Tropical Storm Cristobal is bringing heavy downpours to parts of the U.S. Gulf Coast as it continues advancing toward the region after having spawned a tornado in Florida.
Roads were flooded in coastal Louisiana and Mississippi Sunday, and thousands were without power even before the the storm made landfall.
As of 11 a.m. Sunday, the National Hurricane Center in Miami says Cristobal’s maximum sustained winds are at 50 mph. The storm is currently about 90 miles south of New Orleans and moving north at 12 mph. Cristobal is forecast to make landfall by Sunday night.
The storm made its presence felt Saturday with a tornado that touched down near downtown Orlando, just missing a group of protesters. The City of Orlando tweeted that there were no injuries, but damage was reported to residential areas.
Storm Update: No injuries have been reported. There is damage to residential areas, please avoid power lines and and downed trees, which may be hiding live wires. American Red Cross, @OrlandoFireDept and @OrlandoPolice has been dispatched.
— City of Orlando Wears a Mask to Save Lives 😷 (@citybeautiful) June 7, 2020
The National Weather Service announced Sunday that the tornado was rated as an EF1, with winds topping out around 105 mph near Lake Margaret and the Fern Creek neighborhood of Orlando.
This tornado also caused damage near Lake Margaret Dr and Fern Creek Ave, per @OrlandoFireDept (via @NWSMelbourne). #flwx https://t.co/xJzxLeDFDs
— Florida Storms (@FloridaStorms) June 7, 2020
The National Weather Service said a tornado uprooted trees and downed power lines Sunday in a rural part of north Florida. Meteorologist Kirsten Chaney says the twister touched down about 3:35 p.m. south of Lake City near Interstate 75. There were no immediate reports of injuries.
Additional information courtesy Abe Aboraya and WMFE
