A powerful winter storm that left much of the eastern US snow and ice-covered brought four tornadoes to Florida Sunday morning, injuring at least four people and leaving a path of destruction behind.
Officials say the twisters left hundreds homeless after destroying 65 homes and over 100 mobile homes in three different communities.
An EF-1 storm — topping speeds of 110 mph and spanning about 50 yards wide — caused a semi-truck to flip on its side as the twister crossed Interstate 75 in Charlotte County, Fox Weather reported. The accident left the trucker with minor injuries.
Video captured by Fort Meyers residents showed debris flying through the air as an EF-2 storm moved through Lee County, bringing heavy rain and strong winds.
The twister obliterated the Tropicana RV Resort, where trailers were torn to bits, and left 28 homes were destroyed and another 62 were rendered unlivable, Lee County Commissioner Cecil Pendergrass said. It also left at least four residents injured.
Two EF-0 tornadoes were also recorded Sunday, downing power lines, trees and tearing the roofs off several homes.
A powerful winter storm that left much of the eastern US snow and ice-covered brought four tornadoes to Florida Sunday morning, injuring at least four people and leaving a path of destruction behind (Pictured: An EF-2 storm rolling through Naples on Sunday)
An EF-1 storm — topping speeds of 110 mph and spanning about 50 yards wide — caused a semi-truck to flip on its side (pictured) as the twister crossed Interstate 75 in Charlotte County
Officials say the twisters left hundreds homeless after destroying 65 homes and over 100 mobile homes in three different communities
The twister that ripped moved through the Iona area near Fort Myers Sunday was the first EF-2 or stronger tornado to affect Lee County since January 2016.
The storm, which reached speeds of 118 mph, ripped apart several homes leaving at least 28 destroyed, 24 with major damage and 14 with minor damage. Hundreds of displaced residents have been offered temporary shelter.
The twister also hit nearby Cottage Point Trailer Park, where an 81-year-old man recounted his home being torn from the ground.
Edward Murray told the Naples Daily News he was inside his mobile home Sunday morning when a tornado picked it up and tossed it on top of his neighbor’s residence.
‘That’s my house that’s turned upside down,’ he told the newspaper. ‘The tornado took me off my feet, blew me toward the east wall and buried me under the sink, refrigerator, kitchen chairs and everything else.’
Murray and his daughter, Cokie, escaped unharmed, crawling from the wreckage.
‘I was so happy when I saw the sky,’ Murray, 81, explained. ‘I said to the devil, I said to the devil, “It’s not going to be today.”‘
Damage was also reported at several buildings in Iona, Florida, south of Cape Coral.
The storm, which reached speeds of 118 mph, ripped apart several Fort Myers homes leaving at least 28 destroyed, 24 with major damage, 14 with minor damage and and another 62 rendered unlivable. Four residents were injured
Residents of Century 21 in the Iona area embrace after a tornado touched down in Fort Myers on Sunday morning
Debris lies scattered around a home after a tornado touched down in Fort Myers on Sunday
A woman searches for belongings in her in-laws home at Tropicana Mobile Home Park after an EF-2 tornado ravaged through Fort Myers on Sunday
A resident of the Tropicana Mobile Home Park in Fort Myers searches for belongings after a tornado destroyed her home
A National Weather Service report confirmed an EF-1 tornado touched down in Charlotte County after coming ashore as a waterspout near Gasparilla Marina in Placida.
The storm flipped a boat and damaged several others before leaving the marina and ripping through Gasparilla Mobile Estates, where it damaged at least 35 residences.
It clocked peak winds of 110mph and was on the ground for 1.3 miles, with an estimated width of 50 yards.
Although no one was injured, WBBH-TV reported that the twister caused an estimated $500,000 in damages.
Photographs from Placida show boats completely in smithereens, debris sprung across yards and roadways, and trailers crushed and completely folded in.
Charlotte County Public Safety said numerous residents have been displaced, noting the local recreation center is open as a refuge for those impacted by the weather.
