ORLANDO, Fla. – Strong storms spawned three tornadoes in Central Florida on Monday, prompting many to post photos and videos showing the damage left behind.
Weather officials said an EF-0 tornado touched down in Marion County as severe weather moved across the region, prompting tornado warnings in nearly every Central Florida county.
[RELATED: Tornado touches down in Marion; videos show other possible twisters]
The National Weather Service said the confirmed tornado, with winds of 85 mph, touched down, along Interstate 75 at mile marker 340 near Ocala. The NWS said the tornado’s intermittent path was more than 11 miles long.
Weather officials said the storm lifted a stationary construction trailer and snapped numerous trees before touching back down along Sapphire Run at SE Maricamp Road near Silver Springs Shores, where it caused minor roof and window damage.
STUCK ON I-75... In case you were or you are stuck in traffic on I-75 southbound here is what is going on... The storm...
Posted by Marion County Sheriff's Office on Monday, April 20, 2020
Video taken on Interstate 75 in Belleview shows what News 6 meteorologists said appeared to be a tornado trying to develop.
SCARY VIDEO | This video shows scary weather moving across I-75 in the Ocala area around 11 a.m. https://t.co/KlxTn8ewdT pic.twitter.com/gqaFfycYg1
— News 6 WKMG (@news6wkmg) April 20, 2020
The NWS Melbourne office also confirmed tornadoes near Sanford and DeLand. Assessments of those twisters, however, won’t take place until Tuesday.
Photos and videos taken during the severe weather show the force of the storms.
In Seminole County, government officials tweeted video of a tornado south of the Boombah Sports Complex in Sanford.
Seminole County has been in contact with @NWSMelbourne to determine what type of weather system was spotted south of Boombah Sports Complex. pic.twitter.com/Kkywi14j2r
— Seminole County, FL (@seminolecounty) April 20, 2020
Video shared with News 6 by Ryan Bowser shows what appears to be a funnel cloud over the south side of Lake Jesup. It’s not known if the cell ever reached the ground.
#tornado south side of lake Jessup while the north side was getting smacked, rare to see a supercell like this in FL pic.twitter.com/bhOFMj3eS6
— Ryan Bowser (@MrRyanBowser) April 20, 2020
Juan Rios, a News 6 viewer in the Sanford area, shared the following video on Twitter, which shows a dark sky with large storm clouds and heavy rainfall around noon Monday.
Un pequeño susto en Sanford Florida area
— Juan Rios (@JuanGRiosRivera) April 20, 2020
Tornado pic.twitter.com/sL8AsADJSJ
Another viewer in Sanford recorded video of what appears to be a funnel cloud.
DID YOU SEE IT? | Here's another video of the severe weather in Sanford earlier today. 📹 @ottotweed
— News 6 WKMG (@news6wkmg) April 20, 2020
https://t.co/KlxTn8ewdT pic.twitter.com/GViPsQzBad
Video posted by DeLand city officials shows strong winds and heavy rain whipping through an area near the police department during the storms.
More video of the storm coming through this morning. This is looking south toward the police department. pic.twitter.com/hDDXnPzUrw
— City of DeLand (@CityofDeLand) April 20, 2020
A photo taken after Monday morning’s storms shows a tree toppled and other scattered debris in DeLand.
Polk County officials said a portion of Highway 60 was shut down Monday afternoon due to downed power lines.
TRAFFIC ALERT: Highway 60 is shut down in both directions at East Canal street in Mulberry due to downed electrical wires. Please seek alternative routes.
— Polk Fire Rescue (@PolkFire) April 20, 2020
This story will be updated as more storm photos and videos become available. If you have photos or videos showing storm damage that you’d like us to include, please send them to web@wkmg.com.