A Tornado Watch has been issued for most of the Florida Peninsula and the Keys until 2 p.m. EDT Sunday as millions of people face the risk of damaging severe thunderstorms and tornadoes to close out the weekend.
The latest severe weather threat comes one day after more powerful storms, including at least one EF-1 tornado, swept across Florida on Saturday.
The National Weather Service office in Miami said the tornado had winds of at least 100 mph, but a final determination on how strong the twister was will be completed once the storm survey teams conclude their investigation. The NWS said the tornado touched down east of Interstate 95 just south of Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center and moved to the northeast, where it dissipated near the PGA Boulevard/U.S. 1 intersection.
Residents in Palm Beach Gardens captured video and images of flipped cars and downed trees after the Tornado Warning was issued for the area around 5:30 p.m. EDT Saturday.
Several apartment complexes appeared to have suffered damage during the severe weather, and at least one building appeared to have suffered substantial damage to its roof.
The FOX Forecast Center said a few bands of strong to severe thunderstorms were expected to sweep across the Florida Peninsula and the Florida Keys on Sunday.
Tornadoes, damaging winds and large hail are all possible through at least the early-afternoon hours.
Areas included in the Tornado Watch include cities from Jacksonville and St. Augustine in northeastern Florida southward through Gainesville, Daytona Beach, Orlando, Melbourne, Tampa, Sarasota, Fort Myers, West Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Miami, Marathon and Key West.
A Tornado Watch means conditions are favorable for tornadoes and severe thunderstorms to form within the watch area.
The storms will push off into the Atlantic later Sunday, ending the severe weather threat by mid-afternoon with a much calmer late afternoon and evening on tap.
With an Omega block pattern expected to dominate the country in the week ahead, the weather could turn quieter in the Sunshine State after a week that has been full of severe storms.