A storm that has battered the Midwest with snow and Florida’s Panhandle with high winds and tornadoes is sending a powerful squall line toward South Florida Tuesday night.
The system is causing tumultuous weather in the region already, and will bring the possibility of isolated tornadoes this evening.
The squall line could bring surges of heavy rain, lightning and potentially damaging wind gusts, and the National Weather Service said it will be “monitoring portions of the line that could become severe.”
Forecasters project the line to hit Palm Beach County and most of Broward between 8 p.m. and 11 p.m., and coastal metro Broward and most of Miami-Dade anywhere between 9 p.m. and midnight.
Sustained winds of 20 to 30 mph are possible throughout South Florida today. The National Weather Service has issued a wind advisory that will be in effect until 7 p.m.
“As this will be occurring at night, it is even more important to pay attention to warnings and alerts!” the National Weather Service said in a statement.
“Models are forecasting the squall line to start to break up as it travels across South Florida, so it won’t be as potentially (damaging) as we saw in the Panhandle overnight,” said NWS meteorologist Barry Baxter. “But it will still bring some wind up to maybe 60 mph, and we can’t rule out an isolated tornado. The environment is still favorable for it.”
Baxter said if there are any tornadoes they would likely be relatively weak, such as the one that hit Fort Lauderdale last Saturday.
NWS
A National Weather Service map showing the potential arrival times of the squall line in South Florida on Tuesday evening. (NWS)
The National Weather Service posted a simulated radar loop on social media platform X showing how things could play out.
Here is a simulated radar loop of how things could play out later today.
We will continue to monitor how the squall line will evolve as it moves through the area. pic.twitter.com/T7QAJtpJd5
— NWS Miami (@NWSMiami) January 9, 2024
A cold front will sweep through behind the squall line tonight, Baxter said, causing temperatures to drop to the upper 50s near the coast and low- to mid-50s inland.
Don’t expect cool crisp weather, however. The front will then reverse course and head back north Wednesday night, as a warm front from the south pushes it toward South Florida, which could cause cloud cover later in the week.
The larger storm system associated with the squall line caused tornadoes and nearly baseball-sized hail in Florida’s Panhandle early Tuesday and prompted Gov. Ron DeSantis to issue a state of emergency for 49 counties in North Florida.
NWS
The National Weather Service indicates tornado risk for Tuesday night. (NWS)
Fifty-five mph winds moved through parts of Alabama and Georgia by sunrise Tuesday, and into the Florida Panhandle. There were several reports of radar-confirmed tornadoes, the National Weather Service said, and a tornado warning advised people to take shelter on the campus of Florida State University in Tallahassee.
In Walton County, Florida, a wind gust of 106 mph was recorded before dawn near the coast.
“We still have potentially strong storms in that area through (Tuesday) morning and the potential for more severe weather and tornadoes,” meteorologist Lance Franck in Tallahassee said.
A section of Panama City Beach, Florida, showed parts of roofs blown away, furniture, fences and debris strewn about and a house that appeared tilted on side, leaning on another home, WJHG-TV reported.
Information from The Associated Press was used to supplement this report.