Tornado Warning: North Port Fl

Several people caught videos showing a tornado ripping through a section of Gulf Harbour Yacht & County Club, off McGregor Boulevard in Fort Myers. The tornado touched down at about 7:40 p.m. on Thursday, according to a report from the National Weather Service.

Tornado Warning: North Port Fl

The storm that prompted the warning has weakened below severe limits and no longer appears capable of producing a tornado, the National Weather Service said. The storm was moving east at 35 mph, the agency reported.

It was 15 miles southwest of gulf gate estates and 18 miles west of sarasota, the agency reported. The area could experience quarter size hail, flying debris and damage to mobile homes.

Emergency managers warned residents of Sarasota and Manatee counties to stay indoors as the storm moved in Wednesday afternoon. The National Weather Service said the winds would reach 45 miles per hour by the time it passed through those areas.

Despite the weather warning, a number of businesses were open in Venice and Sarasota. Marty Goodrick and his wife, Lori, wanted to get a bite to eat after they finished prepping for Hurricane Ian at home. They decided to stop at Salty Jim’s Island Bar & Grill, located at 3655 Webber Street.

They were drenched, but they still wanted to eat and enjoy the company of friends. That’s how Marty Goodrick found himself at Salty Jim’s.

He told the news outlet he’d waited in a parking lot for a bit, but when the storm started to approach, he decided to get out of the car and find some shelter. He hopped into the restroom at a nearby restaurant, but was soon back outside to take in the sight of the wind.

The storm is expected to weaken and then dissipate later in the day, but it will still bring a risk of a few tornadoes, according to the weather service. Those in the area should be prepared to move to a safer location if necessary, emergency managers said.

In addition to the tornado warning, the weather service issued a wind warning for North Port and Warm Mineral Springs. The weather agency predicted strong winds will cause power outages across the area and a significant threat of downed trees and limbs.

A large area of the Florida Panhandle and a portion of the Alabama Panhandle could still see rain from the remnants of Tropical Storm Nicole, the NHC said. Some parts of the southern Texas Panhandle could also receive a few inches of rainfall and small hail as the storm moves out.

It could also cause some flooding in the affected areas. But for now, there are no reports of any major structural damage or landslides, the weather service said.

But the weather service warns that there could be a few thunderstorms throughout the day as it tries to strengthen. It says a few of the storms could produce hail and damaging winds that are capable of causing power outages.