STUART, Fla. — Families faced a close call Monday when an EF0 tornado tore through Martin County, but twisters across Florida are more common than many people think.
"What's happening with weather patterns these days," Florida resident Janice Martino said.
Others told WPTV that they are all too familiar with the danger.
"In the northeast, yes, you go to your basement and you buckle down," Robert Furgione, who lives part-time in Florida, said. "Down here, we tried to stay in a middle room. We had shutters. We closed them."
"Well, you take shelter as best you can," part-time Florida resident Charles Hoffman said. "It's such a quick thing. You're not going to have a lot of choices."
Martino said she never experienced a tornado during her time living in New Jersey and never thought that would change after moving to Florida.
"Hurricanes yes, tornadoes no," Martino said.
WPTV First Alert Weather chief meteorologist Steve Weagle said it's very important to heed the warnings.
"It's very difficult for us to tell how strong it's going to be when it hits," Weagle said. "It might be weak, typically tornadoes in Florida are weak, but you only have a very limited amount of time, a couple of minutes, to get in your safe room."
He said to choose a structurally strong room and one that doesn't have windows or is at the center of your home.
If you are in a vehicle, the Martin County Sheriff's Office said to safely pull over, stay away from overpasses and take cover in your car.
"We recommend if you're in your vehicle, get as low as possible, get behind the engine block, make sure that seat belt is on and cover yourself with a blanket jacket something to protect your head and face from any type of glass or debris," Maj. Peter Croft with the Martin County Sheriff’s Office said.
Dozens of twisters touch down each year across the Sunshine State.
"We are in an 'El Nino' winter and all the weather ingredients have come together to develop these strong tornadoes along with every cold front that we get. We're getting these cold fronts every three or four days," Weagle said. "The long-range computer models indicate that it's not going to let up."
