FLorida Governor Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency Saturday morning after extreme weather conditions severely affected several southern states.
The city of Ocala was among the hardest hit locations as high winds and tornadoes tore through southeastern US states ranging from North Carolina to Florida, according to the New York Post.
The executive order passed by DeSantis acknowledged that a “state of emergency exists in Clay, Highlands, Marion and Putnam counties,” a DeSantis press release noted.
KENTUCKY GOVERNOR DECLARES STATE OF EMERGENCY AMID SERIOUS TIMES
Meteorologist Brian Shields with WFTV said in a post on Twitter that the Ocala Police Department had confirmed that “several buildings and vehicles near the 3900 block of SR 200” were damaged after a tornado passed through the area.
The OPD confirmed in a Facebook post that there were “no reported injuries” at the time, adding that there was “still a tornado watch in effect for northeast Florida until 11 a.m.” Sunday.
DAMAGE IN OCALA, FL: Possible tornado…
From Ocala PD:
Several buildings and vehicles near the 3900 block of SR 200 are damaged due to a tornado. No injuries reported so far. All lanes on SR 200 from SW 38 Ct. and SW 43 St. Rd. are blocked. Please avoid the area. pic.twitter.com/CgEDMQo7Qz— Brian Shields, WFTV (@BrianWFTV) March 12, 2022
After investigating the damage caused by the tornado, the Jacksonville National Weather Service labeled the storm an EF-1 tornado, with winds blowing at 110 mph, according to Spectrum News 13.
CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
As bad weather hit the state, about 50,000 people were left without power Saturday morning, according to the New York Post. As of Sunday morning, about 1,560 customers statewide were without power, according to poweroutage.us.
🥶 There is a frost warning tonight for our region.
Don’t forget to cover the plants 🌿 and bring the pets 🐶🐱 inside tonight as temperatures drop into the mid 20s and below 30s with wind chills in the low to mid highs. 20s.
Tomorrow, temperatures will reach the mid-upper 50s. #flwx #gawx #JAXwx pic.twitter.com/XeYkCYICbu
— NWS Jacksonville (@NWSJacksonville) March 12, 2022
The Jacksonville NWS issued a frost warning for the region on Sunday afternoon, adding that temperatures would fall to “the mid-20s to lower 30s with wind chills in the low to mid-20s.” The weather service added that Sunday would see temperatures in the “mid to upper 50s”.
