Hurricane Milton spawned a large number of destructive and deadly tornadoes

FT. PIERCE, Fla. (AP) — Dozens of tornadoes spawned by Hurricane Milton surprised many Floridians as they prepared for heavy rain, strong winds and storm surges. Violent tornadoes were observed crossing highways, tearing roofs off, and downing trees and power lines.

When Debbie Jones lived in the Holiday Pines neighborhood of Ft. felt a drop in pressure and a popping in her ears. Pierce, she knew it was a tornado.

“Suddenly the power went out. I heard the wind increasing and debris hitting very loudly. So I closed the hurricane shutters and flew away with them,” said Megan Brown, whose boyfriend is Jones' son. The family, along with their four dogs, barricaded themselves in the back of the house, away from the windows.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Storm Prediction Center, there have been 38 preliminary eyewitness reports of tornadoes in Florida since Wednesday evening. Overall, the state averages 50 tornadoes per year. The confirmed number is expected to rise in the coming days as damaged sites are assessed.

“Certainly a notable part of this storm will be how many tornadoes occurred in such a short period of time,” said Matthew Elliott, warning coordination meteorologist at the Storm Prediction Center.

Five tornado-related deaths occurred at Spanish Lakes Country Club near Fort Pierce on Florida's Atlantic coast, authorities said. At a White House briefing, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said there were reports of up to 10 deaths from tornadoes, but he cautioned that the number was preliminary.

Eyewitness reports came as the National Weather Service issued 126 tornado warnings in the state yesterday.

The wildness of the twisters was also an unusual aspect of Milton.

“It's definitely unusual,” said Victor Gensini, a meteorology professor at Northern Illinois University. “Hurricanes do produce tornadoes, but they are usually weak. What we saw today was much closer to what we see in the spring in the Great Plains.”

The conditions for tornado breeding were particularly favorable. Hurricane Milton spent the day offshore, with the warmth of the sun and instability of the atmosphere providing the right environment.

Tornadoes spawned by hurricanes and tropical storms most often occur in the storm's right front quadrant, but can sometimes occur near the storm's eyewall, according to NOAA. The heat and moisture present in the atmosphere during such storms, as well as changes in wind direction or speed with height, known as wind shear, contribute to their likelihood.

“There is an incredible amount of turbulence,” Gensini said of the conditions that allowed the twisters to grow. “These tornadoes were just in a very favorable environment.”

Earlier this year, Hurricane Beryl caused 65 confirmed tornadoes across several states. The highest number ever caused by a hurricane was Ivan's 118 in 2004. The difference is that Milton's tornadoes were all in Florida and occurred within just eight to ten hours.

It might be complicated to pick apart the damage caused specifically by Milton's tornadoes, but scientists say it's important to keep accurate records of tornadoes.

Tornado activity can be divided into three seasons: spring, tropical cyclone season, and late fall and winter. “It really shows that tornadoes can be a significant part of a tropical cyclone, in this case a category three hurricane,” Elliot said.

Warming oceans caused by climate change are increasing the intensity of hurricanes, but Gensini said he knows of no connection between human-caused warming and the deadly tornadoes Florida residents experienced with Milton.

Florida has more tornadoes per square mile than any other state. But they are usually not as severe as in the Midwest and Plains. However, in February 1998, a major outbreak of powerful hurricanes killed 42 people and injured more than 260 in central Florida within a few hours.

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Matat reported from Ft. Pierce, O'Malley of Philadelphia and Naishadham of Washington, DC

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