The National Weather Service has confirmed that a tornado touched down in Brevard County Wednesday evening in the area of South Patrick Shores.

According to a preliminary investigation, an EF-1 tornado appears to have touched down at about 5:20 p.m. near South Patrick Drive and continued east before exiting out over the Atlantic Ocean near A1A and Ocean Boulevard.

Winds are estimated to have reached 90-100 mph at the tornado's peak.

What You Need To Know

  •  The National Weather Service has confirmed that an EF-1 tornado touched down in Brevard County Wednesday evening

  •  A preliminary investigation shows that the tornado touched down at about 5:20 p.m. near South Patrick Drive and had wind speeds of between 90-100 mph

  • Residents in the area say the storm caused a lot of damage, but did not result in any injuries

A trained spotter reported the possible tornado damage in a neighborhood south of Patrick Space Force Base in Brevard County Wednesday. Damage in the area was reported to carports, several roofs, power lines, and trees in the area. 

Officials say the storm left behind a lot of damage, but did not cause any injuries.

Austin Moyer says he was at work and his wife, Gabrielle, was out shopping when they got a call from a neighbor saying a strong storm just passed through and damaged their yard.

When they rushed home, Moyer said they found uprooted trees and debris strewn across their once-lush back yard.

"We wanted to create that paradise, and in a matter of seconds it all got taken away," he said, noting his shock at how quickly the storm came and went.

"In 10 seconds, we got the warning, it hit, then it was gone," Moyer said.

 

Other neighbors suffered even more damage.

In other parts of Pelican Drive and surrounding areas, carports could be seen with their roofs ripped off, screens and awnings were torn apart and yard debris was scattered everywhere.

A survey team from the National Weather Service was sent to talk to neighbors and access damage Thursday in an effort to determine if a tornado had in fact touched down in the area.

"A lot of the visual cues that we use are trees, power poles, and damage to roofs," said Will Ulrich with NWS Melbourne. "So many of the homes we see here have lost a considerable portion of their roof, and based off the structure and the age of the home, we are able to estimate how strong those winds are."

Moyer said he and his wife can replace what they lost, and are grateful that no one was hurt, because a tornado was the last thing they expected to see Wednesday evening.

"I've talked to people who've lived here 30-40 years and said, 'I've never seen a tornado before,'" he said. "Hurricanes we get ready for."