The Violence of Milton Arrived Early. Widespread Tornadoes Produced in the First Outer Bands of Storm.
Residents of Indian River forced to take cover from unusually large tornadoes in preparation of storm’s arrival.
Ed Note: Morningstar Church in Vero Beach is collecting donations to help those in the Highlands neighborhood of Vero Beach displaced by the storm.
Connect at https://www.morningstarvero.org
Since when is the outer band of a hurricane more dangerous than its eye wall making land fall? Such is the odd story of Hurricane Milton. The storm’s own mythical tale of generating category 5 status in about 18 hours of its initial development caused weather conspirators to churn. The following day, it was spinning at 180 mph causing casual observers across Florida to become nervous. It slowly moved east across the Gulf of Mexico uncertain of its own north or south track. A storm so deliberately pacing at 3 to 7 MPH in an eastward path and with superior strength wobbled with uncertainty. Still slow moving, by Tuesday it was category 4 with pressure going up in millibars - a good sign. By its arrival south of Sarasota, a high pressure broke the southern eye wall. Staying in character, it charged northeast further than expected leaving Melbourne as a broken tropical storm.
This scenario was not what any forecaster predicted. It came ashore a high 2. It left like any other tropical system. It was suppose to arrive at 1 AM Thursday as a major hurricane. On Tuesday, many along the Treasure Coast were preparing for mostly tropical storm conditions. As it moved southward toward its arrival point, Indian River County was under a category 1 warning.
Wednesday, October 9th, was thought to be that final preparation morning as Hurricane Milton was still about 150 miles southwest of Tampa Bay. It moved up in schedule to come ashore around 11 PM that evening. The category 4 storm was still indecisive about its land fall location. Outer bands of the storm were beginning to reach into the interior of the Florida peninsula.
Then, the first ominous sign that the day became an emergency situation. There was a massive tornado reported before noon in Clewiston, FL. It was west of downtown which eyewitnesses claim had been “cycling over an hour,” and making touchdown and lifting back up as it moved north about 30 miles per hour (SEE VIDEO - Clewiston - Harlem Neigborhood ).
The Clewiston tornado report was the beginning of 126 tornado warnings across the state of Florida on Wednesday shattering the 69 tornado warnings during Hurricane Irma in 2017. There were 38 confirmed tornadoes on that day, and it seemed all of them were manufactured as if Florida was tornado alley. By roughly 2:30 PM with Milton’s center still 120 miles southwest of Tampa Bay, the outer band, which was filled with violent thunderstorms packing large tornado activity, had cycled upward into Saint Lucie County to begin crossing over into Indian River.
Thunderstorms already began ravaging Indian River County as reports of 7 to 9 inches of rain fell within the next 2.5 hours. And during all of that rainfall came tornadoes. Indian River County Sheriff’s department reported 4 tornadoes struck Vero Beach. It wasn’t that they touched, but they remained on ground blazing paths of destruction.
One notorious tornado in particular arrived around 4:45 -5:30 pm as it crossed the county line in southwest from Lakewood Park in Fort Pierce into the Highlands heading north. Lakewood Park and The Highlands are separated by an easement at the county line. Resident of Vero Beach, Dennis Michael Lynch, captured an amazing progression of it here watching from his porch from across the lagoon until it became too dangerous.
The tornado came over the line from Lakewood Park and into The Highlands entering at 6th Way and 25th St. It is very plausible that this tornado was also responsible for the destruction that led to the fatalities at Spanish Lakes Country Club where 5 people perished and close to 30 were injured as 20 modular homes were destroyed. WPTV reported that the National Weather Service determined it reached EF3 strength at times with wind speeds up to 155 MPH. Their report said it was on the ground for 13 miles in St. Lucie county. The storm has not been analyzed for Indian River. With a lamenting look of disbelief, St. Lucie County Sheriff, Keith Pearson, confirmed to TC Palm a total of 6 dead from tornadoes in the county.
As the storm moved north into Indian River around 5:15 PM, it traveled through the Highlands neighborhood with similar ferocity, tearing at the roof of a house and crushing with trees the home and two cars in the driveway. It turned somewhat eastward, damaging homes before it went across the community park. It just missed the Vero Beach Highlands Community Clubhouse.
The tornado left debris strewn by the clubhouse pool area, destroying fencing and ripping the live oaks surrounding the walking path before cutting across Highland Ave. It entered the east end of Indian River Country Club, snapping trees and shredding pool screens before crossing 6th Ave SW. As it moved, electrical power across the neighborhood went off at The Sunshine Journal offices which are located in the Highlands about 1/4 mile away. The whirling tornado could be heard clearly as it passed through the neighborhood.
Jumping Highland Ave, it barreled through the golf course in a northeast direction crossing 21st Street SW where it fell old oaks onto rooftops, ripped whole houses apart and flipped vehicles. It steered clear of the campus of Indian River Academy one block away.
Amazingly, nobody was hurt in the Highlands. Like the Clewiston tornado, it seems to have lifted, after ransacking the neighborhood, only to possibly reemerge at Oslo and US 1 where the shopping center had flipped cars and tore at the facade of the Publix. Just north, a twister touched down again in Vista Royale. Was it the same tornado bouncing up the coast? The condominium and country club complex saw windows broken, excessive tree damage and yes, a tossed car. Yesterday, CBS Evening News reported live from the Highlands at 24th and 6th Rd SW.
Videos show this tornado activity as a massive cloud spinning grey mass churning northward. It is hard to tell when it was on the ground or lifted and whether it was the same system that struck downtown or beachside.. Still, Vero Beach has specific spots of damage from rare major tornadoes that stayed on the ground over long distances.
Vero Beach City Manager, Monte Falls said on Bob Soos’ Friday show that Indian River experienced more damage from Milton’s tornadoes in one afternoon than during the hurricanes, Jeanne and Francis, which struck Vero Beach 3 weeks apart in 2004. Downtown saw the pickle ball courts destroyed, giant oaks at First Baptist Church uprooted, and damage to the community center. All Vero Beach parks and facilities are closed until further notice. Riverside Park is where debris is being brought to be hauled away.
Beachside, the damage is extensive across the A1A from Jaycee park southward toward Beachland Blvd. It extends northward into Bethel Creek behind the Village Market. Against the horizon, live oak trees look like props in a horror movie - their skeletal black shadows primarily stripped of their foliage. Some trees stand with bases pulled apart in a twisting break. Holy Cross Church suffered roof damage and has lost a great deal of its beautiful trees as piles of limbs sit in the gutter of its property for a whole block. FPL linemen are working around the clock restoring transmission lines along A1A. That power will need to be distributed too.
Superintendent of schools, Dr. David Moore, said on Bob Soos that the participating facilities used as shelters handled over 700 residents during the storm. The last of those shelters have closed as schools prepare to be in session on Monday. Still, 4 schools are without power including the two located in the hardest hit areas. Those are Beachland Elementary and Indian River Academy in the Highlands. If power is not restored in time, Beachland will temporarily locate to Treasure Coast Technical College and Indian River Academy will resume classes at Oslo Middle School.