Possible tornado sweeps through Holmes County causing widespread damage
HOLMES COUNTY, Fla. (WMBB) – A possible tornado touched down in several areas of northeast Holmes County. It has caused widespread damage to homes and property, leading to multiple roadways becoming impassable.
First responders from Holmes, Washington, Walton, and Jackson counties are actively checking roads and residences to ensure the safety of residents. Thousands are also without power and left to clean up debris.
News13 checked in with Holmes County Sheriff John Tate Saturday afternoon, who shared details and photos of impacted areas.
Sheriff Tate said there are dozens of trees down and a significant amount of structural damage. Around 2 p.m., Tate estimated between 10 to 15 structures had been damaged.
Man arrested for DUI manslaughter following fatal Callaway crash, investigation ongoing
Sheriff Tate said that there have been no fatalities at this time, however, a few residents suffered injuries. He told us that the Norma, Bethlehem, Esto, and Winterville areas were impacted.
Our newspaper partners, the Washington County News and Holmes County Advertiser, also reported several power lines being down.
Authorities said sections of Hwy 79, Hwy 2, Hwy 177, and Hwy 160 are closed due to downed trees and debris.
Tate encourages that the best thing you can do is stay home and stay off the roadways if you can.
Authorities strongly urge the public to avoid those impacted areas to allow emergency personnel to perform their duties safely and efficiently.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Associated Press
38 minutes ago
- Associated Press
The National Weather Service issues Alaska's first ever heat advisory
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — For the first time ever, parts of Alaska will be under a heat advisory — but you can put an asterisk at the end of that term. It's not the first instance of unusually high temperatures in what many consider the nation's coldest state, but the National Weather Service only recently allowed for heat advisories to be issued there. Information on similarly warm weather conditions previously came in the form of 'special weather statements.' Using the heat advisory label could help people better understand the weather's severity and potential danger, something a nondescript 'special weather statement' didn't convey. The first advisory is for Sunday in Fairbanks, where temperatures are expected to top 85 degrees Fahrenheit (29 degrees Celsius). Fairbanks has has been warmer in the past, but this is unusual for June, officials said. Here's what to know about Alaska's inaugural heat advisory: Why it's the first The National Weather Service's switch from special weather statements to advisories was meant to change how the public views the information. 'This is an important statement, and the public needs to know that there will be increasing temperatures, and they could be dangerous because Alaska is not used to high temperatures like these,' said Alekya Srinivasan, a Fairbanks-based meteorologist. 'We want to make sure that we have the correct wording and the correct communication when we're telling people that it will be really hot this weekend,' she said. Not unprecedented and not climate change The change doesn't reflect unprecedented temperatures, with Fairbanks having reached 90 degrees twice in 2024, Srinivasan said. It's purely an administrative change by the weather service. 'It's not that the heat in the interior that prompted Fairbanks to issue this is record heat or anything like that. It's just now there's a product to issue,' said Rich Thoman, a climate specialist at the Alaska Center for Climate Assessment and Policy. Thoman also clarified that the term swap doesn't have anything to do with climate change. 'I think some of it is related to the recognition that hot weather does have an impact on Alaska, and in the interior especially,' Thoman said. Little air conditioning While the temperatures in the forecast wouldn't be considered extreme in other U.S. states, Thoman noted that most Alaska buildings don't have air conditioning. 'And just the opposite, most buildings in Alaska are designed to retain heat for most of the year,' he said. People can open their windows to allow cooler air in during early morning hours — if wildfires aren't burning in blaze-prone state. But if it's smoky and the windows have to remain shut, buildings can heat up very rapidly. 'Last year was the third year in a row in Fairbanks with more than a hundred hours of visibility-reducing smoke, the first time we've ever had three consecutive years over a hundred hours,' he said. There's only been two summers in Fairbanks in the 21st century with no hours of smoke that reduced visibility, a situation he said was commonplace from the 1950s to the 1970s. What about Anchorage? The Juneau and Fairbanks weather service offices have been allowed to issue heat advisories beginning this summer, but not the office in the state's largest city of Anchorage — at least not yet. And, regardless, temperatures in the area haven't reached the threshold this year at which a heat advisory would be issued. Brian Brettschneider, a climate scientist with the weather service, said by email that the Anchorage office is working on a plan to issue such advisories in the future.
CBS News
41 minutes ago
- CBS News
Storm outbreak June 13, 2025
A round of summer storms moved through Colorado on June 13, prompting several severe weather and tornado warnings. A round of summer storms moved through Colorado on June 13, prompting several severe weather and tornado warnings. A round of summer storms moved through Colorado on June 13, prompting several severe weather and tornado warnings. Be the first to know Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Not Now Turn On
CBS News
an hour ago
- CBS News
Repairs underway on Westmoreland Heritage Trail after flooding
A portion of the Westmoreland Heritage Trail was severely damaged due to flooding last week. Now this week, work is underway to repair this community favorite, especially parts of the trail that run along Turtle Creek. For Bryan Dawson, the trail is a weekly escape, but he says he was a little worried when his favorite walking path was flooded last week. "We've seen it before," said Dawson. "If you go about a mile, you can see how the force of nature strips the gravel right off. You can see the foliage beat down, and you can imagine you don't want to be down here when the weather is bad." But on Friday, Dawson and others were back on the trail as trucks carrying debris from the recent flooding could be seen coming and going. The cleanup and project to fix the damage on the trail began on Thursday morning in the stretch of trail that runs between Trafford and Export. Stan Rudge, the president of the Westmoreland Heritage Trail, spoke with KDKA by phone about the damage. "That section of trail is only about 9.5 to 10 miles long, and we have at least one mile of it where the surface preparation has been deteriorated, seriously, down to the (surface) below the fine limestone," said Rudge. Rudge went on to say that he is grateful for both the volunteer crews that have come out to work and the paid crews from local municipalities. He says his organization has allocated some $20,000 for repairs and cleanup, and now they are raising funds again to help keep the trail viable. "The whole trail is going to need resurfaced. So, there is going to be some large expenses done on that. We are getting the trail back to being usable, but to be the trail that it was is going to take a large funding amount," Rudge said. Anyone who would like to join or donate to the Westmoreland Heritage Trail Association can find more information online.
