JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The National Weather Service confirmed a tornado was spotted just south of World Golf Village before noon on Thursday and damaged multiple homes in the TrailMark subdivision west of Interstate 95.
The suspected tornado also damaged homes in the Samara Lakes subdivision off Pacetti Road.
AFTERMATH GALLERY | Photos show tornado damage to several homes in St. Johns County
Joseph Raisor was able to safely record video of the tornado as it tore through the area and shared it with News4JAX.
“In Samara Lakes and that was my first experience being that close to a tornado and it sounded just like they say it does - freight train coming through. Absolutely nuts,” Jamie Moody wrote in a comment under a News4JAX post.
NWS said there was visual confirmation of the tornado and an “excellent radar indication” that it touched down. The NWS Survey team was in the area Thursday evening to determine the path, intensity, length and width of the tornado.
St. Johns County Fire Rescue said there was one minor injury reported.
County officials said there was no major structural damage, but multiple homes have roof damage, broken windows and fences blown over.
A damage assessment is still underway.
Officials said the tornado came through 2.5 miles of the TrailMark neighborhood around 11:40 a.m. It remains to be seen if the tornado was on the ground the entire time or if it was skipping, with multiple touchdowns.
“We get these [tornado] warnings often and this is a gentle reminder that you need to listen to them. When you get that tornado warning please seek shelter and take that warning seriously,” St. Johns County Leutineant Keith Oak said.
Anyone with damage issues is asked to call St. Johns County Emergency Management.
St. Johns County Sheriff Rob Hardwick said it was a relief that no one was seriously hurt after the tornado left a “path of destruction.”
Hardwick was also encouraged by seeing neighbors helping neighbors clean up.
“That’s what we do here in St. Johns County is we help one another out and you see our true colors when things like this happen,” Hardwick said.
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Northeast Florida and Southeast Georgia saw strong storms all afternoon. The Weather Authority closely monitored the radar from very early Thursday morning through early afternoon as the storms moved across the area from the west to the east.
MORE | News4JAX meteorologist Mark Collins performs ‘location lock’ on tornado near Crescent City
The storms were pushed by a cold front, and once the front crossed our area, the severe weather threat moved out with it around 2 p.m. A Tornado Watch for the area expired around 2:30 p.m.
The Tornado Watch ended at 12:11 p.m. for Alachua, Baker, Bradford, and Duval counties.
Thursday’s temperatures were in the 80s, which is notable because heat fuels storms.
Behind the cold front, drier and cooler conditions await as well as another beautiful weekend.