Panama City Beach tornado causes heavy damage, demolishes buildings
Panama City #PanamaCity
A tornado touched down in eastern Panama City Beach early Tuesday morning, causing extensive damage, with some buildings demolished and others moved off their foundations.
The National Weather Service confirmed a tornado touched down in the Florida Panhandle, while there were multiple reports of tornados across the region, including in DeFuniak Springs, Panama City and Marianna, according to the Panama City News Herald.
The NWS issued numerous tornado watches and warnings for the area through the night. By morning, social media was inundated with photos of the damage left by the storms.
A tornado watch remains in effect across southeastern Alabama and through the Florida Panhandle into Georgia until 2 p.m. Tuesday, the weather service said.
In addition to confirming at least one tornado, the NWS also said a wind gust of 106 mph had been recorded in Blue Mountain Beach and another of 87 mph in Navarre.
The tornado touched down in an unincorporated area of Panama City Beach known as Lower Grand Lagoon, which has a population of about 5,000 and is a popular tourist area known for water-based activities including boating, diving and fishing, according to the News Herald.
No injuries have been reported thus far.
A low-pressure system and cold front coming through the area has brought the winds, torrential rain, hail and tornados which began across the region Monday night and are continuing into Tuesday.