Tornado touches down near Florida town as residents told to take shelter

02 December 2023 , 20:25

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Tornado touches down near Florida town as residents told to take shelter

Several tornado warning were in place across warning this afternoon.

Earlier today residents were urged to take shelter in Baker and Columbia County until 4pm, with Lake City, Warertown and Five Points Florida also covered by the urgent warning. Videos shared to social media showed torrential conditions on Florida's highways, with one even showing what appears to be the early stages of a funnel starting among the clouds.

Later on in the evening, a warning was issued for Jacksonville and Duval County, with a radar having detected a big rotation. As of 6pm EST there were no tornado warnings in place.

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If you are in a Tornado warning and at your house, the safest place to be is in the basement or a safe room. Other interior rooms that do not have windows are also recommended. If time allows, don't forget to ensure your pets are safe.

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While it can happen, tornados are rare for this time of year, and most sever weather tornados like this tend to hit in the spring and summer months.

According to the National Weather Service Jacksonville, the areas covered by the warning could see hail the size of peas fall. Winds of up to 60mph were reported.

Residents are being urged to take cover

December is set to be a wetter than usual month for south Florida as the Climate Prediction Center has said there could be a 70% above normal chance of rainfall in the so-called state this month. This is abnormal for this time of year as the dry season usually spans between October and May.

The area under the Tornado warning

Several clips have appeared on social media showing the torrential rainfall and strong winds across Florida's highways. The severe thunderstorn capable of producing a tornado was located near Taylor, around 20 miles north of Raiford.

One clip shared to X, previously known as Twitter, shows what appears to be a funnel develop in the corner of a highway webcam.

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Tornados can occur any time of year in Florida however most happen in the spring and summer months. While Spring season tornados tend to be more powerful and deadly, these types of tornados caused by severe supercells along a squall line ahead of a cold front can also occur in the winter months.

Heavy rain has hit the Gulf Coast for the last 24 hours. Flood warnings were issued across Florida, Louisiana and New Orleans.

Lydia Stephens