CRYSTAL RIVER, Fla. — The National Weather Service confirmed at least two tornadoes tore through parts of the Tampa Bay area overnight Thursday. Because of the damage, thousands of Floridians are still without power.
According to Duke Energy, more than 2,000 people are without power in Citrus County. The hardest hit area affects those living in Crystal River.
Over in Pinellas County, Dunedin and Clearwater Beach are experiencing the majority of outages in the area. Dunedin is most affected. Overall, there are more than 900 homes and businesses without power throughout the county.
Clearwater Police shared a video on Twitter showing Duke Energy crews on hand along Clearwater Beach to restore power after the overnight and early morning storm damage.
One such tornado occurred in Clearwater Beach where a beachfront sky cam caught a large waterspout moving near Pier 60. It was suspected — and now confirmed — that the waterspout came ashore as a tornado. Significant damage was reported in a neighborhood north of the main beach.
A second tornado dropped near the Crystal River area in Citrus County, which forced the closure of several roads and the cancellation of all classes for Citrus County Schools.
Neither of these tornadoes has been officially rated on the EF scale.
A tornado watch is in effect until 3 p.m. for Manatee County northward, including the cities of Bradenton, St. Petersburg and Tampa.