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 140-155 mph with a maximum width of 500 yards as it damaged businesses and homes in the county, starting at 4:59 p.m. and lasting until 5:13 p.m.
According to the report, there was a "large swath" of EF2 damage and periodic EF3 damage.
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Officials said they surveyed 13 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."
The survey found structural damage within the Creekside Subdivision and Sunnier Palms Park and Campground along Okeechobee Road.
Several homes within the Creekside community suffered partial roof loss, while numerous mobile and manufactured homes within the Sunnier Palms community suffered major damage or were destroyed, the NWS said.
The survey found that the tornado continued north-northeast over rural portions of St. Lucie County, parallel to South Kings Highway.
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The NWS said the tornado strengthened to an EF3 with peak winds up to 155 mph. Two large warehouses along Orange Avenue near South Road Road, one that had brand new construction, experienced major damage with greater than 50% of the structure collapsing.
The NWS survey team said that damage was noted in rural areas adjacent to Kings Highway as the tornado traveled north, resulting in occasional significant structural damage as well as numerous downed trees and power lines. The tornado then intersected subdivisions in the northern part of the county where additional residential damage was observed.
Numerous single-family homes in both Holiday Pines and Portofino Shores experienced significant roof, soffit and siding damage, where the tornado likely continued as an EF2 with peak winds estimated between 110-125 mph, according to the NWS.
'EXTENSIVE DAMAGE'
In the Spanish Lakes subdivision, over 20 homes were either tossed or flipped from their foundation, the report said.
"Despite the extensive damage to the communities' manufactured homes, nearly all concrete block structures in the community experienced relatively minor or moderate damage," the NWS 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.
