Two tornadoes ripped through Broward County Tuesday afternoon leaving behind a wake of destruction. Thousands of Floridians lost power and a tree crashed into a home in Fort Lauderdale. The storms also caused hundreds of flights to be delayed but left a stunning rainbow stretched across the 17th Street Causeway.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">This picture doesn’t do it justice. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/rainbow?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#rainbow</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/BrittanyWallman?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BrittanyWallman</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/wsvn?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@wsvn</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/WPLGLocal10?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@WPLGLocal10</a> <a href="https://t.co/CIysnRwda4">pic.twitter.com/CIysnRwda4</a></p>— Alec Bogdanoff (@abogdanoff) <a href="https://twitter.com/abogdanoff/status/983825853984460800?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 10, 2018</a></blockquote>
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The harsh spring storm began at 3:30 p.m. when a funnel cloud was spotted over downtown Fort Lauderdale. Moments later, the National Weather Service in Miami confirmed a tornado touched down from 3:34 p.m. to 3:58 p.m. in the heart of downtown Fort Lauderdale. The tornado stretched for nearly 3 1/2 miles and spanned 60 yards with wind speeds up to 65 mph.
A second tornado touched down just northwest of Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport from 4:25 p.m. to 4:36 p.m. This second tornado also stretched over 3 miles but had a slightly smaller width of 40 yards, according to the weather service. The tornado duo caused 225 flights to be delayed, 18 flights to be canceled, a 2 1/2 hour closure of the north runway to allow crews to remove debris, according to airport spokesman Greg Meyer.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Wow!! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Tornado?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Tornado</a> video in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FtLauderdale?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#FtLauderdale</a> today!! <a href="https://t.co/CPkB68kAvH">https://t.co/CPkB68kAvH</a></p>— Jeff Berardelli (@WeatherProf) <a href="https://twitter.com/WeatherProf/status/983817520045023234?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 10, 2018</a></blockquote>
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One witness named Jason Holloway says he saw a tornado over Fort Lauderdale from a 42nd-floor balcony and recorded it with his cell phone. "I was surprised it looked as big as it did. It looked like it was the real deal," Holloway said. The Coral Springs-Parkland Fire Department shared a photo on Twitter showing damage to a structure caused by a lightning strike during the storm.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The lightning was no joke today! Lightning is believed to have started this fire of a gazebo in eastern Parkland this afternoon. Thankfully no one was hurt during the storm or the subsequent fire. Always stay indoors during a storm! <a href="https://t.co/2UKSRKmqgD">pic.twitter.com/2UKSRKmqgD</a></p>— Coral Springs-Parkland Fire Department (@CoralSpringsFD) <a href="https://twitter.com/CoralSpringsFD/status/983842073735557120?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 10, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Here are the details on the 2 tornadoes in the Fort Lauderdale area earlier. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/flwx?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#flwx</a> <a href="https://t.co/rBx5WJs38R">pic.twitter.com/rBx5WJs38R</a></p>— NWS Miami (@NWSMiami) <a href="https://twitter.com/NWSMiami/status/983904819428683776?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 11, 2018</a></blockquote>
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A weather service meteorologist named Barry Baxter said, "It's like a wind-shift line. Thunderstorms usually form around that boundary. So when the thunderstorms hit that sea breeze, it helped enhance the thunderstorms a little."
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Thank you Thank you The article and photos helped to relieve my worries for my life long friend in Sunrise, Ft Lauderdale living through the worst hurricane in Florida's history and on top of that two tornadoes. Praying for the safety of everyone in Florida and also for the residents along the coast as the hurricane moves further north along the coast to South Carolina and sadly the horrific damage on the Golf side of Florida like Orlando, Tampa to name a few. Thank you for keeping us Canadians informed .... I love Florida vacations in the New Year after Christmas with my family. Sending warm and loving thoughts southwards ....
Very informative incl photos ... thank you for the quick coverage....worried sick about my friends in Sunrise hopefully, they are safe in their home and have hydro and TV keeping them informed, stores open in case of need during the worst Hurricane to hit your beautiful State. Also two tornadoes OMG ! Stay Safe Stay Calm Love, Hugs & Prayers Always from Canada I love Florida
Ingsy PS See you In the New Year, I'll be in the neighbourhood in the Grand Hotel or a condo . Wondering and hoping if you still receive my emails, I'll keep in touch daily Satchmo