A massive storm swept across the eastern United States on Jan. 9, stretching as far north as Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan and southward to Louisiana, Alabama, Georgia, and Florida, where tornadoes ripped apart buildings and overturned large vehicles.
The south saw winds upwards to 55 mph, with a wind gust of 106 mph recorded in Walton County, Florida, according to the National Weather Service (NWS).
Several homes and businesses in Panama City Beach, Florida, were destroyed after a tornado touched down early in the day, leaving building debris and furniture strewn throughout parking lots, yards, and local roadways.
The storm produced heavy rainfall across the Sunshine State with coastal flooding and high winds, the NWS said in a weather alert.
By 2 p.m., Florida had more than 90,000 reported power outages, while Georgia and North Carolina had more than 60,000 each, according to PowerOutage.us.
An hour later, the outages in North Carolina rose above 110,000.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis gave his State of the State address from the Florida Capitol Building on Jan. 9 as phones throughout the room started to ring from tornado alerts warning of the impending storm.
“To ensure that there are no unmet needs following the severe weather impacting Florida, I am issuing a state of emergency for 49 counties. I urge all Floridians to heed warnings from local officials as this storm continues across the state,” Mr. DeSantis said on X, formerly Twitter.
The governor also activated the Florida National Guard to assist with response efforts in coordination with the Florida Division of Emergency Management and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
Mr. DeSantis moved to the Emergency Operations Center after his address to give a press conference on the severe weather.
The governor said the Florida Department of Transportation was actively clearing roadways cluttered with downed trees and building debris, including Interstate 10.
By early afternoon, 21 counties were under tornado watches, while two counties were issued tornado warnings. The state closed schools in 34 districts and deployed Florida Highway Patrol troopers to the panhandle to provide public assistance.
Bay County Sheriff Tommy Ford posted a video warning residents to avoid going outdoors and driving on dangerous roadways as the storm swept across the panhandle.
“Find a safe place inside your house. A windowless room, an interior room. Find something to cover yourself with,” he said.
Mr. Ford confirmed that multiple tornadoes touched down in the area and that several residents had to be rescued from mangled buildings.
State Fire Marshall and Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis said the storm struck portions of the state still reeling from the 2023 hurricane season.
“A lot of rural areas impacted by Hurricane Idalia that are still recovering are going to get a lot of these destructive winds. We’ll make sure we pay attention to their needs,” he said in a post on X.
“We’re headed out to Bay County to assess storm damage. Got reports of structures impacted as the sun came up. This is a massive weather event that’s still moving through Florida. Take precautions and listen to local weather reports; this event is bringing tornadoes with it,” Mr. Patronis added.
In one of the videos uploaded to X by Mr. Patronis, an overturned semi-truck can be seen lying in a median on an interstate highway.
Marinas, apartment complexes, and gas stations were damaged in other portions of the Florida Panhandle on Jan. 9.
The northern portion of the sprawling storm brought more than a half foot of snow to certain areas in the Midwest and Northeast, stranding drivers on highways.
Snow is expected to fall on an area stretching from southeastern Colorado up to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, including western Kansas, eastern Nebraska, portions of Iowa, northern Missouri, and northwestern Illinois, according to the NWS.
The storm is affecting campaigning for the Jan. 15 Iowa caucuses as snowfall is anticipated with frigid temperatures that could dip below zero degrees.
President Donald Trump’s campaign had to cancel multiple events featuring Arkansas Gov. Sarah Sanders and her father, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, who had planned to speak with Iowa voters on the former president’s behalf on Jan. 8.
The NWS said weather conditions should slowly improve on Jan. 10, with winds persisting and snow showers expected for the western Great Lakes and the eastern Ohio Valley.
Temperatures in Florida are forecast to drop following the storm, with lows in the 40s throughout the panhandle on Jan. 10.
