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Milton Unleashes Tornado Outbreak That Includes Twister Near Mar-a-Lago

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Among the places to be struck by a tornado was Wellington, Florida, a city of 66,000 that sits 15 miles directly west of Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate.

Palm trees in the mist falling on Vinoy Park in St. Petersburg, Florida, as Hurricane Milton is expected to make landfall late on October 9, 2024 in Florida.
Bryan R. Smith/AFP via Getty Images

Hurricane Milton induced a massive tornado outbreak across Florida on Wednesday ahead of its landfall. Among the places to be struck by a tornado was Wellington, Florida, a city of 66,000 that sits 15 miles directly west of Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate. There was no immediate word on possible damage or injuries from the twister, but video of it was captured and posted on social media. The National Weather Service’s office in Miami confirmed the clip was genuine and wrote, “ONGOING TORNADO heading toward populated areas. SEEK SHELTER NOW!” Florida had more than 50 tornado warnings issued for separate cells as of 5 p.m. on Wednesday, mere hours before Milton reached its western coast near Sarasota. Some residents reported that a tornado damaged their homes, with one homeowner telling CNN that a twister “sucked the whole roof off” his house in Fort Myers. Tornadoes often accompany tropical systems as they make landfall, but are typically not as powerful or large as those that infamously strike elsewhere in the south—“Dixie Alley” or in “Tornado Alley” in the great plains.