Tornado Watch Issued For Much Of FL As Severe Thunderstorms Develop

As a line of strong thunderstorms moves across the Eastern United States Monday, much of central and northeast Florida is under a tornado watch until 8 p.m., the National Weather Service said.

The tornado watch includes Alachua, Baker, Bradford, Citrus, Clay, Duval, Flagler, Hernando, Levy, Marion, Nassau, Pasco, Putnam, St. Johns, Sumter and Union counties, NWS said.

During this watch, tornadoes, scattered wind gusts up to 70 mph and isolated hail up to 1 inch in diameter are possible, forecasters said.

As the system moves southeast into Florida, there’s a slight risk, a category 2 of 5, of severe weather over the northern and central peninsula into Monday evening, the NWS said.

The highest severe weather threat is from the Tampa Bay area north into the central Florida peninsula, the forecast said.

There is slight category 1 risk of severe weather everywhere to the south.

The main threats will be damaging wind gusts, hail and isolated tornadoes, forecasters said.

Gusts have increased to more than 30 miles per hour in some parts of the Tampa Bay area, including 36 mph recorded in Bradenton and 35 mph in New Port Richey, Denis Phillips, chief meteorologist for Tampa Bay 28, wrote in a social media post.

“The winds will stay gusty until the rains arrive,” he wrote.