Three tornadoes touched down in the Gulf Coast on Sunday. They flipped RVs, uprooted trees and tossed cars into fields. They damaged homes, businesses and churches, according to local media reports. They also injured several people in Alabama, one of whom is in serious condition, according to Fox10 in Mobile.
One of Sunday’s destructive twisters was filmed from several angles as it crossed from Okaloosa Island to Fort Walton Beach, Fla. Despite the widely held misconception, tornadoes do cross water, and just because it was over water does not mean it was a relatively harmless waterspout.
This twister did serious damage as it swept over resorts, homes and condo buildings on Okaloosa Island at the beginning of the video. Much of that debris winds up in the sound as the tornado moves northeast.
The photographer keeps his phone up as it approaches his condo building — something we do not advise — to capture it as it makes landfall in a park and then crosses U.S. Route 98. It just misses dozens of yachts in a covered marina along with the Original Waterfront Crab Shack, which, according to a quick Google search, is a local favorite with amazing reviews.
The tornado continued north and crossed over Fort Walton Beach City Hall, where it moved a pickup truck out of its parking space.
The National Weather Service is conducting a damage survey Monday to determine how strong the tornado was. According to the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office, at least one home was destroyed, but no one was injured, Fox10 reported.
Video from city hall shows minor damage to buildings, downed branches and a lot of debris to be cleaned up.