Tornadoes were major Milton threat in Florida, killing at least 4 and destroying homes

MIAMI — At least four people died in an unprecedented wave of tornadoes that swirled across Florida ahead of the arrival of Category 3 Hurricane Milton, which crossed the state from Sarasota to the Space Coast Wednesday evening.

A series of twisters that struck St. Lucie County left at least four dead and, in a display of their power, ripped apart a large steel building owned by the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Department.

Tornadoes are a concern during every land-falling hurricane, particularly across the northeast quadrant of the storm. But Florida saw a record number of storms and warnings ahead of Milton.

The National Weather Service issued more than 130 tornado warnings Wednesday afternoon and evening. The Miami office alone issued a record 55 tornado warnings, beating a previous record of 49 during Category 4 Hurricane Ian two years ago.

The process of confirming actual tornado touchdowns will take some time. But several have been confirmed, including two that touched down in St. Lucie County, destroying several neighborhoods, ripping the roof off a St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office facility and killing four people across the county.

St. Lucie County Spokesman Erick Gill confirmed the deaths to the Herald Thursday morning and said the storms did “significant damage.” In response, the county opened additional shelters to house people displaced by the tornadoes.

Other tornadoes captured on camera crossed I-75 near the Miccosukee Service Plaza in western Broward County. In the Avenir neighborhood of Palm Beach Gardens, tornadic winds flung a dumpster into the roof of a home.

The NWS Miami office said it had preliminary tracks for seven tornadoes in South Florida, including one in west Miami-Dade.

“Over the coming days, survey teams will be out assessing damage for EF rating purposes and track adjustments. We’ll make the results public as we complete them,” forecasters said.

As of 6 a.m. Thursday, more than 35 tornadoes had been confirmed, Kathryn Prociv, a meteorologist for NBC News, posted on Twitter.

The top tornado-producing storms on record include 2004’s Hurricane Ivan, with 118 tornadoes, 1967’s Hurricane Beulah with 115 tornadoes and 2004’s Hurricane Frances with 103 tornadoes. Hurricane Beryl, earlier this year, took the number 5 spot with 65 tornadoes stretching from Texas to upstate New York.