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Tornado touches down in Charlotte County

The National Weather Service (NWS) in Tampa has confirmed one tornado has touched down in Charlotte County. The NWS says the tornado occurred between 6:30-7 a.m. Sunday morning. The tornado touched down along Bermont Road on State Road 74 and damaged at least one structure. The NWS says they will publish an EF rating tomorrow. This is one of 16 tornado warnings today alone. This includes eight in southwest Florida. This will mark the first local tornado of 2023.

By: WFTX Digital Team

Posted at 8:09 PM, Apr 30, 2023

and last updated 2023-05-01 19:03:09-04

CHARLOTTE COUNTY, Fla. — The National Weather Service in Tampa confirms an EF-1 tornado with winds up to 110 miles per hour caused a metal pole barn to collapse in rural Charlotte County Sunday at 6:38 a.m.

The tornado was on the ground for a half mile in northeastern Charlotte County about 20 miles east of Punta Gorda.

The winds reached 110 mph, leaving a path of destruction, including a demolished storage structure.

Emergency alerts, like tornado warnings, can be lifesaving! To sign up for emergency alerts from Alert Charlotte at https://t.co/SuZsamLYk9. pic.twitter.com/Zs6j4qR8bj
— Charlotte County Emergency Management (@CCOEM) May 1, 2023

A tornado watch and warning was in effect at the time. This was one of several tornado warnings issued, as a powerful line of thunderstorms moved through southwest Florida.

This tornado marks the first local tornado of 2023.

Mother Nature showed her force with an EF1 tornado touching down off of Bermont Road in eastern Charlotte County during yesterday's severe weather event.

While we're thankful no one was hurt, it's a reminder to always take severe weather warnings seriously. pic.twitter.com/e9PVoHZQHd
— Charlotte County Emergency Management (@CCOEM) May 1, 2023