NWS: Tornado not responsible for death or storm damage

The Leon County Sheriff’s Office has confirmed one person is dead, and another has been taken...
The Leon County Sheriff’s Office has confirmed one person is dead, and another has been taken to the hospital after a tree landed on a vehicle Friday afternoon.(Sam Thomas/WCTV)
Published: Mar. 11, 2023 at 1:57 PM EST
Email This Link
Share on Pinterest
Share on LinkedIn

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) - The National Weather Service (NWS) in Tallahassee completed a storm survey Saturday morning in the wake of severe weather that struck the Big Bend on Friday.

Meteorologists with the NWS were focusing their survey in extreme eastern Leon and western Jefferson counties after a tornado warned storm moved through causing damage.

Through an investigation of the damage, it was determined that straight-line winds up to 80 mph caused damage in the area, not a tornado. The National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) defines straight line winds as “Straight line winds are thunderstorm winds that have no rotation.”

The storm moved through northern Leon county a little after 2:30 p.m. Friday before quickly gaining strength in eastern Leon and western Jefferson Counties around 3 p.m. The NWS issued a tornado warning at 2:55 p.m. once rotation became evident on radar. WCTV First Alert Meteorologist Mike McCall pointed the rotation out live on-air Friday noting that it moved into the Lloyd area.

Mike McCall points out evident rotation over Lloyd on 3/10/23
Mike McCall points out evident rotation over Lloyd on 3/10/23(WCTV)
If you have pictures or video of storm damage, you can submit it by clicking below.

Storm Damage

The Leon County Sheriff’s Office confirmed to WCTV that a 16-year-old girl died after a tree fell on the car she was riding in during a storm on Friday Afternoon. The man driving the vehicle was injured and taken to the hospital. It happened around 3:30 p.m. near the intersection of Crump and Coach Roads in the eastern part of the county.

The Leon County Sheriff’s Office has confirmed one person is dead, and another has been taken...
The Leon County Sheriff’s Office has confirmed one person is dead, and another has been taken to the hospital after a tree landed on a vehicle Friday afternoon.(Sam Thomas/WCTV)