Florida weather presenter broadcasts live from tornado site

A weather anchor went live as a tornado ripped through his station's studio in Lake Mary, Florida, near Orlando. Meteorologist Brooks Garner warned staff to take cover. Power went out intermittently during the broadcast. When it was over, Garner said he'd never experienced anything like it before, writes The Weather Channel.

Photo: Brian Grant | Dreamstime.com

A tornado hit a local television station in Lake Mary on Monday, March 10, during a live weather broadcast.

WOFL-TV meteorologist Brooks Garner was warning people in the storm's path to take cover when he realized the tornado was headed straight for the studio building. Still on the air, Garner ordered everyone in the building to take cover.

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"Get to safety, under your desks. Debris is already falling on the roof," the meteorologist said. "That's a tornado coming."

The storm destroyed at least one home and damaged several others, but no injuries or deaths were reported. According to preliminary data from the National Weather Service (NWS), much of the tornado's path was rated EF1, with a small section packing winds of 185 mph (2 kph), equivalent to an EF0. (There are six categories of tornadoes on the Enhanced Fujita Scale (EF5 through EFXNUMX). Note.)

Garner remained on the air as the power flickered and the tornado passed over the building.

"This is a very serious situation," the host noted during the broadcast. "This is a real tornado on live television."

He then continued to inform viewers where the elements were heading.

About 90 seconds later, when it was all over, Garner stopped to catch his breath.

"I've been doing meteorology for a long time, and this is the first time a tornado has hit me while I was broadcasting a weather forecast," he said.

WOFL is a Fox network television station with studios in Lake Mary, about 16 miles northeast of Orlando. Locally, the channel is known as Fox 35.

Inclement weather has spread widely across the southern regions.

"The Southeast is facing mostly rain as the storm passes through," weather.com senior meteorologist Chris Dolce said early March 10. "But unstable air ahead of it is creating conditions for isolated severe thunderstorms, including damaging wind gusts and brief tornadoes in central Florida."

Garner said the tornado that passed over the studio appeared weak. There were no reports of major damage. The Seminole County Fire Department in Florida said there were people inside the home when it collapsed, but no one was hurt. They posted photos of fallen trees and debris scattered across the streets of a residential area.

The National Weather Service in Melbourne, Florida, said the tornado also impacted nearby Longwood. The NWS plans to conduct a survey to determine the tornado's path, extent and strength.

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Florida experiences an average of about 46 tornadoes per year, based on data from 2003 to 2022. The state with the highest average number over that period was Texas, which recorded 124 tornadoes per year.

Last year, Hurricane Milton spawned a record number of tornadoes in Florida, with 46 in two days. One of them killed six people in St. Lucie County on the state's east coast.

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