Tornadoes damage Tampa Bay area

Editor’s note: Our live updates have concluded for the day.

The Tampa Bay area was surveying damage from two tornadoes that sliced through the area early Thursday, causing destruction to homes and businesses.

The early morning storms pushed a tornado through parts of Clearwater and Dunedin around 2 a.m., tearing through buildings and leaving debris. Farther north, the Citrus County School District closed schools Thursday after the west side of the county experienced “significant damage” from another tornado, officials said. Officials announced Thursday evening that schools would be open Friday.

The Citrus County Sheriff’s Office said some people had minor injuries, like scrapes and cuts, from debris. In Pinellas County, officials said there were no reported injuries.

The National Weather Service had survey teams assessing the damage throughout the day, said Rick Davis, a meteorologist with the agency.

A tornado warning was briefly in effect for parts of Pinellas and Hillsborough counties as more severe weather moved through the area just before noon. The entire area also was under a tornado watch until 3 p.m. and a coastal flood advisory also was in effect for Pinellas and coastal Hillsborough counties for much of the day.

2:40 p.m. Some flooding in coastal areas of Pinellas

Coinciding with high tides, water levels rose up to doorsteps along the sponge docks in Tarpon Springs, and waves spilled over seawalls in Madeira Beach Thursday afternoon.

Nicole Carlisle, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s Tampa Bay office, said coastal residents should expect water levels to continue rising as high tide approaches, but that flood risk should lessen as the tides wane.

“It’s not expected to be too bad,” she said.

Read more on possible flooding across the Tampa Bay area.

Jack Prator, Times staff writer

2:23 p.m. Tornadoes classified as EF2, according to preliminary reports

The National Weather Service is working on finishing its reports on the two confirmed tornadoes from early Tuesday morning, Davis said.

The two tornadoes — one that touched down in Dunedin and Clearwater, and the other in Crystal River — were both rated EF2 tornadoes, according to preliminary reports from the weather service, Davis said.

An EF2 tornado is classified as a “strong” tornado with wind speeds up to 135 mph.

Davis said the weather service will release a full report later that will include the tornadoes’ size, path and areas of destruction.

A little before noon, the weather service issued a tornado warning in areas of Pinellas and Hillsborough after radar picked up a funnel cloud that began around Clearwater Beach and pushed north toward Odessa. Davis said the cloud never touched the ground and was not a tornado.

“It just never ended up reaching ground,” Davis said. “Which is good — we’d rather it not reach the ground.”

1:22 p.m. “All I thought to do was run”

Of the 230 residences in Honeymoon Mobile Home Park, three were severely damaged and possibly totaled early Thursday morning.

Sondra Martin, 73, was asleep in her home bordering the Pinellas Trail and Bayshore Boulevard when her cell phone sounded off with a tornado warning at 1:40 a.m.

She went to the bathroom to get her glasses to read the alert. When she sat on the bed, the ceiling above her cracked, dust and debris falling on her short, silver hair.

”I could hear metal twisting and the wind,” Martin said. She jumped up and headed toward the door, but it wouldn’t open. “All I thought to do was run.”

Read her full story about surviving the storm.

Colleen Wright, Times staff writer

12:34 p.m. Citrus County officials survey Crystal River

The Citrus County Sheriff’s Office spent much of the morning assessing tornado damage across the area, particularly in Crystal River, according to a Facebook post from the agency.

Tampa Bay Times’ news partner Spectrum Bay News 9 reported the tornado sliced through U.S. 19 and West Island Ford Trail in Crystal River just after 2 a.m.

The sheriff’s office posted photos to social media showing trees split in two, piles of debris strewn across streets and signs flattened in areas across the town.

Citrus County Sheriff Mike Prendergast told Bay News 9 multiple buildings had crumbled from the force of the tornado.

11:55 a.m. Watch video of destruction across Pinellas

Video taken by Tampa Bay Times staffers shows the debris left behind by a tornado that moved through parts of Clearwater Beach and Dunedin early Thursday.

11:36 a.m. Tornado warning for portions of Pinellas and Hillsborough

The National Weather Service issued a tornado warning for areas of Pinellas and Hillsborough County. The warning expired at noon.

11:23 a.m. Pool furniture tossed, tennis court damaged at Clearwater Yacht Club

Michael Clark, who has worked in building maintenance at Carlouel Yacht Club on north Clearwater Beach for 24 years, arrived at 6 a.m. to survey the damage.

