ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Families in St. Pete are still picking up pieces of their homes after a tornado sent trees toppling down on some.
"We are still in shock a little bit. When I came out this morning with my coffee, I just wanted to go back in and cry," one St. Pete homeowner who saw extensive damage, Amber Byers said.
Officials with the National Weather Service explained how they determine a tornado.
Meteorologists go out to the area after the tornado hit to survey the damage.
"This tornado specifically had winds of about 100 miles per hour," a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, Austen Flannery said.
Flannery went to the neighborhood off 9th Avenue in St. Pete to determine if it was a tornado that hit.
"We go out in the field and look at the damage. We look at the patterns," Flannery explained.
Flannery said those patterns include wind damage. He looks at down trees and examines their health. He also looks at houses with damage to see if it looks like damage from a tornado.
Meteorologists can determine if the damage is due to strong winds or a tornado. In this case, it was an EF-1 tornado.
"This is a pretty common type of tornado you see in Florida. Most of the tornados are pretty short-lived," Flannery explained.
Flannery said the tornado was only on the ground for a couple of minutes. It covered about a quarter mile of ground.
"There were several homes that were damaged and in context, while we see that as weak tornado by no means are the impacts people felt insignificant," Flannery stated.
A good example of that destruction is people like Byer who saw extensive damage.
"I’m still in shock, but I'm just grateful because it could be worse," Byers said.
Byers set up a GoFundMe for her family as they make repairs on their house.
As we make our way further into winter, it is likely more tornados could occur.
Officials with the National Weather Service said if you receive a tornado warning alert, go to the lowest room in your house where it is sturdy away from windows.