ST. LUCIE COUNTY, Fla. (CBS12) — An EF0 tornado with peak winds of 75 mph left a trail of damage through Port St. Lucie neighborhoods Sunday evening, damaging roofs, fences, pool enclosures and yards.
EF0 tornado leaves trail of damage through Port St. Lucie neighborhoods. CBS12’s Paige Meyer reports.
The National Weather Service said the tornado touched down around 6:10 p.m. near Southeast Kitchen Cove Lane and Southeast Morningside Boulevard, near the Tarpon Bay Club. It traveled a little more than two miles over about 14 to 15 minutes.
The tornado crossed the St. Lucie River as a waterspout before moving back onshore near the Bay St. Lucie community and continuing west into Port St. Lucie’s Southbend area.
The National Weather Service has issued a tornado warning for southeastern St. Lucie County and northeastern Martin County through 7 p.m. (Patrick Smith)
Crews estimate 20 to 30 homes were damaged.
At Charity Smith’s home on Stow Terrace, off Southbend Boulevard, part of the roof paneling blew off and through the pool screen enclosure. Backyard furniture was also blown into the pool.
“It’s one of the things about tornadoes that are scary for people,” said Smith.
EF0 tornado leaves trail of damage through Port St. Lucie neighborhoods
Smith said conditions changed quickly as she watched the storm from inside her home.
“So, I look out and when I turn to my husband, I’m like, babe, it’s gonna rain, and I’m like, babe, the wind just took direction, and then part of the roof came off, came through my screen, and I was like, Trinity, fine cover. Somebody get the cats,” Smith said.
Smith, who is from Kansas, said she immediately recognized the danger as the wind shifted.
“And then, as quickly as it came, it was gone,” Smith said.
A tornado touched down in Port St. Lucie before the National Weather Service issued a warning, leaving some residents wondering why their phones didn’t alert them sooner. (WPEC)
Nearby, residents found fence panels, nails, wood beams, furniture and lawn equipment scattered across their properties. Video captured in one Southbend neighborhood showed winds tearing down a fence and sending debris through a yard.
A tornado touched down in Port St. Lucie before the National Weather Service issued a warning, leaving some residents wondering why their phones didn’t alert them sooner.
Smith said her home remains livable, but her family plans to cover the missing shingles with a tarp while waiting for repairs.
“We did not lose any fence or any trees, thank goodness. But all the stuff in the Lanai kind of blew into the pool, and then of course the screen has got a giant mosquito horn,” Smith said.
No injuries were reported across the city.
“Thankfully, my home is totally livable. My husband’s going to put a tarp up where the big piece of shingles is gone, and we’re just waiting on the interns to come through and let us know when we can get it fixed,” said Smith.
The National Weather Service said the tornado began as a landspout, which can form quickly and be difficult to detect on radar. The storm later became a waterspout as it crossed the St. Lucie River before returning to land.