Images of uprooted trees, broken power lines, and ripped up homes emerged from Florida’s Gulf Coast on June 26 following a possible tornado that went through the area overnight.
Thunderstorms and showers were expected in Pinellas County and adjacent areas on Wednesday, June 25, but the weather that arrived included “quarter-sized hail” and gusts that spread debris around the area, according to the National Weather Service. The government said it was looking into the unofficial tornado reports on Thursday, according to the Herald Tribune, which is part of the USA TODAY network.
In one video taken Wednesday night in Largo, Florida, wind gusts lifted a mobile home from the ground, tilting it sideways and tearing off its roof before crashing it back onto the grass.
Largo is located on Florida’s West Coast, approximately 15 miles west of Tampa.
More extreme weather in Florida
Tallahassee also experienced hail, reportedly the size of walnuts or larger, on June 25, and nearby towns reported felled trees and power lines on Thursday morning.
Multiple parts of Florida are under severe thunderstorm warnings Thursday afternoon. Austen Flannery, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service Tampa Bay, told the Herald Tribune.
“Over the next couple of days, the setup is favorable for more strong storms,” Flannery said, adding that more hail and gusty winds could be expected Thursday and Friday, June 27.
