Hurricane Milton spawns deadly tornado outbreak in South Florida, ‘hundreds of homes’ destroyed

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – A deadly tornado outbreak slammed a wide swath of Florida Wednesday as the powerful outer bands of Hurricane Milton tapped into atmospheric conditions that became conducive for severe weather.One of the hardest hit areas was in St. Lucie County in Southeast Florida. Officials with the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office said there were “multiple” fatalities from tornadoes as part of the outbreak on Wednesday. No other details on the number of deaths or where they occurred were available.”We can confirm 17 tornadoes hit St. Lucie County, Florida, with multiple fatalities, a rescue mission ongoing, and hundreds of homes destroyed,” St. Lucie County Sheriff Keith Pearson told FOX Weather.On Wednesday morning, stunning video from Florida Department of Transportation cameras along Interstate 75 in Alligator Alley between Broward and Palm Beach counties captured the destructive force of Milton’s extreme weather in the state. It was the second tornado in less than 20 minutes that was witnessed as these storms lifted north.Tornadoes were spotted in Fort Pierce and Vero Beach, including one near the Florida Turnpike west of Fort Pierce. Additional video footage captured the large tornado near the Miccosukee Service Plaza west of Andytown. The tornado was associated with a tornado-warned supercell thunderstorm.Another video recorded in Clewiston, Florida, shows a tornado spinning across the landscape on Wednesday morning.Photos in West Palm Beach show extensive damage to a neighborhood from a possible tornado, including a dumpster on top of a home.More than 125 Tornado Warnings were issued as of Wednesday evening – several of them confirmed tornado sightings. The NWS Miami office has broken its record for the most Tornado Warnings issued in a single day, with 55 issued Wednesday. The previous record for that office was set during Hurricane Ian.HURRICANE MILTON SPAWNS DANGEROUS TORNADO OUTBREAK IN FLORIDA AHEAD OF CATASTROPHIC LANDFALLThe FOX Forecast Center said this type of severe weather is a common threat when tropical systems make landfall.Milton, a Category 3 hurricane made landfall along the west-central coast of Florida late Wednesday around 8:30 p.m. near Siesta Key, the National Hurricane Center said. Milton is poised to become one of the most devastating hurricanes in U.S. history. The storm surge associated with Milton is expected to be life-threatening and catastrophic, especially along and south of the storm’s track. Additionally, the hurricane’s strong winds will cause significant damage as the eyewall moves through the state. Power outages reached more than 1 million across the Sunshine State one hour after landfall.