Severe Storm Threat Shifts to Florida With Tornado Watch in Effect

Stronger instability ahead of a cold front could turn a fast-moving line into damaging wind with brief tornadoes in parts of the Florida Peninsula.

Overview

The Storm Prediction Center said Saturday that Tornado Watch 183 covers parts of north and central Florida, where a line along a cold front has produced 45 to 55 mph wind gusts and could generate a couple of tornadoes.
Early Saturday, storms near the Florida Panhandle and Big Bend were mostly elevated, with a brief waterspout or tornado possible where stronger cells met a nearby coastal front.
A morning update flagged rising risk across north Florida as a warm front pushed richer Gulf moisture inland, which could let storms tap surface air and increase damaging wind potential.
On Friday, repeating elevated thunderstorms from San Antonio to the upper Texas coast and into southwest Louisiana dropped localized 1 to 3 inches of rain, prompting isolated flash flooding in I‑10 urban areas.
Very strong winds aloft of 40 to 60-plus knots with modest instability supported organized supercells and large hail in Texas, though SPC kept watch odds low there because severe coverage stayed limited.