The National Weather Service is investigating reports of damage and hail in the wake of Monday’s storms.
A tornado warning was issued for Columbia County at about 3:37 p.m. The warning continued through 4:45 p.m.
No tornado has been confirmed by the National Weather Service. Storm reports show emergency managers in Columbia County have reported possible tornado damage in two spots, both in Lake City.
Drone video posted on Twitter by Jonny Handy shows damage near High Point Drive:
Storm damage from tornado warned storm near NW High Point Dr Lake City FL at approx 4:20 PM 2/15/21 @NWSJacksonville pic.twitter.com/BAjJzIYueQ
— Jonny Handy (@jonnyhandy) February 15, 2021
“Appears to have been a tornado, I’m pretty convinced that was, a fairly weak one at that,” said News4Jax Chief Meteorologist John Gaughan. “Don’t see a lot of tree damage here, so I don’t believe this particular storm produce much of an EF other than zero.”
David Vinning’s barn on Pinemount Road was leveled in the storm. No animals were inside. The barn -- just a quarter mile from his home.
“I’m kind of lucky,” he said. “I’m just glad it didn’t come up towards my house.”
In addition to the damage, there were multiple reports of hail. One viewer shared a photo of hail in Columbia County that was the size of a golf ball.
There were additional reports of hail in St. Johns County. Here’s video from World Golf Village:
Pea sized hail in World Golf Village. Quarter sized hail was reported near Wynwood Ranch. Very large hail possible with this storm which should approach Villano Beach within next 10-15 min. https://t.co/gRHwwwhWov
— NWS Jacksonville (@NWSJacksonville) February 15, 2021
Lucky Cockerham was on a tour of St. Augustine when the storm rolled through.
“They had to stop the tour and take us back because everyone’s cellphones got alerts that there was a tornado in the area,” Cockerham said.
Notably, there haven’t been any reports from the NWS about a tornado forming in St. Johns County on Monday afternoon.
Dakota Stormer was visiting from Houston, where people there are experiencing a winter storm.
“I was a little freaked out when I saw this little warning but we were sitting up at the balcony at Sangrias and ready to shelter in place if we needed to,” Stormer said.
Dakota Stormer was visiting from Houston…where people there are experiencing a winter storm.
Parts of A1A near Vilano Beach saw some flooding on the roadways from the heavy rainfall.