WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — In October, our area saw an unprecedented number of tornadoes hit with devastating impact.
And with more tornadoes making headlines, WPTV’s Michael Hoffman started digging into what exactly is causing these storms to migrate from places like the Midwest, right here into South Florida.
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Monique Richter walked Hoffman around Blue Ridge Farms, seven months after her property was ripped apart by tornadoes, spawned from Hurricane Milton.
“We rebuilt this whole area,” said Richter.
All the animals were there. She and her parents were there too when an EF-3 tornado moved through Jupiter Farms on Oct. 9, 2024.
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The farm still has signs of damage, seven months later.
“I mean, you'll see waterspouts, like in the ocean,” said Richter.
“But you never think, tornado?” asked Hoffman.
“Not here,” said Richter. “No, it's been, it's been very weird weather last couple years with tornadoes.”
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From Palm Beach County to the Treasure Coast, the tornado outbreak related to Hurricane Milton was unprecedented.
Just ask WPTV First Alert Chief Meteorologist Steve Weagle.
“Oct. 9 was a surreal day for several reasons,” said Weagle. “The tornadoes that we saw on Oct. 9 in Milton were more of a tornado alley, Midwest kind of weather pattern, where you have what we call a dry line. This is this slot of dry air that moved through in the hurricane.”
According to the Florida Climate Center out of Florida State University, Florida actually has a higher frequency of tornadoes per 10,000 square miles than any other state. Recent studies show that what we know as “tornado alley” has been for decades, shifting to the Southeast from the Midwest.
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“What causes something like that to happen?” asked Hoffman.
“Well, it could be several factors,” said Weagle. “Seeing more tornadoes move into the Southeast rather than toward the Midwest. One could be climate change. Another, could be the fact that we're noticing hurricanes rapidly intensify just before landfall, and that makes them obviously much more intense than they would typically be.”
So, with this in mind, what does that mean for us?
Well, for people like Richter, it means taking a more intentional approach to rebuilding her farm and actively preparing for more storms down the line.
“When we had to start rebuilding after the tornado damage, I wanted everything stronger,” said Richter. “I wanted to use thicker beams for buildings, more cement, just making it for a Cat 5, really."
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In St. Lucie County, seven people died in the October tornadoes.
Hoffman asked Ron Guerrero, the county's public safety director, how they're planning for the next storm. He told Hoffman it starts with fortifying critical infrastructure.
“We're working with other partners, to ensure that as a mitigation project, to enhance those structures, to be more wind resistant— especially critical facilities, critical infrastructure," he said. "Critical infrastructure includes the Emergency Operations Center, 911 center, fire station, police stations, hospitals and whatnot. It's not just government buildings.”
Guerrero said it’s about learning from the past and preparing for the future.
“There's a high risk that, I'm pretty sure, we can see that again in the near future,” he said.
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Hoffman asked Weagle, aside from the risk or tornadoes down the line, how likely are we to see what we saw in October again?
“The Milton tornado situation was extremely rare,” said Weagle. “And we may not ever see it again in our lifetimes, but we should always be prepared with the worst case scenario, and that would be a Milton scenario."
A scenario that Richter never wants to go through again.
“If something like this happens to someone else, which I hope it doesn't, don't lose hope," she said. "Always know that there's going to be another tomorrow. You have everything in life that's important, your health, your well-being and your friends and family. All the material stuff, you just rebuild it.”
