Earlier this week, Florida saw itself as the victim of many severe storms, still presently being under a storm watch in many counties of the state. On Tuesday morning, there were at least three tornadoes that were reported to the National Weather Service. The storms and tornados have created massive bits of destruction and tragically have taken a few lives as well. Several cities were hit hard but none quite as much as Panama City. Images went viral of Panama City after the storms in which you can see roofs were torn off, buildings and vehicles were flattened, and roadways were damaged too now being impassable.
Some of the damage done to homes was so drastic, one home was even turned entirely on its side.
The storms are due to a cold front that is hanging over the southeastern coast of the United States, affecting Florida and its neighboring states. The front is also sitting quite low in the atmosphere, which is causing more harm. Because of the nature of the front, it is bringing a lot of strong winds and heavy rain, which is causing flooding and the tornados. Experts believe the worst of the storms have already hit the Panhandle and the rest of the state, but weather can be quite unpredictable.
Because of the severe weather that has struck much of the state, Florida’s Governor, Ron DeSantis, activated the Florida State Guard. He also issued a severe weather warning in most of Florida’s counties. Schools even shut down in many parts of the state on Tuesday, in anticipation of the severe weather. The districts that closed their schools are in at least 38 counties in the state. These counties include, but are not limited to: Alachua County, Bay County, Calhoun County, Duval County, Escambia County, Jackson County, and many others.
The neighboring states around Florida were also severely affected.
In Alabama, people were reporting hail the size of snowballs coming down from the sky. In North Carolina, one person was fatally struck while two were critically injured after one of the storms swept through their trailer park. Houston, Texas; Clayton County, Georgia; and Birmingham, Alabama all had at least one reported death caused by the storms.
