TOM SORRELLS

Nearly six months after she was struck by lightning Lori Leer's mom says her daughter is doing much better.

Tom Sorrells gets personal during his new show.

If you’re a loyal News 6 viewer, you know Chief Meteorologist Tom Sorrells has been covering Central Florida weather for a long time. Tom said before social media was a thing, a News 6 producer came up with a unique idea to connect Tom with viewers.

There's work to be done.

News 6 chief meteorologist Tom Sorrells wants to talk to you!

Drier

Chief Meteorologist Tom Sorrells spent hours on air Wednesday and Thursday tracking the progress of Ian as the monster storm tore across the state.

Some state, county and city officials have even called the widespread destruction the result of 100-, 500- and 1,000-year floods. But what does it mean?

News 6 Chief Meteorologist Tom Sorrells began taking viewer questions Wednesday live on the air as Hurricane Ian bore down on Central Florida.

Ever wonder why it’s so hard to predict where and when a hurricane will exactly make landfall?

We are trying to get the conversation started here by presenting Forecasting Change.

Video shows a waterspout spinning over a Volusia County beach Wednesday afternoon.

Friday’s lightning bolt on Via Salerno Court in Merritt Island set a palm tree on fire, knocked out A/C and three televisions at one house and sent three girls to the hospital.

News 6 chief meteorologist Tom Sorrells sat down with Ken Graham, director of the National Hurricane Center, to kick off the conversation about how the changing climate and the planet’s recent storm streak might impact future hurricane seasons.

The deadliest element of hurricanes is not what you think.

Tom Sorrells will be heading into his 22nd year pinpointing the weather here in Central Florida. But he’s had an extensive career serving communities as the weatherman in Michigan, Ohio and South Carolina.

Several flights flying into Orlando International Airport were canceled or delayed Thursday evening due to Florida storms, according to Southwest Airlines.

Summer has arrived

The National Hurricane Center director explains how Central Florida has been spared in recent hurricane seasons and why Floridians shouldn't assume they'll always be so lucky.

Forecasters explain the impact climate change is having on storms.

A local water park partnered up with Pathway Homes of Florida to help the fight to end homelessness in Central Florida.

La Soufriere continues to devastate the island of St. Vincent and long term climate impacts are also possible.

At least we don’t have to shovel snow, but it has been really cold at times this winter and it hasn’t been this cold around these parts in a LONG time. Just how long has it been since it was this cold? AdMany Central Floridians love this time of year because we are often basking in the warm Florida sun while the rest of the country deals with cold winter blasts. 😜🤣It’s been chilly here in Central Florida over the past few days, even bringing us a few frosty mornings. Yes, I know, but let’s talk about tornadic history in February in Central Florida now, and we’ll come back to the tree later.

ORLANDO, Fla. – It’s time to bring in the plants as most of Central Florida will be under a freeze warning from 1 a.m. to 8 a.m. Thursday. Several counties will be in the freeze warning:Volusia CountyLake CountyOrange CountySeminole CountyLake County (southern part of the county)Brevard County (northern part of the county)It’s time to bring in the plants as most of Central Florida will be under a Freeze Warning from 1 a.m. to 8 a.m. Thursday. “That leaves us with a freeze warning now for everyone from Orlando to the north,” News 6 chief meteorologist Tom Sorrells said. Cokinos said some Central Floridians will wake up to frost on the ground on Thursday. There is a 30% chance of rain on Saturday and a 50% percent chance of rain on Sunday.

Volusia County first responders get COVID-19 vaccine through AdventHealthORLANDO, Fla. – As the world focuses on the events unfolding at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, other news is also happening in Central Florida. From the ongoing pandemic to the coronavirus vaccine and more, News 6 anchors Matt Austin and Lisa Bell provided a live update in the video player above. In addition, News 6 had the latest on a missing Sanford woman whose body was discovered Tuesday. And News 6 Chief Meteorologist Tom Sorrells offered his latest pinpoint forecast. Thanks for watching.

🍁☀️ It’s fall, but summer-like weather returns soonORLANDO, Fla. – Hey friends, it’s meteorologist Troy Bridges here. I’m taking a quick break from hanging up my fall décor to talk to you a bit about what to expect this season. Click here to see what fall 2020 has to offer, including our average start dates for the real fall weather. As if 2020 was not proving to be strange enough, the summer season brought in raging wildfires, a super active hurricane season and record heat waves. Consumer Weather Tip of the Week: 🦟💚As mentioned before, the season of fall officially began this week.

