Forecasters have confirmed that two tornadoes touched down Friday near the Orange-Osceola county line as a powerful storm moved through the area.
The tornadoes were both an EF-0, the weakest on the Enhanced Fujita scale, according to the National Weather Service in Melbourne.
On Friday, residents in both counties posted photos on social media of funnel cloud formations but forecasters weren’t sure until Sunday whether they actually touched land.
The first touched down about 8 p.m. in the Meadow Woods community, just east of the Florida Turnpike and about two miles southwest of Orlando International Airport, said Jessie Smith, a meteorologist with the weather service.
Smith said the tornado touched down in a rural area near a housing development but didn’t cause any damage in the area. She said predictions show the tornado had about 50 mph winds.
A second and more powerful twister touched down south of the area in the Buena Ventura Lakes community.
Smith said the second tornado started sometime between 8:15 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. and caused damage to some homes, carports and a pool enclosure.
“We also had a large tree that fell on one home,” she said.
No injuries were reported in the twisters.
by Christal Hayes
July 9, 2017
