JUPITER ISLAND, Fla. — A confirmed EF1 tornado toppled trees over and damaged at least one house on Jupiter Island on Wednesday.
"The tornado most likely touched down just west of U.S. 1 and continued east along Bridge Road before crossing the St. Lucie River and into Jupiter Island," said William Ulrich with the National Weather Service of Melbourne.
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The path of the storm damaged Bridge Road, which connects Hobe Sound to Jupiter Island, forcing officials to shut it down.
Driving through Jupiter Island, leaves and branches could be seen scattered along the road.
"It was dark and threatening and raining when we came in and we knew it was going to be a bad day," said Jupiter Island Commissioner Anne Scott. "We knew it was going to get really bad."
Scott said they were having a commissioner meeting Wednesday morning when the storm hit.
"Some time around 10:30 a.m. it got really dark, and the wind picked up and then our alarm systems started going off and lights blinking," Scott said. "It looked like someone threw mud on the walls of Town Hall. The motions in the trees was really dramatic, unlike anything any of us have ever seen."
When WPTV drove to the Town Hall building, there were two large trees that had been knocked over.
Scott said when she left Town Hall, she noticed her property had been damaged.
One large tree was knocked over, barricading one end of her driveway, and on the other end, tree branches were snapped hanging over the ground.
"My neighbor hasn't put his roof on yet, and the tiles are all stacked up on the roof, they're all still there," Scott said. "My lawn furniture in the back was headed to the beach."
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On the back end of her property, at least three palm trees were damaged, with one falling over onto her guest house.
"But here's a garbage can, so I don't think it touched down here. I do think it touched down here," Scott said, pointing to a tree on a home. "I think it did touch down at Town Hall but it just must have skimmed over the top here."
Scott said there was no major damage to her main house but that she will be looking into what her insurance will and won't cover.