🍁☀️ It’s fall, but summer-like weather returns soonORLANDO, Fla. – Hey friends, it’s meteorologist Troy Bridges here. I’m taking a quick break from hanging up my fall décor to talk to you a bit about what to expect this season. Click here to see what fall 2020 has to offer, including our average start dates for the real fall weather. As if 2020 was not proving to be strange enough, the summer season brought in raging wildfires, a super active hurricane season and record heat waves. Consumer Weather Tip of the Week: 🦟💚As mentioned before, the season of fall officially began this week.

That’s right, it was the year the Sunshine State was slammed by four hurricanes Charley, Frances, Ivan and Jeanne. Hurricane Jeanne was the last of of the group, making landfall early in the morning on Sept. 26, 2004, just 16 years ago this week. The Category 3 hurricane made landfall just east of Stuart, Florida on Hutchinson Island. Jeanne came onshore in the same vicinity just three weeks after Hurricane Frances,” he said. It took almost an entire weekend for the 55-mile wide eye to move across the state,” Sorrells said.

FLAGLER COUNTY, Fla. A waterspout was located off of Flagler Beach on Tuesday, News 6 viewer Bob Barrows took a photo and video of the funnel. News 6 Chief Meteorologist Tom Sorrells said no warnings or watches were in place at the time of the waterspout. Sorrells said the waterspout stayed in the water and did not come ashore. Storms were moving across Central Florida at the time of the waterspout, according to Sorrells. Flagler County will see a 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 8 p.m. on Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service.

Tropical Depression 13 has formed in the Atlantic and Florida is in the cone. As of 11 p.m. Wednesday night the tropical depression was 1,035 miles east-southeast of the Northern Leeward Islands with maximum sustained winds of 35 mph. Here is the forecast track for newly-developed Tropical Depression Thirteen. #flwx pic.twitter.com/mokSfNtKEF Tom Sorrells (@tomsorrells) August 20, 2020The tropical depression is expected to be the next named storm of the season, according to News 6 Chief Meteorologist Tom Sorrells. A Tropical Storm Watch has been issued for Saba and St. Eustatius.

ORLANDO, Fla. – With all eyes on Tropical Storm Isaias, News 6 is providing timely updates as the storm bears down on Florida. The News 6 weather team, including chief meteorologist Tom Sorrells, will frequently provide updates on Isaias to help keep you prepared. [MORE: Radar | Plan and prepare | Sandbag locations]Just check back on this page at the following times to get the latest information about the storm. SUNDAY SCHEDULENews 6 meteorologists started providing updates hourly at 15 minutes past the hour beginning at 9:15 a.m.With Florida out of the cone as of 5 p.m., updates have been postponed until further notice. Thanks for watching and be safe!

The storm is expected to become a hurricane again overnight Saturday, according to the latest advisory from the National Hurricane Center. 8:15 p.m. Isaias expected to regain strength overnightNews 6 meteorologist Samara Cokinos breaks down the latest advisory from the National Hurricane Center. The governor said the Florida National Guard is monitoring the situation and is ready to mobilize at a moment’s notice. On Thursday, while still a tropical storm, Isaias toppled trees, knocked out power, destroyed crops and caused widespread flooding and small landslides in the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico. 12 p.m. Central Florida ‘threats and impacts’The National Weather Service tweeted graphics that represent the “reasonable worst case scenario” for Central Florida as Hurricane Isaias heads on a projected path toward Florida.

BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. – Brevard County is now under a hurricane warning, according to News 6 Chief Meteorologist Tom Sorrells. On Friday evening, Hurricane Isaias slowly made a shift to the west prompting officials at the National Weather Service to initiate the warning. The latest models have the eye skirting the Brevard County coast around 2 p.m. Sunday. Brevard County has not been hit by hurricane-force sustained winds in 40 years, according to information obtained by FLORIDA TODAY in 2019 from the Brevard County Emergency Management office. That’s not to say Brevard County has not had hurricane-force gusts, but nothing sustained since the Jimmy Carter administration.

