May 11 (UPI) — A dozen counties in northern Florida are under a state of emergency following severe thunderstorms, high winds and possible tornadoes that claimed at least one life.
A Tallahassee woman died when a large tree fell onto her home as several thunderstorms, high winds and a possible tornado passed through the area Friday morning, local media reported.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency for a dozen counties in northern Florida.
“Numerous tornadoes and strong wind gusts caused significant damage to critical state infrastructure, including wind and tree-fall damage to residences, businesses, power lines and other infrastructure across North Florida,” DeSantis said.
The storms caused a power outage for about 97,500 in the greater Tallahassee area, which the local utility said will take a while to restore electrical service.
City officials in Tallahassee said the storms damaged 11 substations in Florida’s capital and restoring power will continue through the weekend, CBS News reported.
Tornadoes might have damaged portions of Gadsden, Leon and Walton counties, and the Jacksonville National Weather Service field office recorded wind speeds of up to 73 mph.
Storms are expected to continue through Monday, which might disrupt Mother’s Day celebrations and events.
“Another round of widespread showers and thunderstorms will develop on Sunday,” the NWS said in an update. “The threat of heavy rainfall will increase as warm Gulf air moves into the region.”
Friday’s storms saturated the soil, so continued storm activity might cause flash flooding as a storm system crosses the Lower Mississippi Valley into the Southeast and affect Gulf Coast states, according to the NWS.