Florida
Surprise tornadoes strike Florida as severe weather threat lingers Tuesday
Isolated to scattered thunderstorms are ongoing now in the state, and some of this activity may become surface based by late Tuesday morning in the north-central Florida vicinity, the FOX Forecast Center said.
PALM CITY, Fla. – One day after two tornadoes struck in Florida, the threat of more tornadoes is likely Tuesday.
Severe weather hit St. Lucie and Martin counties on Monday, resulting in Tornado Warnings being issued for both counties. At one point, thousands of residents were left without power in the two counties, and there were also reports of downed trees in Palm City.
“Not just one, but two of the supercells spawned in this line of storms that kind of tracked across Central Florida,” FOX Weather Meteorologist Jane Minar said.
Preliminary reports from the National Weather Service confirmed two tornadoes, with the first touching down near Interstate 95 and the second reported 30 minutes later near Interstate 895.
“Just incredible images for a part of Florida that … there wasn’t much of an outlook for this. This kind of caught a lot of people by surprise,” Minar added.
Fortunately, only minor damage has been reported so far.
On the opposite side of the Florida Peninsula, thunderstorms caused flooding on the streets and stalled cars due to inches of rain falling over a short period in the Cape Coral area.
The FOX Forecast Center said isolated to scattered thunderstorms are ongoing Tuesday. A cold front will push southeastward through the day, and isolated thunderstorms will be possible along the front into the afternoon.
“Florida did see a hefty punch from these storms (Monday), and we’ve got another shot at it today (Tuesday), so don’t let your guard down,” Minar said.
Several supercells are expected to develop, tending to focus across the northern part of Central Florida during the morning and the southern part in the afternoon.
Cities under a Level 1 out of 5 on the severe storm threat scale are Tampa, St. Petersburg, Orlando, Cape Coral and Clearwater.
(FOX Weather)
A few brief tornadoes are expected. Otherwise, isolated strong wind gusts will be possible in the strongest storms before the action wanes toward early evening.
FORT MYERS, Fla. – An injured manatee and her calf are recovering after authorities on a boat rescued them from the Orange River near Fort Myers on Thursday.
What we know:
The Lee County Sheriff’s Office said its Marine Unit, Advanced Technology Support Unit, drone pilots and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission helped in saving the pair after the mother was found hurt in the water and in need of medical attention.
READ: Missing Florida man found stuck in mud without food or water for days: PFD
Video shows authorities pulling the frantic manatees safely onto the boat in netting before taking them to shore.
Courtesy: Lee County Sheriff’s Office
Both animals will be taken to ZooTampa for evaluation and medical care.
What we don’t know:
LCSO did not say the extent of the mother’s injuries.
By the numbers:
As of Feb. 20, there have been 85 manatee deaths across Florida in 2026, according to the FWC. Last year reportedly saw a total of 632 manatee deaths.
Dig deeper:
Earlier this month, the FWC began investigating a spike in manatee deaths, specifically in Lee County, where officials say 25 were found dead within a week.
READ: FWC investigating spike in manatee deaths over the past week
The FWC believes these manatee deaths could be from several factors: cold stress, a lack of seagrass and polluted waterways.
The Source: Information for this story was provided by the Lee County Sheriff’s Office and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
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