Here’s where and when severe storms and possible tornadoes will arrive today
Update: Gusts up to 50 mph, temps in the 50s. South Florida gets a taste of winter this weekend
You know the weather is going to be unpleasant, to say the least.
By the 5 p.m. rush hour, a line of showers and thunderstorms approached the Atlantic metro areas in Miami-Dade and Broward, the National Weather Service in Miami said in an alert.
If you’re living in the northern Glades County, Manatee County on the coast or the Bradenton area, you felt it Thursday morning as conditions deteriorated early.
On Wednesday, the National Weather Service in Miami issued an elevated risk of severe weather warning for parts of Florida — its first such warning since just before Hurricane Irma in September 2017.
On Thursday at 7:40 a.m., the National Weather Service in Tampa Bay reported that a tornado touched down in Myakka City in Manatee County. The tornado, an EF-0, tore a porch from a house and knocked down some trees.
Ahead of a cold front set to arrive Friday, parts of Florida will see some potentially severe thunderstorms, said Barry Baxter, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.
This is when you should start to see storms moving through your area.
▪ Naples, La Belle and northern Glades County, you’re feeling it now. Glades County is the area with strongest warning — enhanced risk — in the state, according to the National Weather Service.
▪ Everlades City, Immokalee, Clewiston and Belle Glade should expect to see thunderstorms affect the area between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m.
▪ South Florida, including Miami, Miami Beach, Homestead, Fort Lauderdale, Boca Raton and West Palm Beach can expect a slight risk of severe thunderstorms to move in between 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. A severe thunderstorm watch is in effect until 9 p.m. from Key West and along to east coast up to Titusville.
▪ The system then drifts into the eastern coast and Atlantic between 7 p.m. and 10 p.m.
A tornado watch was issued from the Tampa-Sarasota area on the west coast to the Orlando, Deltona and Palm Coast areas on the eastern coast through 4 p.m. by the National Weather Service.
Hazards include heavy rain, frequent lightning, damaging wind that could gust to 70 mph, and isolated tornadoes.
By noon Thursday, the weather service reported strong thunderstorms were over the Gulf of Mexico and moving eastward towards the Collier coast, including Naples and Pelican Bay. Wind gusts were up to 35 mph and waterspouts are a threat.
Marco Island was included in a 2 p.m. severe weather alert that also extends to Orangetree and Sunniland. Inland Miami-Dade went under a significant weather advisory at 3:30 p.m.
If you’re considering a ride on the boat — wait until the cold front arrives this weekend. Waterspouts are possible through early Friday morning.
In Key West, Keys Energy Services closed one hour early, at 4 p.m., due to the predicted storm and water tours were interrupted. “We closed early today and we’re closed tomorrow ahead of the storm,” said Kathy Gilmour, general manager of Lazy Dog Adventures. Fury Water Adventures had closed off its sunset sails for Thursday.
In Islamorada, the grand reopening ribbon cutting ceremony scheduled for Thursday afternoon at the famed Islander Resort at mile marker 82.1 was postponed until further notice because of the anticipated winds. The resort was one of several high-end hotels on the ocean side of Islamorada that suffered major damage during Hurricane Irma in September 2017.
This story was originally published December 20, 2018 at 10:22 AM.
