Watch Breathtaking Footage of Tornado Forming over Florida Interstate Highway
A tornado swept across an interstate in central Florida on Monday morning, leaving behind damage and minor injuries.
The National Weather Service office in Jacksonville reported the twister touched down in Marion County at approximately 9:40 a.m. on Interstate 75 near Ocala.
The tornado had a rating of EF-0 with peak winds of approximately 85 miles per hour. After touching down, it traveled northeast for 11.5 miles.
It crossed the interstate, snapping trees and lifting a stationary trailer that had a 36-foot portable building on it across the roadway.
The Florida High Patrol’s Gainesville station shared pictures of the building before and after it made its “crash landing on the east grass shoulder.”
“Thank God nobody was killed or injured!” the station tweeted.
Tornado touch down near 340 mm in Marion County lifts 36′ building off S/B tractor- trailer. After striking a S/B F150 the building travels airborne above the N/B lanes of I-75 and makes a crash landing on the east grass shoulder. Thank God nobody was killed or injured ! pic.twitter.com/3iZisCL0Al
— FHP Gainesville (@FHPGainesville) April 20, 2020
The 48-year-old driver of the vehicle suffered minor injuries and did not require hospitalization, according to WTVT.
Several motorists and area captured video footage of the twister and shared it on social media.
The images show the gray funnel twisting across the highway and motorists slamming on their brakes to avoid it.
From homes, the twister appeared like an ominous warning from the sky of the terrible damage nature can inflict.
Watch the scenes unfold here:
https://youtu.be/4M2uYKVPgus
As the tornado traveled north, it left behind some minor roof and window damage, according to the National Weather Service.
NWS Jacksonville issued a tornado warning as the twister raced east into the Ocala National Forest.
10:10 AM – Tornado warning issued for eastern Marion County, as rotation continues to strengthen will the cell that is racing eastward into the Ocala National Forest south of State Road 40 and east of Lake Weir #flwx pic.twitter.com/3W8m43sZpF
— NWS Jacksonville (@NWSJacksonville) April 20, 2020
An EF-0 tornado is generally considered weak with peak winds between 65-85 mph, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
WTVT reported the tornado was produced by a group of storms that blew through Florida on Monday.
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