HASTINGS, Fla. – Several homes and vehicles in Hastings were damaged by a severe thunderstorm that brought strong winds and heavy rain Friday evening, according to Putnam County Fire Rescue.
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First responders from Putnam County and St. Johns County Fire Rescue worked together to assess the damage in the area of Old Hastings Road.
Initially, Putnam County officials said the damage could’ve possibly been caused by a tornado. However, the National Weather Service in Jacksonville said on Saturday morning that the damage was “likely” caused by damaging winds, also known as straight-line winds, from a microburst.
According to the NWS, winds from a microburst can cause just as much damage as a weaker tornado.
St. Johns County Fire Rescue said multiple homes and properties were damaged. However, they said they did not find any major structural damage.
Storm chaser Logan Parham said he was in the area when the storm hit.
“I pulled forward a little bit just to stay out of the way of the whole thing,” Parham said. “That’s when the winds really got a little bit crazy. It was just a pretty intense storm, the lightning was just unbelievable.”
Parham talked more about what he saw.
“I noticed a bit of a circulation in the clouds and after that we got a little bit of RFD winds which are kind of the rear flank downdraft that kind of wraps that circulation started to punch in through from the west this direction,” Parham said.
He said he saw something similar happen in that area.
“We had one in Elkton, 2015 right up the road,” Parham said. “I think we had one in Elkton last year, that’s always a hotspot, but this corridor through here. It’s just commonly where those boundaries intersect. Just enhances the vorticity and new unity with these brief spin-ups.”
No injuries were reported, according to Putnam County Fire Rescue.