A EF-0 tornado touched down in Citrus County’s Crystal River over the weekend, according to the Citrus County Sheriff’s Office.
Crystal River Mayor Joe Meek confirmed the tornado mostly likely started off a waterspout around 6 p.m. Sunday and became a tornado once it touched ground. He added that most of the damage reported is from the Fort Island Trail off Roy Thomas Road.
In a video posted to Facebook, one resident caught the twister while on his boat. The clip captures the tornado as it forms and starts to touch down.
“Oh no, it’s got the house,” the poster’s voice can be heard as the tornado is seen flinging debris around. “Oh no, it’s coming towards me.”
Where is Citrus County, Florida?
Citrus County is located on Florida’s west coast, above Tampa’s Hillsborough County and west of Orlando in Orange County.
How much damage did the tornado in Citrus County cause?
Meek said in his post that there was damage to two structures; however they both were unoccupied and located outside city limits. Spectrum News also noted the buildings were already in poor shape, according to the NWS.
No injuries have been reported as of Monday. Residents are being asked by officials to avoid the area where the tornado touched down as crews work to assess the damage.
Why was there not an alert sent out for Citrus County’s tornado?
In a Facebook post, CCSO explained the tornado that touched down in Crystal River was too small in size to register on the National Weather Service’s radar.
-
If driving, do not take shelter under an overpass, and do not try to outrun a tornado. If no shelter is near — like a ditch or sturdy building — stay in your car, make sure your seat belt is on and put your head below the window.
-
In your home, go to your safe room or the center of an interior room on the lowest level.
-
If you live in a mobile home, leave immediately for a secure shelter. If none is close by, see options under No. 1.
Contributing reporting: Cheryl McCloud, USA TODAY Network-Florida
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Florida Tornado causes damage in Citrus County. What it know, video
Source Agencies