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. Its expected to be a busy hurricane season. Weve already had three named storms and that was before the season started. This week Ginger and Matt speak with News 6 chief meteorologist Tom Sorrells about his 20 years covering hurricanes and storms in Florida. We get his take on what to expect this season and the one storm that changed everything for him in Central Florida.

[RELATED - DOWNLOAD: News 6 Hurricane Preparedness Checklist]The key point this year is you get ready for hurricane season, he said. And the additional part -- COVID-19 -- add mask, gloves and sanitizers to your kit.Lawmakers have been anticipating a change to emergency management plans as hurricane season approaches. If were not careful, I think were making too much about COVID and hurricane season, he said. This goes back to this idea buy local, hire local. In the 2020 hurricane season, that may actually be a better response because we can put people to work. Again, I go into the hurricane season, everybodys been telling me Oh, its gonna be horrible.'

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. Hail hit Orange County for the second day in a row. Storms were scattered from Groveland to Orlando around 6:20 p.m. on Friday. The storms Orange County has seen the past two days are more like a summer day than late spring, according to News 6 Chief Meteorologist Tom Sorrells. Hail on Thursday produced hailstone of 1.25. Chances of precipitation for the next three days are at 20 percent and temps could hit the 90s on Saturday, Sunday and Monday.

ORLANDO, Fla. - Officials with the National Hurricane Center said Subtropical Storm Rebekah has formed over the North Atlantic. The storm is about 640 miles west of The Azores and has maximum sustained winds of 45 mph and is moving east at 17 mph. At this time there are no coastal watches or warnings in effect, according to the National Hurricane Center. The National Hurricane Center said Rebekah is forecast to become a post-tropical cyclone on Friday. This storm is not a threat to the Central Florida area, according to News 6 meteorologist Samara Cokinos.

ORLANDO, Fla. - Tropical Storm Olga has officially formed in the Gulf of Mexico but isn't expected to maintain its status for long, according to the National Hurricane Center. According to the Hurricane Center, Olga is expected to merge with a cold front and become a post-tropical low within a few hours. Tropical Storm Olga Is Born In The Gulf...no threat to Florida pic.twitter.com/R8ATtqBhPr Tom Sorrells (@tomsorrells) October 25, 2019Strong winds and coastal flooding are all possible along the northern Gulf Coast, according to the NHC, as well as heavy rainfall across the Central Gulf Coast. A couple of tornadoes are also possible Friday night across southeast portions of Louisiana and Mississippi into southwest Alabama, forecasters said. The next named storm will be called Rebekah.

Meteorologist Tom Sorrells gives the latest update on rain in the region and the impending cold front. Copyright 2019 by WKMG ClickOrlando - All rights reserved.

VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. - Daytona Beach was hit with a lot of rain on Wednesday, the city had 2.85 inches of rain fall. This is the most amount of rain on Oct. 9 for Daytona Beach since 1993 when the city was hit with 1.73 inches of rain. Almost five inches of rain has hit Volusia County in the past two days. At 7:30 p.m. a flood advisory was issued for north central Volusia County. News 6 Chief Meteorologist Tom Sorrells said to expect a 40 percent chance of rain in Daytona Beach on Thursday.

The National Hurricane Center said a Tropical Disturbance is meandering over the southeastern Bahamas. The National Hurricane Center said the tropical disturbance is stationary over the southeastern Bahamas. A tropical cyclone is expected to form near the northwestern Bahamas, according to the NHC. The National Hurricane Center said a tropical cyclone is expected to form near the northwestern Bahamas. The disturbance is forecast to become a tropical depression or a tropical storm during the next day or so.

ORLANDO, Fla. - Hurricane Dorian, watched by many in Central Florida for more than a week, should finally clear the area by Wednesday night. He was going to wire up more things, but Dorian's outer bands reached the North Carolina coast too quickly Wednesday afternoon. Henry McMaster and his administration are urging people to heed a coastal evacuation order as Hurricane Dorian nears the state's seaboard. Hurricane Dorian track. Hurricane Dorian computer models.

The center of Hurricane Dorian continues to inch up the east coast of Florida. The track for Hurricane Dorian hasn't changed much, but it's starting to move a little faster. Hurricane Dorian is 105 miles east of Vero Beach and 125 east-southeast of Cape Canaveral. 9:20 a.m.United Nations officials estimate more than 60,000 people in the northwest Bahamas will need food following the devastation left by Hurricane Dorian . Hurricane #Dorian Advisory 40A: Eye of Dorian Beginning to Inch Northwestward.

