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Severe Winds Threaten Further Damage After Florida Thunderstorms

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Severe winds in Florida are threatening to cause more harm to homes and infrastructure already damaged by Thursday thunderstorms.

Wind speeds over South Florida waters will exceed 30 knots with frequent gusts of up to 45 knots, according to the National Weather Service (NWS), which issued a weather hazard for South Florida Friday. The mainland will experience winds between 25 and 40 mph, according to NWS.

“The strong winds, combined with the wet ground from Thursday’s rain, may also lead to sporadic downed trees, which may fall onto power lines and lead to isolated outages,” AccuWeather Meteorologist Ryan Adamson said, AccuWeather reported Friday.

“Due to the onshore wind direction, coastal flooding will be possible from the central panhandle down the west coast of the peninsula and into the Keys,” Adamson added.

The high winds will contribute to strong currents, rough surf and unusually large waves, according to AccuWeather.

#Skyway – Wind Speeds have accelerated to 57 MPH and gusting to 64 MPH. The Skyway Bridge is now CLOSED to all traffic. pic.twitter.com/x5KTEnOxIZ

— FHP Tampa (@FHPTampa) December 21, 2018

Tides are 3 feet higher than usual in Tampa, AccuWeather reported.

Friday’s high wind speeds follow a severe thunderstorm watch in South Florida issued by NWS Thursday, ABC10 reported.

Up to 70 homes in Zephyrhills were damaged in the storm, AccuWeather reported in a separate article.

Following severe thunderstorms Thursday, much of Florida is also experiencing flooding. Southwest Florida and the Collier coast are expected to experience 1 to 3 feet of flooding, NWS reported.

Florida’s Gulf Coast suffered severe damage and loss in October when Hurricane Michael hit.

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