Tornado sweeps over bridge during meteorologist's live report
In a dramatic live broadcast, a tornado unexpectedly sweeps over a bridge while our meteorologist reports on severe weather conditions. Watch as the situation escalates in real-time, showcasing the power of nature and the importance of weather awareness. Our team captures the intensity of the moment, providing insights and safety tips while navigating this perilous scenario. Stay tuned for an unforgettable, adrenaline-pumping experience!
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00:00There we go, there's the Matt Lachey Bridge.
00:03Is it possible just to go ahead and take that vantage point full?
00:07So we can keep an eye on that here.
00:09The rotation should be crossing over the bridge here at any moment.
00:13We get radar scans about every six minutes.
00:16So this is looking eastbound, so we're looking right to left, there you go.
00:24So we're looking back towards our studios on Pine Island.
00:27So the camera's looking eastbound, and we're right there on the bridge.
00:32So if we are to see a water spout or a tornado, Andrew, I'm going to stay on this view here
00:37for the next little bit as we continue to look at the warnings as well.
00:40But we are going to watch the right-hand side of your screen, and if we were to see swirls
00:45in the water perhaps, it's going to start on the right-hand side of your screen and
00:49move off to the left.
00:51And as we continue to look at our instrumentation here, we've got several different areas of
00:55rotation moving through southwest Florida, and this is one of them that is particularly
01:01dangerous here for us.
01:03What you may see besides some swirl in the water here as well is what appears to be some
01:08kind of wall of water or limited visibility on the right-hand side.
01:12And as that moves across, that would be a water spout, or if it was over land, would
01:17have been a tornado, and it would be sucking up water, and it would appear as a wall of
01:22water coming through.
01:23So obviously the heavy rain is impeding any kind of visibility.
01:27You can see first responders there at the Matlache Bridge, I'm sure helping keep traffic
01:32off the island here this morning.
01:34So we're going to keep it on this view right now, because as that rain picks up, that is
01:39that circulation that is going to move right over the camera, and we might be able to pick
01:45up if indeed there is a water spout or what was a tornado.
01:50We might see it here in the next little bit.
01:52So we're going to stay on top of this, and we've got Amy and Brett here in the studio
01:57as well.
01:58They're watching it.
01:59If you guys happen to see something while Andrew and I are getting the latest warnings,
02:02please yell.
02:03Obviously the rain is picking up as that particular thunderstorm moves over that area too.
02:08This is a very dangerous situation.
02:10Look, Trent, look at the water on the right side.
02:12Oh, there you go.
02:13See the water, Andrew?
02:14Right there.
02:15Right there's your rotation.
02:16That is the actual, there it is.
02:18Oh, wow.
02:19There it is.
02:20There it comes.
02:21So again, right to east.
02:23This is the potential water spout, potential tornado moving right over the Matlache Bridge.
02:27Boy, oh boy, look at this picking up, guys.
02:31This is why you shouldn't be on the roads right now.
02:33This is a great reminder that this vehicle is stuck right in the middle.
02:37This is why we told you guys you had to evacuate early this morning.
02:40So we have got a very distinct rotation showing up right now on the velocity images.
02:47This is passing over the Matlache Bridge.
02:49This vantage point is looking from west, looking eastbound towards our studio.
02:55So this is going to continue to move over Matlache.
02:58And you can see those intense winds really moving that camera around.
03:02And it seems to be getting worse as that rotation is moving right over the Matlache Bridge.
03:08Wow.
03:09Unbelievable.
03:10There was zero visibility at this point.
03:11Just unbelievable.
03:12Andrew, this has got to be it, right?
03:15This is it.
03:16That's got to be it.
03:17Wow.
03:18So talk to me a little bit, you guys.
03:20Thank you so much for joining, Trent and Andrew.
03:22Talk to me about...
03:23Can we open Amy and Brett's microphone?
03:27Yeah, yeah.
03:29All mics are on.
03:30So, man, those first responders, you see, this isn't even really the thick of it, right?
03:34These are just those first few bands, Trent.
03:36This is that first main rain band that's moving through.
03:40And this was the one that we talked about in our morning coverage.
03:43Every single one of these cells was rotating.
03:46All right.
03:47We just got a new radar scan, too.
03:48This is pulling right over the bridge as we speak.
03:51And you can see how intense the winds are in that circulation.
03:55Look at this.
03:57Look how bad this is right now.
03:58How long does something like this typically last for people who are in that area?
04:02These storms are racing off to the north.
04:04We've seen them as high as 55 miles per hour or as low as 30.
04:08And you can already see the view getting a little bit better for the Matlache Bridge.
04:12So if that indeed was a waterspout slash tornado, we just captured it live as it moved
04:19across the Matlache Bridge, again, looking towards the Cape.