Tornadoes spotted in southern Florida as Hurricane Milton approaches. Here’s where

Tornadoes were spotted through the southern parts of Florida on Wednesday as Hurricane Milton barrels toward the state. One was even seen along Interstate 75 close to western Broward.

One of the twisters was near the Miccosukee Service Plaza off Alligator Alley in Broward County around 10 a.m., the Weather Channel reported.

The National Weather Service issued the tornado watch for stretches of Florida south of Orlando — including Miami-Dade, the Keys and Tampa Bay. The alert warns the region of more than 12 million Floridians of hail and gusts of winds up to 70 mph.

As of 6 p.m. Wednesday, 55 tornado warnings have been issued by the NWS Miami and 98 issued by NWS Tampa Bay, NWS Melbourne and NWS Miami.

There have been at least nine confirmed twisters Wednesday in South Florida.

The watch is in effect until 9 p.m.

Tornadoes, the NWS said, are an “enhanced risk” of Milton in much of central and southern Florida. A large tornado was seen Wednesday morning on State Road 80 west of Clewiston, a small city near Lake Okeechobee.

During a tornado, the NWS recommends you avoid windows and shelter in an interior room, or if outside, in the closest substantial shelter.

READ MORE: Hurricane Milton, a monster Cat 4, roars toward Florida Gulf Coast landfall

Milton, a Category 4 hurricane with sustained winds still clocking in at 155 mph, finally made the fateful turn to the northeast that will steer it toward what promises to be a catastrophic strike sometime in the darkness of late Wednesday night or early Thursday. It is expected to hit on the Gulf Coast, somewhere between Fort Myers and the Tampa Bay area.

Miami Herald writer Milena Malaver contributed to this report.

This report will be updated as more information becomes available

This story was originally published October 9, 2024 at 9:27 AM.

Grethel Aguila

Miami Herald

Grethel covers courts and the criminal justice system for the Miami Herald. She graduated from the University of Florida (Go Gators!), speaks Spanish and Arabic and loves animals, traveling, basketball and good storytelling. Grethel also attends law school part time.