Tropical storm leaves path of damage in Florida

Tropical Storm Nestor spawned a string of tornadoes that damaged homes, uprooted trees and overturned vehicles as it moved inland over the Florida Panhandle from the Gulf of Mexico on Friday before it was expected to head to the North Carolina coast, forecasters said.

The outer bands of the tropical storm wreaked havoc in Florida late Friday as it approached. Strong winds extended 175 miles outward from the storm’s center with sustained winds nearing 60 mph, the National Hurricane Center said.

In Polk County, Fla., a tornado overturned an 18-wheel vehicle onto an SUV on Friday night. The occupants of both vehicles reportedly escaped injury, the Tampa Bay Times reported.

Another tornado, with winds of nearly 100 mph, touched down in Lee County, Fla., on Saturday morning, damaging at least a dozen homes.

Photos and videos on social media showed a roof torn off a middle school, fallen power lines and vehicles damaged by uprooted trees. There was no immediate word on injuries, and damage estimates were not available Saturday.

By 11 a.m. Saturday, the National Hurricane Center said the storm had been downgraded to a post-tropical cyclone. Still, forecasters warned of life-threatening storm surges of up to 4 feet along the Florida Gulf Coast, and strong winds, tornadoes and isolated flash flooding across the southeastern United States.

The storm left some roads flooded, and officials said it was expected to produce 2 to 4 inches of rain this weekend across the southeastern United States, with isolated amounts of up to

8 inches.

The storm formed in the Gulf of Mexico and became a tropical storm Friday, the National Weather Service said.

Its remnants made landfall at St. Vincent Island, Fla., about 75 miles southwest of Tallahassee on Saturday, and was forecast to head through Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina. It was expected to reach North Carolina’s coast and move into the Atlantic by late Sunday, officials said.

A post-tropical cyclone is classified as a former tropical storm that no longer “possesses sufficient tropical characteristics” but can bring with it heavy rains and high winds.

The National Weather Service issued a tornado watch across northern and Central Florida on Saturday.

The storm produced beach hazards along the Gulf Coast on Saturday, according to officials, who warned swimmers of dangerous rip currents, high surf and coastal flooding.

Tallahassee officials encouraged residents to report power failures and blocked roads.

“While impacts may be less than anticipated, any impact close to home matters,” the city said on Twitter on Saturday.