FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — An apparent tornado moved near the downtown Fort Lauderdale area late Saturday afternoon.
Several videos posted on the social media platform X, formerly Twitter, captured the tornado moving east toward the Atlantic Ocean. Radar images at the time indicated a severe thunderstorm with a strong tornado signature just before 5:45 p.m.
In some videos, power flashes and debris were seen.
The National Weather Service issued a tornado warning at 5:46 p.m. It says it received multiple phone calls and social media reports of a tornado near Federal Highway moving northeast toward Las Olas Boulevard.
No injuries were reported and damage appears to be manageable, Fort Lauderdale Dean Trantalis said in a statement. He says that some vessels within the Las Olas basin sustained minor damage.
"As this tornado gained strength, it made contact with some structures, power lines, and marine vessels in that immediate area. The tornado then moved swiftly eastward until it reached the ocean, no longer impacting land or the intracoastal," Trantalis' statement read, in part. "Please stay safe and be vigilant, especially if you’re in the affected areas."
The severe weather in South Florida is associated with a strong winter storm system and its associated cold front that moved through the Tampa Bay region earlier in the day, which brought an extended period of heavy rain to the area.
Farther north into the northeastern U.S., the winter storm is producing heavy snow. Widespread snowfall accumulation of 6-12 inches is possible in parts of New England.