Two EF-0 tornadoes were confirmed in Collier County on Sunday, tearing off roofs, uprooting trees and leaving behind a trail of broken tree branches.
The first touched down in the Victoria Falls neighborhood of Naples and traveled two miles to Lely Resort.
Several trees were downed and two roofs damaged.
A National Weather Service report confirmed an EF-1 tornado touched down in Charlotte County after coming ashore as a waterspout near Gasparilla Marina in Placida (Pictured: Damage in Charlotte County)
The storm flipped a boat (pictured) and damaged several others before leaving the marina and ripping through Gasparilla Mobile Estates, where it damaged at least 35 residences
Although no one was injured, the twister caused an estimated $500,000 in damages
A waterspout near Isles of Capri in Collier County was photographed Sunday. Two EF-0 tornadoes were confirmed in the county on Sunday, leaving behind a trail of debris and a two damaged roofs. No injuries were reported
The second EF-0 storm struck in Carnestown, north of Everglades City, and partially knocked down a power pole.
No injuries were reported in either instance.
Meanwhile, the winter storm – nicknamed ‘the Saskatchewan Screamer’ – has caused chaos across much of the US, bringing heavy snowfall, power outages for 220,000, and cancelations of 2,700 flights.
After unleashing its fury across the southeast Sunday, the extreme weather is likely to begin moving northeast before battering states along the Atlantic on Monday, Accuweather forecasters said.
‘The heaviest snowfall will accumulate across interior parts of the Northeast, unloading accumulations that could bring some communities to a standstill,’ the weather network reported.
Snow is expected to be heaviest Monday from western Maryland and Pennsylvania through Maine, with some regions likely to see 12 inches of snowfall, the Weather Channel said.
High wind warnings are in effect from Suffolk counties in New York through Maine; gusts of up to 65 miles per hour are expected in Long Island, and from Cape Cod to Cape Ann, said the National Weather Service.
Meanwhile, the winter storm – nicknamed ‘the Saskatchewan Screamer’ – has caused chaos across much of the US, bringing heavy snowfall, power outages for 220,000, and cancelations of 2,700 flights (Pictured: NCDOT plowing the highway in Clemmons, NC on Sunday)
A snow storm hammered eastern states Sunday, including North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia and Georgia. The extreme weather is likely to begin moving northeast before battering states along the Atlantic on Monday
A person carries their dog as they cross Butler Street in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania as snow falls during a winter storm that will impact the region on Sunday night
Hundreds of flights at Charlotte Douglas International were cancelled Sunday due to inclement weather
The storm also caused chaos on roadways throughout the southeast. Officials from several states urged residents to avoid unnecessary travel after the storm created icy roads and poor visibility. Vehicles are pictured navigating driving conditions along Interstate 85 in Mebane, North Carolina on January 16
The storm also caused chaos on roadways throughout the southeast, including Tennessee, where treacherous conditions prompted warnings from the National Weather Service.
‘Major travel impacts will occur,’ it warned Sunday. ‘Please exercise caution on area roadways through tonight. Only travel if absolutely necessary.’
A portion of the state’s I-40 eastbound was closed Sunday after a transport overturned during wet and slick conditions, a Tennessee transportation department spokesperson said.
Airlines throughout the nation canceled more than 2,700 flights on Sunday, with another 1,500 flights delayed, according to FlightAware.
American Airlines Group nixed 600 trips, and nearly 95 percent of the flights out of Charlotte Douglas International Airport in North Carolina, an American Airlines hub, were canceled. Another 62 flights scheduled for tomorrow have also been cancelled in anticipation of yet more bad weather.
Eerie photos taken Sunday showed the roads leading up to the airport’s terminal devoid of cars, buses and people, with its concourses also silent, while de-icing machines were snapped working on a Delta jet parked on its runway.
By the time the storm is through, 100 million Americans will likely have felt its effect, Accuweather said.
