PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. — A tornado that tore through Palm Beach Gardens on Saturday afternoon was at least an EF1 with wind speeds of 100 mph, the National Weather Service in Miami said.
The tornado touched down just south of Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center at about 5:10 p.m. and took a northeast track near the intersection of PGA Boulevard and U.S. Highway 1 before coming to an end on U.S. 1, just north of PGA Boulevard.
Along the way, it caused significant damage to the Sandalwood Estates and Sanctuary Cove communities, toppling trees, tossing vehicles and peeling off a portion of the roof off an apartment building.
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Pictures of storm damage in northern Palm Beach County
It also lifted boats out of the water and stacked vehicles on top of each other like pancakes.
"That's considerable damage," WPTV First Alert Weather chief meteorologist Steve Weagle said.
The final determination of the tornado's strength will likely be made Sunday.
It was the second consecutive day that a tornado touched down in Palm Beach County. An EF0 tornado caused damage Friday evening near Interstate 95 in Boynton Beach.