A portion of a neighbor’s roof hit the club’s floating docks. The tornado had ripped through the club’s tennis courts and tossed pool furniture into the bay. Trees were uprooted and debris was strewn around the courtyard. Portions of the club’s roof had been torn off and much of the street along Eldorado Avenue was without power Thursday morning.

”I’ve never seen anything like it,” Clark said. “There’s been water spouts but nothing that has come on shore.”

Tracey McManus, Times staff writer

11:20 a.m. Minor flooding expected in some areas

Nicole Carlisle, a forecaster with the National Weather Service’s Tampa Bay office, said low-lying areas could see some minor flooding today as waters creep up along the coast.

Water levels have already exceeded normal tide conditions around Tampa Bay. Carlisle said the low-pressure system bringing severe weather to the Gulf Coast is causing an effect similar to storm surge.

”That’s just been pushing the water more toward land,” Carlisle said. “So, it’s just caused the water levels to rise a little bit across our coastline.”

At 9 a.m., water levels at Clearwater Beach were nearly 2 ½ feet above the predicted tides, according to tidal gauge data.

By 11 a.m., a St. Petersburg tide station measured water levels 2 feet higher than expected. Carlisle said coastal residents should expect water levels to continue rising as high tide approaches, but that flood risk should lessen as the tides wane later this afternoon.

Here is a list of high tides across the Tampa Bay area:

Clearwater Beach: 11:09 a.m.

St. Petersburg: 1:43 p.m.

East Bay: 1:52 p.m.

Old Tampa Bay: 2:13 p.m.

Jack Prator, Times Staff writer

11:13 a.m. Aerial images of mobile homes in Dunedin

Tampa Bay Times journalist Max Chesnes flew a drone over some of the damaged areas of Dunedin, including a mobile home park and condominium. Here’s what he captured.

11:09 a.m. Palm Harbor Home Depot helping with clean up

A five-member crew from the Palm Harbor Home Depot store arrived at Honeymoon Mobile Home park with tarps, wood and heavy manpower to start cleanup.

Brian Wilson said crews from 12 other stores will join them.

Colleen Wright, Times staff writer

11:01 a.m. Teams assess damage in Dunedin

Brian LaMarre, meteorologist-in-charge of the National Weather Service’s Tampa Bay area office, was assessing damage along with other team members Thursday morning at Honeymoon Mobile Home Park, 1100 Curlew Road, in Dunedin.

He said when tornados move across mobile home parks, you see the damage seen at Honeymoon, with roofs and sheet metal torn off.

LaMarre said his crew is assessing the damage here, with another crew doing the same in Crystal River.

Colleen Wright, Times staff writer

10:56 a.m. Car impaled, roofs torn on Clearwater Beach

On Eldorado Avenue on north Clearwater Beach, where the tornado hit, a car was impaled by debris and a roof was torn off while a woman was inside the home. The Carlouel Yacht Club had significant damage and was blocked off Thursday as utility crews worked to restore power.

But with no deaths or injuries, Jevon Graham, Clearwater Fire and Rescue’s division chief of emergency management, said the city got lucky.

”We were very fortunate,” Graham said. “Nobody lost their life which is great but there is considerable damage to some of the houses.”

Tracey McManus, Times staff writer

10:43 a.m. Assessing destruction on Clearwater Beach

On Thursday morning, utility workers and law enforcement were working on a stretch of El Dorado Avenue where the tornado hit homes in the Carlouel neighborhood of North Clearwater Beach.

Roofs were damaged, gazebos destroyed and portions of sidewalk were uplifted.

Chip Collins arrived to check the damage of a home where he has worked maintenance for 54 years.

”Got here this morning, saw this and it was heartbreaking,” he said.

The two-story home had no internal damage but had strewn trees and damaged sidewalk.

Tracey McManus, Times staff writer

10:40 a.m. “Don’t yawn and go back to sleep”

Tampa Bay Times Columnist Stephanie Hayes woke from the depths of her REM cycle Thursday to a tornado warning on her phone. Her husband didn’t panic, and neither did she, falling back to sleep.

The next morning, not a foam Halloween tombstone was out of place at her Dunedin home, but just a mile down the road local favorites were ripped up by a tornado.

