MADISON COUNTY, Fla. (WTXL) — The National Weather Service says an EF-1 tornado touched down just after 3 a.m. on NW Little Cat Road.
Emergency operations director Leigh Basford said no one was hurt, although winds toppled trees and tore off roofs near Cherry Lake.
Mark Hanson, who lives in the area, says it was "not like the train that they talk about, but it sounded like a bad thunderstorm rolling through pretty fast. It came quick. I could barely get up and get my shoes on and get in the bathroom, and it was gone!"
The storm took down trees, power lines, and anything else in its path.
"Out in the Boggy Bay area," said Basford, "there were several quail houses that were damaged, a grain bin was displaced, lots of debris over the roadway, large trees down in the area."
At one point, 500 people were without power as Tri County electric and Madison County Public Works crews worked throughout the day to clear roads and get the lights turned back on.
"You can see the moon through the trees, which you could never see before in the morning time," Hanson said.
After Monday morning's experience, Hanson says he'll see things a little differently now that the storm has passed.
