ST. LUCIE COUNTY, Fla. — The National Weather Service (NWS) on Friday afternoon released new details on the devastating tornado that tore through St. Lucie County on Wednesday.
Officials confirmed that a long-tracked tornado had "winds of up to 140-150 mph" as it damaged businesses and homes in the county.
According to the report, there was a "large swath" of EF2 damage and periodic EF3 damage.
Officials said they surveyed 12 miles starting near Midway Road/Okeechobee Road and concluded in the Spanish Lakes subdivision near the Indian River County line.
"Damage was noted along the entirety of the survey path," according to the report. "The tornado likely started before and ended after where the survey was conducted — and we will work [with] our partners to determine the exact path length."
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According to the National Weather Service, the EF3 damage was noted where several large warehouses were severely damaged and destroyed near the intersection of Orange Avenue and South Rock Road.
"In the Spanish Lakes subdivision, numerous manufactured homes were destroyed when they were flipped or tossed," the report said.
The NWS said the winds that hit the Spanish Lakes area were indicative of high-end EF2 damage of 125-135 mph.
As of Friday, there have been six confirmed deaths in St. Lucie County from the storm.
"We will continue to conduct additional surveys in the county to determine the number and strength of several other likely tornadoes in the coming days," the NWS said.
The National Weather Service said in a Thursday report that an EF3 tornado that hit the Avenir community in Palm Beach Gardens on Wednesday had winds of 140 mph.
