:quality(85)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/infobae/PP77SDXIWFEIXEGJV4HDFECPGA.PNG "A powerful tornado touched down in Fort Lauderdale, leaving power outages and damaged boats in its wake.")
A tornado touched down in Fort Lauderdale, Florida this Saturday, causing damage to boats and power lines, but miraculously resulting in no reported injuries. The National Weather Service (NWS) issued a tornado warning for the area around 5:45 p.m. local time, and five minutes later received several calls and messages confirming the presence of a tornado near Federal Highway.
The city of Fort Lauderdale released a statement through its Facebook account, indicating that the damage caused by the tornado appears to be slight and that no victims have been reported. The electric company Florida Power Light (FPL) is currently working to restore power in the affected areas, while municipal teams are coordinating the removal of debris left by the tornado on public roads.
Local authorities have urged residents to drive carefully in the area as fallen wires and debris may still pose a risk. The tornado was captured on video by witnesses, showing it approaching boats in the bay and sparking as it made contact with electricity cables.
The Fort Lauderdale Fire Department (FLFR) responded to calls for a boat and an affected home. “FLFR did not have to rescue any ship in distress. Our ground units detected damage to the roof of a home. Damage to property and boats has not forced any residents to evacuate so far,” a statement from the department read.
A tourist couple from New York, in South Florida to support their football team, recorded the moment the tornado passed through a residential area and a marina. “We were so happy to get away from the snow. But then we got a surprise,” Meghan Collins told FOX Weather.
The NWS will send a team to assess the damage and determine the intensity and path of the tornado. The tornado is just one of several severe weather phenomena recorded in Florida on Saturday, including funnel clouds, a waterspout, and wind gusts of up to 83 kilometers per hour.
These weather events are related to a cold front and low pressure area moving along the east coast of the country, bringing ice, snow, and rain. Severe weather is expected to continue in Florida in the coming days as another strong storm moves across the eastern half of the country.