Tornado warnings

and watches swept Central Florida as severe storms marched across the state on Sunday.

Severe storms caused quite the ruckus across Central Florida Sunday, with delayed flights, thousands of power outages and a substantial threat of tornadoes.

The tornado warnings, which were issued constantly throughout the evening, spurred phone alerts and even neighborhood tornado sirens to sound across the region.

Though there were no verified reports that any touched down, there were reports of several potential tornadoes sightings as close as Winter Park and Maitland, according to the National Weather Service in Melbourne.

The line of storms were part of the same system that ripped through the Southeast and Georgia, which leveled a mobile home park and left at least 18 people dead and dozens more injured.

The severe weather was highly usual for this time of year and meteorologists say the last time the state had this high of a risk for severe weather in the month of January was in 1999.

“It’s very rare,” said Matt Volkmer, a meteorologist with the weather service. “Usually, we don’t see systems this strong.”

The quick-moving storm left behind less than an inch of rain but wind speeds of 40 mph were measured throughout the day, with gusts reaching 54 mph in Orlando.

The dangerous and unusual conditions were also the perfect mix for tornadoes to stay grounded for longer than usual in Florida.

More than 7,000 people were without power in the region, including more than 2,500 in Orange County, as of 9 p.m.

Flights to Orlando International Airport were also temporarily delayed due to the severe weather and winds.

Several Central Florida counties activated their Emergency Operations Centers to help organize for the storm.

Several trees were knocked down and branches littered roads throughout the region but no severe damage was reported.

But forecasters cautioned that might change this morning when residents are able to survey their homes and businesses in the daylight.

“I wouldn’t say we’re in the clear yet but we are fortunate that we aren’t getting any of these immediate reports of damage,” said Tony Cristaldi, a forecaster for the weather service ‘s Melbourne office.

At least one person was reported injured in northern Florida due to the storm. A tree fell on a home near Jacksonville and injured someone inside. Several twisters were also reported in the area. Forecasters said conditions were worse in northern Florida.

Cristaldi said weather events like this “only happen every couple of years.”

Back in 2007, a number of tornadoes ripped through Lake, Sumter and Volusia counties leaving a path of destruction in their wake. The storm, dubbed the “Groundhog Day tornado outbreak,” left 21 people dead and caused $200 million in damage.