A major storm swept across portions of Florida late Monday and early Tuesday, triggering tornado warnings and causing damage.
The violent storm with 55 mph winds and hail moved through the Florida Panhandle and into parts of Alabama and Georgia by sunrise Tuesday, along with at least several reports of radar-confirmed tornadoes, the National Weather Service said. A wind gust of 106 mph was recorded before dawn near the coast in Walton County, Florida.
“We still have potentially strong storms in that area through (Tuesday) morning and the potential for more severe weather and tornadoes,” meteorologist Lance Franck in Tallahassee said.
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A section of Panama City Beach, Florida, showed parts of roofs blown away, furniture, fences and debris strewn about and a house that appeared tilted on side, leaning on another home, WJHG-TV reported.
In Panama City, about 10 miles away, police early Tuesday asked residents to stay indoors and off the roads “unless absolutely necessary” as officers checked on damage from the storms, including downed power lines and trees.
The city is in Bay County, where there had been multiple reports of tornadoes on the ground, Sheriff Tommy Ford said in a brief Facebook Live post.
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“We've rescued people out of structures,” he said.
The department urged people to stay home, posting photos of crumpled structures and debris and a message that those who have taken to the roads to see it are "making it very difficult for first responders who are rushing to help people who may be trapped in damaged homes and injured."
The Walton County sheriff's department in the Florida Panhandle posted photos of power lines draped across a road, damage to a gas station and large pieces of building materials littering the area.
Gov. Ron DeSantis activated the Florida State Guard Monday "in response to potential severe weather anticipated across the state," according to a news release from the governor's office.
The NWS in Miami said they would be monitoring storms throughout Tuesday.