Hayes explains why the overnight tornado that ripped through the area is a sobering reminder.

10:14 a.m. Bingo building damage

Robert Wright was asleep at his Island Estates home when he got a call around 4 a.m. Thursday letting him know there was some damage to his bingo hall.

Around 9:45 a.m. Wright’s family, including his great-granddaughter, were stepping over shattered glass and wrapping yellow caution tape around the pillars outside Bingo Time of Dunedin, which Wright has owned for 29 years.

At least seven windows and two doors were blown out, with several ceiling panels caved in the bingo hall.

”No big deal,” Wright said.

He watched as a tow truck tried to get his bingo truck right side up. It had fallen over and hit two parked Mercedes sedans. While Wright has insurance on his bingo hall, he didn’t have it on the truck. A man working the tow truck said the box of the bingo truck had been disconnected from the truck’s frame. Wright said he didn’t have anything inside the truck except for some pallets, which he uses to pick up supplies from Tampa.

His bingo hall has never been affected by a hurricane, he said, much less a tornado. And he’d never seen a bingo truck on its side.

”I’ve never seen that before either,” Wright said.

Colleen Wright, Times staff writer

9:39 a.m. High tides may cause minor flooding

Pinellas County officials are expecting higher than normal tides Thursday morning and into the afternoon. The tide may cause minor flooding in coastal areas at high tide, which is around 11 a.m. on Clearwater Beach, according to data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Water levels are running more than 2 feet above the anticipated height on Clearwater Beach, according to the administration.

“Coastal and barrier island residents and those traveling through these areas should prepare for potential localized flooding,” Pinellas officials said.

9:36 a.m. Red Cross working in Pinellas County

The American Red Cross has been notified of the damage in Dunedin and Clearwater and is working with those affected by the Thursday morning tornadoes, Pinellas County Administrator Barry Burton said in a county commission workshop Thursday morning.

“The Red Cross has been advised, and they’re working with people on housing,” Burton said.

Burton added that Pinellas County is expecting a full report on the damage soon.

Jack Evans, Times staff writer

8:45 a.m. Tornado watch for all of Tampa Bay

The National Weather Service placed much of the west central and northern areas of Florida — including all of the Tampa Bay area — under a tornado watch until 3 p.m. The stormy weather could churn out a few tornadoes, quarter-sized hail and wind gusts up to 70 mph.

8:31 a.m. Clearwater Beach home struck by tornado

The Clearwater Police Department posted a video to social media of a home that “sustained the most damage” on Clearwater Beach. Portions of the home’s roof were torn off and a window was sagging inward.

A woman was sleeping when the wall and roof came crashing down onto her, police said. The woman was uninjured, police said.

8:29 a.m. Drone footage of Dunedin destruction

Drone footage posted by Mike’s Weather Page to social media showed an aerial view of the Harbor Pointe Condominiums. The building’s roof had been torn off and debris was lying at the base of the building in a pile.

6:59 a.m. Damage near Dunedin Causeway

Tampa Bay Times’ news partner Spectrum Bay News 9 reported damage in Dunedin. Photos show chunks of the third floor missing from the Harbor Pointe Condominiums by Frenchy’s Market.

6:34 a.m. Citrus County cancels school

Officials with the Citrus County School District announced Thursday that schools were closed across the county. The west side of Citrus County sustained “significant damage” from an unconfirmed tornado, officials said.

Teams were assessing damage at schools and determining the scope of the damage, officials said. Officials announced Thursday evening that schools would be open Friday.

5:05 a.m. Citrus County road closures

The Citrus County Sheriff’s Office and emergency response teams were assessing damage in Crystal River early Thursday. Several roads in the area were closed and deputies were redirecting traffic in multiple locations. For a full list of updated closures click here.

Photos of the damage show debris strewn across roadways and part of a home that was flattened.

4:34 a.m. Clearwater police on scene

The Clearwater Police Department and Fire & Rescue were on scene of a tornado touchdown on the northern part of Clearwater Beach. At least two homes on Eldorado Avenue sustained damage. Officials said no one was injured.

3:09 a.m. Tornado touches down in Dunedin

Fox 13 meteorologist Paul Dellegatto posted a video to social media showing a tornado offshore of the Dunedin causeway early Thursday. The tornado remained together on its path toward Pasco County, Dellagatto said.