A catastrophic tornado that struck St. Lucie County has been classified with a minimum rating of EF3

A storm assessment conducted in St. Lucie County has verified the presence of EF3 tornado damage, as reported by the National Weather Service. The evaluation encompassed the Spanish Lakes subdivision. According to St. Lucie County Sheriff Keith Pearson, at least five fatalities resulted from the tornado in that area.

The weather service indicated that "EF3 damage, characterized by wind speeds reaching 140-150 mph, was observed where several large warehouses sustained significant damage and destruction near the intersection of Orange Avenue and S. Rock Road." In the Spanish Lakes subdivision, numerous manufactured homes were either overturned or displaced, reflecting high-end EF2 damage with wind speeds of 125-135 mph.

These findings remain preliminary, and damage assessments will persist throughout the weekend.

The weather service office in Melbourne, Florida, stated, "Based on the initial damage evaluation, we can confirm a long-tracked tornado that resulted in a substantial area of EF2 damage along with intermittent EF3 damage."

Currently, the estimated path of the tornado is at least 12 miles, although the weather service suspects it may extend further beyond the initial survey's boundaries. Additional assessments over the weekend will be necessary to ascertain the complete length of the tornado's track.

This incident marks the second confirmed EF3 tornado in Florida attributed to Hurricane Milton.