Powerful tornadoes tore through Florida just hours before Hurricane Milton made landfall on Wednesday, causing significant damage including torn-off roofs and overturned vehicles as the intense V-shaped columns of wind swept through the area.
Tragic reports of fatalities emerged from St. Lucie County on Florida’s Atlantic Coast, although authorities have yet to confirm the exact number of casualties.
By Wednesday evening, over 130 tornado warnings linked to Hurricane Milton had been issued across Florida by the National Weather Service.
Meteorologists indicate that while tornadoes commonly arise before and during hurricanes, the intensity of these twisters was particularly striking.
“It’s definitely out of the ordinary,” remarked a meteorology expert. “Hurricanes can produce tornadoes, but they are typically weak. Today’s events resembled the ferocity usually seen in the Great Plains during spring.”
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, tornadoes generated by hurricanes usually occur in the right-front quadrant and occasionally near the eyewall of the storm. The atmospheric conditions, including high heat and humidity, along with varying wind speeds at different heights, increase the likelihood of their formation.
“There’s an incredible amount of swirling going on,” the meteorological expert added, highlighting the favorable conditions for tornado development. “Those tornadoes formed in a very conducive environment.”
While climate change is intensifying hurricanes due to warming ocean temperatures, the connection between these environmental changes and the severe tornadoes modeled during Hurricane Milton remains uncertain.
The National Weather Service had approximately 12.6 million residents under a tornado advisory until Wednesday night, reflecting the widespread risk across the state.
Footage shared on social media displayed dramatic funnel clouds looming over various neighborhoods in Palm Beach County and surrounding regions.
A meteorologist from the National Weather Service in Miami noted uncertainty regarding the exact number of tornadoes spawned by Milton, but contrasted it to Hurricane Ian, which resulted in only 64 tornado warnings when it struck the Tampa Bay area in 2022.
Florida experiences the highest frequency of tornadoes per square mile than any other state, although they are generally less intense compared to those in the Midwest and Plains. However, a devastating outbreak of strong tornadoes in Central Florida in February 1998 resulted in 42 fatalities and over 260 injuries within a matter of hours.
