Power out to thousands of homes after ‘potent’ squall line pushes through Tallahassee
Power outages pile up after squall line passes by
Almost 4,000 customers are out of power in six separate Tallahassee outages after the squall line passed through. The vast majority are in west Tallahassee. Talquin Electrical Cooperative, meanwhile, has 763 meters out, including 31 percent of its Woodville customers.
Severe storm warning: Tallahassee area could see winds of up to 60 mph
Leon and Wakulla counties, with cities including Tallahassee, Woodville, Crawfordville and St. Marks, are now under a severe thunderstorm warning until 9:15 a.m.
Forecasters warn the storm system has the potential to generate up to 60 mph winds and pea-sized hail.
Winds of that level could damage roofs, siding, and trees, which would cause power outages. Towns including Chattahoochee, Marianna, Midway and Quincy already are under previous warnings.
North Florida under a tornado watch
The Tallahassee area is under a tornado watch this morning as a “potent squall line” sweeps across North Florida and South Georgia.
Florida counties included in the watch are Bay, Calhoun, Franklin, Gadsden, Gulf, Holmes, Jackson, Jefferson, Leon, Liberty, Wakulla, Walton and Washington.
The watch, which means conditions are favorable for tornadoes to form, is in effect until 10 a.m. Eastern Standard Time.
Much of North Florida, including Leon County, is under a tornado watch this morning.
Around 4:15 a.m., a “potent squall line” was beginning to approach counties in southeast Alabama, the National Weather Service in Tallahassee said in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
“Expect damaging wind gusts as this line of storms moves through,” the Weather Service said. “Have multiple ways to receive warnings, and be prepared to seek shelter if a warning is issued.”
Forecasters warned that even before the squall line arrives at about 9 a.m., the area could see dangerous winds.
“In fact, it’s possible that we may see a few isolated supercells develop ahead of the main squall line that would produce tornadoes,” forecasters wrote in their Sunday morning discussion. “While our area is not within the risk area for strong tornadoes (EF2 or greater), it cannot be ruled out given the strong wind field.”
Earlier story: Tornado risk ahead of cold front
A squall line could bring punishing winds or tornadoes to north Florida and the Tallahassee area overnight and into Sunday morning.
Saturday afternoon, National Weather Service forecasters upped the chances of severe weather for the Big Bend from a marginal risk on a Level of 1 to 5 to a slight risk, a level 2 of 5.
What to expect from the overnight severe weather threat in north Florida.
“The main threats will be damaging winds and a few tornadoes,” forecasts wrote on a Facebook alert. They advised north Florida residents, especially in the eastern Panhandle to have multiple ways to get weather warnings over night.
“The greatest chance for strong to severe storms will be over the Central Time Zone counties,” forecasters wrote.
While the squall line is expected to hit the Tallahassee area at around 10 a.m., forecasters warned tornadoes will also be possible in any “rogue showers or storms” that develop ahead of the line.
Already, NWS has posted a wind advisory for between 1 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday for expected sustained southwest winds of 15 to 25 mph and gusts around 40 to 45 mph.
What to expect from the overnight severe weather threat in north Florida.
“Tree limbs could be blown down and a few power outages may result,” forecasters warned.
The squall line comes ahead of a strong cold front that will usher in chilly temperatures to north Florida. By mid-week, highs are expected to be in the mid to upper 50s. Toward the end of the week, freezing temperatures are possible overnight.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Tallahassee area under tornado watch as ‘potent’ squall line passes by
Source link
