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    • Path of EF3 tornado in St. Lucie County, Spanish Lakes
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    Path of EF3 tornado in St. Lucie County, Spanish Lakes

    Mars Posted on

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    ST. LUCIE COUNTY — The first confirmed tornado on the Treasure Coast — among what will be many tornadoes here alone following Hurricane Milton — has been classified as an EF3 tornado with peak winds of up to 155 mph.

    The appearance of tornadoes Wednesday was unprecedented on the Treasure Coast, said Will Ulrich, warning coordination meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Melbourne. This is the largest tornado outbreak his office has dealt with in its 35-year history.

    “This was a historic tornado outbreak in the Treasure Coast community,” Ulrich told TCPalm.

    Weather officials focused on assessing the Spanish Lakes Country Club Village community area Friday because of at least six deaths that occurred there, he said.

    They examined the damage and found that the tornado had been on the ground for at least 13 miles, he said. It started south of Midway Road, reached the new warehouse on Orange Avenue near Rock Road, and exited into Indian River County.

    Here’s a look at the tornado’s path.

    It’s “very unusual” and “very rare” for a tornado to stay on the ground this long in Florida and following a tropical cyclone, Ulrich said.

    “This was a long-track tornado that had a lot of EF2 damage, as well as some periodic EF3 damage,” Ulrich said.

    EF2 damage was specifically seen in the Spanish Lakes subdivision, he said, and EF3 damage to warehouses was seen in the area of ​​Orange Avenue and Rock Road.

    According to the Enhanced Fujita Scale, EF2 winds are between 110 and 135 mph; EF3 winds are between 136 and 165 mph.

    Ulrich expected to confirm additional tornadoes in St. Lucie County, as well as more tornadoes in Martin and Indian River counties, as authorities continued to work Saturday and Sunday to assess damage and determine the configuration and strength of each tornado.

    The National Weather Service issued 126 tornado warnings across the state, beginning Wednesday morning and ending later in the evening. It’s the most broadcasts ever in Florida in a single day, he said.

    The NWS Melbourne alone issued 42 tornado warnings for its coverage area, which includes Martin, St. Lucie, Indian River, Brevard and Okeechobee counties.

    This is the second tornado warning ever issued by the Melbourne office after Hurricane Irma in 2017, with 51 tornado warnings, Ulrich said. However, this storm spawned mostly EF1 tornadoes and one stray EF2 tornado – but no EF3 tornadoes.

    Authorities suspect at least 10 tornadoes touched down and caused damage across the five counties, said Cassie Leahy, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Melbourne.

    Mars
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