Update March 18, 2021 at 11:45AM EDT: The Tornado Watch has extended eastward to include parts of North Florida until 6:00 PM EDT Thursday evening.
The following counties are in the watch area: Baker, Clay, Duval, Nassau, Alachua, Bradford, Columbia, Gilchrist, Hamilton, Suwannee, and Union. This includes the cities of Cross City, Perry, Lake City, Gainesville, and Jacksonville.
Strong thunderstorms ahead of an approaching cold front have the capability of producing tornadoes this afternoon and evening. It is recommended that residents have multiple ways of receiving weather alerts this afternoon.
The severe weather threat is anticipated to lessen across North Florida this evening and into the overnight as the cold front moves over the region, pushing the remaining storms offshore.Update March 18, 2021 morning: A line of thunderstorms moving through the Florida Panhandle early this morning intensified some, and has prompted the issuance of a Tornado Watch for the Big Bend and eastern Panhandle area until 1 PM. The Tallahassee metro area is included in this watch.
The storms are likely to be in the Tallahassee area between 9 and 11 AM before moving eastward into the Big Bend early this afternoon. A few of the storms within the line are capable of producing damaging, straight-line gusts and isolated tornadoes.
An official wind gust of 74 mph was recorded at the Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport in Panama City at 6 AM CT this morning as the storms rolled through.
Copyright 2021 WUFT 89.1
