A brief tornado caught residents of Lighthouse Point in Broward County by surprise this Friday, as several thunderstorms converged over South Florida on a day marked by heavy rainfall and flood warnings.
The National Weather Service (NWS) of Miami reported that the phenomenon occurred around 1:30 p.m. and specifically identified it as a landspout, while multiple thunderstorms were "colliding with each other" in the area.
Although the term landspout does not have a widely used equivalent in Spanish, the NWS glossary itself defines it as a type of tornado that does not originate from the organized rotation of a storm and is therefore not associated with a mesocyclone, as is the case with many stronger tornadoes.
The agency shared a video of the moment, credited to Brooke S. and Bobby R., in which the rotating column can be seen descending towards the ground during the adverse weather episode.
The phenomenon was short-lived and occurred during several hours of heavy rainfall that affected various areas of Broward and Palm Beach.
The weather conditions led the NWS to issue several flood warnings during the afternoon.
At 2:25 p.m., the agency reported that between 1.5 and 2.5 inches of rain had already fallen in areas of central Broward and warned that an additional one to two inches could accumulate. Lighthouse Point was specifically mentioned among the areas included in the advisory.
The main concern was minor flooding in low-lying areas with inadequate drainage systems, in addition to the presence of water on some roads.
A report from Telemundo 51 explained that a low-pressure system was moving across Florida from east to west, combining with abundant moisture and promoting the development of numerous downpours and storms.
Some of those storms could deliver rainfall at rates of one to three inches per hour, with localized totals ranging from two to five inches throughout Friday.
The rains had already caused problems since the early hours of the day. The NWS issued a flood warning for southern Broward at 6:00 a.m. after radar detected heavy rainfall associated with thunderstorms, with accumulations between one and two inches and similar additional amounts expected.
Hours later, the warnings extended to other areas of the county. The NWS reported minor flooding and water accumulation on roads, and in the afternoon noted issues near Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.
The unstable weather wouldn't end with Friday's day. According to the forecast cited by Telemundo 51, humidity would increase even more on Saturday, with new rounds of downpours and storms during the afternoon and early evening, while the chances of rain would remain high in the following days.
The rotating phenomena associated with storms are not unfamiliar in Florida.
At the beginning of September, a spectacular waterspout was captured off the coast of the state, leaving images that caught attention on social media.
In April, strong winds and rain caused significant damage in Palm Springs North, Miami-Dade. Although residents described the event at the time as a tornado and funnel clouds were seen over a nearby lake, the NWS later clarified that the damage did not correspond to a confirmed tornado.
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