A tornado was spotted over downtown Orlando on Saturday evening. The National Weather Service issued a tornado warning until 8:15 p.m.
People nearby describe extremely windy and turbulent conditions when the storm passed through downtown.
Incredibly clear footage was shot by Orlando residents across the city on the street, from skyscrapers and nearby lakes.
The Orange County Sheriff’s Office tweeted, “MPs respond to reports of a tornado that broke out in the Fern Creek and Conway areas. There have been numerous reports of damage and dropped power lines. ”
Video filmed Saturday evening showing a tornado passing on Lake Conway near Orlando Airport
Those caught in traffic at the time were able to film the storm from their car
Tornado can be seen in the distance in images from the Orlando Regional Medical Center
About 2,000 homes were without power, according to the Orlando Utilities Commission.
The tornado was also detected in the College Park area, north of downtown NWS.
Aside from the tornado on Saturday evening, there is concern over a larger weather system just off the south coast.
On Saturday, a revitalized tropical storm Cristobal advanced towards the American coast of the Gulf of Mexico, causing heavy rains which have already caused floods and landslides in Mexico and Central America.
Many Orlando residents were able to record the tornado as it passed through the area
Those in tall buildings were able to take a graphic video of the tornado crossing
2,000 homes are without power as a result of the tornado, but there was no significant damage
Tropical storm Cristobal travels north across the Gulf of Mexico
After weakening to a tropical depression while traveling on land off the coast of the Gulf of Mexico, Cristobal returned to the southern Gulf of Mexico from the Yucatan Peninsula on Friday and launched into a tropical storm. Forecasters said it would arrive on American soil Sunday evening, but should not become a hurricane.
The National Hurricane Center in Miami said the storm is expected to slowly build up until it hits land, scheduled for Sunday evening along the U.S. Gulf Coast. Saturday evening, bands of rain outside the storm were already moving in parts of the Gulf Coast.
Cristobal’s maximum sustained winds had strengthened at 50 mph (85 km / h) early Saturday and it was moving north at 12 mph (19 km / h). Saturday evening, the storm was centered approximately 235 miles (380 km) southwest of the mouth of the Mississippi River.
The Hurricane Center said the storm could cause heavy rains from east Texas to Florida this weekend and early next week. A tropical storm watch has been posted for the northern coast of the Gulf of Mexico, from Intracoastal City, Louisiana, to the border between Alabama and Florida.
Cristobal expected to land Sunday afternoon near New Orleans
In Louisiana, Governor John Bel Edwards declared a state of emergency to prepare for the possible arrival of the storm.
“ Now is the time to make your plans, which should include traditional emergency items as well as masks and hand sanitizer as we continue to fight the coronavirus pandemic, ” Edward said in a statement published Thursday.
On Friday, he asked President Donald Trump to declare an emergency before landing for the state due to the threat of the storm.
“We are confident that there will be widespread heavy rain and coastal flooding,” said Edwards in a letter to the White House. “I anticipate the need for emergency protection measures, evacuations and shelters for high-risk areas. The duration of potential floods is unknown and will likely require post-flood activities. “
The parish of Jefferson, a suburb of New Orleans, called on Saturday for the voluntary evacuations of Jean Lafitte, Lower Lafitte, Crown Point and Barataria because of the threat of storm surges, high tides and heavy rains . Residents were urged to move vehicles, boats and campers to a higher location.
Although the storm is somewhat offshore, many severe storms are generated in the east
“We want to make sure residents are safe as we approach this storm, so we take every precaution to be fully prepared,” Jean Lafitte mayor Tim Kerner Jr. told The Advocate.
A similar order was issued on Saturday for several communities in the parish of Plaquemines, including Happy Jack, Grand Bayou, Myrtle Grove, Lake Hertiage, Harlem and Monsecour. President Kirk Lepine said the order was issued as a precaution.
“We need to make sure residents are protected as we approach this storm, so we take every precaution to be fully prepared,” he said.
The hurricane center forecast path places Alabama on the east side of Cristobal, away from where the center lands. Still, the southwestern part of the state is expected to experience gusts, heavy rain, storm surges and possibly tornadoes as the storm nears the coast. These effects were expected as early as Saturday evening.
Rain clouds hovered over the mountains on Sunday during tropical storm Amanda in Barberena, eastern Guatemala. It was the first tropical storm of the season
“Sunday will be very wet and windy as Cristobal passes west of the region, placing the central Gulf coast on the” dirty “side of the storm,” said the weather service.
Cristobal was formed this week in Campeche Bay from the remnants of tropical storm Amanda, which started last weekend in the eastern Pacific and hit Central America. The two storms combined to soak the area with up to 35 inches (89 centimeters) of rain in some areas over the past week. At least 30 deaths were attributed to the two storms and the floods and landslides they triggered.
In Bacalar, in the southern Mexican state of Quintana Roo, 230 families were isolated by the rains and had to be evacuated by plane, said David Leon, the Mexican national coordinator of civil protection, on Friday. Leon added that there had been slight damage in 75 municipalities in seven states.
The names of the 2020 hurricane seasons are: Arthur, Bertha, Cristobal, Dolly, Edouard, Fay, Gonzalo, Hanna, Isaias, Josephine, Kyle, Laura, Marco, Nana, Omar, Paulette, Rene, Sally, Teddy, Vicky and Wilfred .