Photo
Florida has spent the past week preparing for Hurricane Milton.
Hurricane Milton is expected to make landfall on Florida’s west coast in less than 14 hours, with winds exceeding 100 mph. The arrival of a storm during the night added to the danger.
President Joe Biden recently spoke about Milton’s arrival, highlighting leaders in his administration are on the front lines, actively preparing for the storm.
Mark Schiefelbein / AP Photo
The president announced that he approved a declaration of emergency for Florida and sent search and rescue teams, along with essential supplies like water, food, power generators, and ambulances to the area.
“I want to thank everyone who followed local instructions to evacuate before landfall,” Biden said. “I urge everyone in the path of Hurricane Milton to take all safety precautions as we enter the next 24 hours; this is a matter of life and death.”
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