Hurricane forecasters have many different computer models to aid in predicting a storm's path. Meteorologists refer to these as "spaghetti models" because when laid out on a map, the storm paths resemble strings of spaghetti. In its simplest form, a spaghetti plot is nothing more than a compilation of different computer models predicting the path of a hurricane or tropical storm. Forecasters sometimes can't wait that long and need a more up-to-date model run. If a computer model acronym ends in the letter "I", it's more than likely an interpolated model.

ORLANDO, Fla. – Tropical Storm Dorian will possibly become a hurricane in the coming days as the storm remains on a direct path to Florida. Dorian will likely be a tropical storm Friday over the Bahamas and move closer to Florida by Saturday night. Dorian could make landfall in Florida as a tropical storm or even a Category 1 hurricane this weekend. A tropical storm warning means that tropical storm conditions are expected somewhere within the warning area within 36 hours. A tropical storm watch means that tropical storm conditions are possible within the watch area, generally within 48 hours.

Tropical Storm Dorian is making its way toward Puerto Rico, according to News 6 meteorologist Tom Sorrells.

PHOTO CREDIT: National Hurricane CenterORLANDO, Fla. - The National Hurricane Center has issued an advisory on Tropical Storm Chantal. The NHC said the system is moving eastward at 15 to 20 mph across the open north Atlantic. The formation chance through 48 hours is near 100% and a formation chance through five days is near 100%. News 6 chief meteorologist Tom Sorrells said this storm will not be a threat to Florida. Copyright 2019 by WKMG ClickOrlando - All rights reserved.

SUMTER COUNTY, Fla. - The Sumter County Sheriffs Office said investigators with the marine unit will conduct an extra patrol to check on anyone impacted by impassable roadways in the flooded areas. The Sheriffs Office said if you have a loved one you want deputies to check on, you can call the nonemergency number for the Sheriffs Office at 352-793-2621. News 6 Meteorologist Tom Sorrells said the flooding is from the leftover rain from the past couple of weeks. Sorrells said it will take time for water levels to recede. Rivers in the area could be at flood stage for the next couple of days.

The most active part of the hurricane season begins." As the difference in temperature between land and sea increases, wind speeds in the atmosphere increase. The second half of hurricane season, later in August through September, is known as the Cabo Verde season. Cabo Verde is the archipelago west of Africa where the storms tend to develop and make their long trek across the Atlantic. Andrew, Ivan, Irma and Maria are a few notable Cabo Verde storms.

ORLANDO, Fla. - Development chances are up to 90 percent for the low in the Gulf of Mexico. Development chances just JUMPED to 90%! Tropical Watches could go up Wednesday afternoon. pic.twitter.com/Fud1fBjBWf Tom Sorrells (@tomsorrells) July 9, 2019Tropical storm, hurricane and storm surge watches could be issued for the North Coast of the Gulf Wednesday afternoon. The system is still expected to move slowly to the West over the northern Gulf for the next five days.

ORLANDO, Fla. - While most Floridians associate hurricanes with howling winds strong enough to knock down trees and pummel buildings, water is actually the deadliest element of any storm. National Hurricane Center Director Ken Graham explained how most hurricane deaths occur. Still, most people don't know this, partially because there's no real measurement scale for water like there is for wind. The Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale is a 1-to-5 rating system that explains the type of danger and damage possible at wind speeds ranging from 74 mph to 156 mph. So while you're preparing for hurricane season, remember that it's the water, not the wind, that you should fear most.

Tom Sorrells is the latest guest on Florida's Fourth Estate. If you need help with the Public File, call 407-291-6000.

News 6 Chief Meteorologist Tom Sorrells gives a tour of what you can find on ClickOrlando.com's Hurricane page.

ORLANDO, Fla. – Cold weather is coming to Central Florida starting on Wednesday. A cold front is expected to begin lowering temperatures to the upper 60s by Tuesday evening. Temperatures will drop to the mid 60s overnight between Tuesday and Wednesday and aren't expected to rebound much during the day. This will be the coldest air of the season so far, with temperatures starting in the 60s and dropping in the afternoon, Sorrells said. Central Floridians can look for an overnight low of 54 degrees between Wednesday and Thursday.