CRYSTAL RIVER, Fla. — The National Weather Service confirmed at least two tornadoes tore through parts of the Tampa Bay area overnight Thursday.
Several tornado warnings were issued through noon but have since been allowed to expire. There have been no additional reports of tornadoes from this latest round of storms.
One 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.
The National Weather Service Tampa Bay confirmed Thursday night that it was an EF-2 tornado with an estimated peak wind speed of 115 mph and 4.9 miles of path length.
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.
According to the NWS, this was also an EF-2 tornado with an estimated peak wind speed of 125 mph and 5.5 miles of path length.
School closures
Just after 6 a.m. Thursday, Citrus County Schools tweeted that all classes would be canceled for the day and all schools would be closed.
"The west side of Citrus County has experienced significant damage from an unconfirmed tornado(s) which hit the area overnight. ALL SCHOOL IS CANCELED for today, Thursday, October 12th," the tweet said in part.
Just after noon Thursday, Citrus County Schools leaders said all extracurricular activities Thursday would be canceled. "This includes all practices, meetings, and games," a spokesperson said.
Road closures
Multiple roadways have been closed in Crystal River due to "extensive damage" after a possible tornado touched down overnight, the Citrus County Sheriff's Office said. "At this time, several roads are closed due to down power lines, trees, and flooding," the sheriff's office said.
- Highway 44 is closed in all directions from the intersection of U.S. Highway 19 to Turkey Oak Drive.
- Highway 19 is closed in all directions from West Fort Island Trail to Northeast Fifth Street in Crystal River.
- Fort Island Trail and Three Sisters Springs Trail intersection
- NE 9th St., 8th St., and 1st St., in the Copeland Park area
- Crystal Street near the intersection of W Balloon Lane
- SE 8th Terrace
- Ozello Trail and Winterset Avenue intersection
- Whitewater Terrace and Turkey Oak intersection
Drivers should avoid the area and use alternate routes in the meantime.
Deputies are also urging people traveling in the area to drive cautiously due to possible down power lines, debris and inoperable traffic lights.
Check current road conditions using our free traffic map, powered by Waze:
Power outages
According to Duke Energy, more than 2,000 people are without power in the Crystal River area. And, more than 600 customers in Pinellas County are also without power.
Around 9:30 a.m., Clearwater Police said Duke Energy crews are at Clearwater Beach to help restore power after the overnight and early morning storm damage.