Tornado Hits Florida Communities
August 3, 2011 by UPI - United Press International, Inc.
TAMARAC, Fla., Aug. 3 (UPI) — A rare tornado touching down in southern Florida damaged scores of homes, uprooted trees and littered streets with debris during rush hour, authorities said.
The tornado touched down shortly after 5 p.m. Tuesday and moved through the communities of Tamarac, North Lauderdale and Margate, the South Florida Sun Sentinel reported.
Although the twister significantly damaged homes in Tamarac, rendering one of them uninhabitable, there were no serious injuries reported, authorities said.
“We are currently red-tagging homes — people will not be able to stay in their homes this evening,” Tamarac Fire Department spokesman Van Schoen said Tuesday. “We have the Red Cross here assisting.”
Meteorologist Barry Baxter said the tornado was created by down-flowing air from thunderstorms colliding with sea breezes in northwest Broward County.
Tornadoes in South Florida are generally small, weak and short-lived, he said, compared with tornadoes in the Plains and Midwest.
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