Latest news with #WFTS-TV
27-06-2025
- Climate
'Wizard of Oz' experience: Woman speaks out after surviving tornado
A Florida woman is speaking out after she survived an EF-1 tornado that lifted her house off its foundation while she was inside. Deborah Mettler, 76, described the ordeal to ABC affiliate WFTS-TV in Tampa Bay, Florida, likening it to something straight out of a movie. 'It was really [akin to] a 'Wizard of Oz' experience,' Mettler said, referencing the tornado scene in the classic 1939 movie. The dramatic event unfolded in Largo, Florida, north of St. Petersburg, on June 25 and was caught on Mettler's neighbor Lori Gill's Ring camera. Footage shows the moment Mettler's mobile home was lifted nearly completely off the ground for about 15 seconds by 110 mph winds before slamming back down. Mettler was in her home for the entire time and said she didn't know what had happened at first. 'I didn't realize I was actually up in the air,' Mettler said. 'I was too busy doing somersaults and getting thrashed from one side of the room, through the wall, to the other side.' 'I ended up back here in the bedroom. I had been in what was a family room and stepped out, which was good, because it's no longer there at all,' she continued. 'So if I had stayed in that room, I don't know what would have happened to me.' Mettler walked away with only bruises after a neighbor helped her get out of her house. A neighbor named Kathy told WFTS, 'How she survived it, it is unbelievable." Photos and video footage show the extensive damage to the city. About 40 to 50 residences at Ranchero Village and 10 to 15 in the Bay Ranch Manufactured Home Communities had minor to severe storm-related damage.
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Gigantic Saharan Dust Cloud Barrels Toward Florida: Here's What That Means
A gigantic cloud of dust drifting from the Sahara Desert is expected to impact southern and central parts of Florida late Tuesday into early Wednesday Its effects, including hazy skies, are likely to be seen until the weekend The dust cloud has already drifted into the CaribbeanFlorida, along with some of its surrounding states, is in the path of a gigantic cloud of dust drifting from the Sahara Desert. According to Scientific American, between late spring and early fall, dust from the Sahara Desert is blown out over the Atlantic Ocean every three to five days. When the conditions are right, the air masses, referred to as the Saharan Air Layer (SAL), filled with dust, make their way to North America. The dust cloud has already drifted into the Caribbean. The National Weather Service for San Juan, Puerto Rico, stated on X that "peak concentrations" of the dust were expected to arrive midday on Monday, June 2. The dust will impact southern and central parts of Florida from late Tuesday into early Wednesday, potentially causing residents to see hazy skies, especially during sunrise and sunset, until the weekend, ABC News affiliate WFTS-TV reported. The dust is also forecast to impact skies and reduce visibility across the Southeast, per Fox Weather. 'When you have Saharan dust or any other kind of particulate, if the sun is coming in at an angle, like during sunrise or sunset. It can hit those particulates that are close to the ground just right and result in those different, kind of orangey-reddish colors," Ana Torres-Vazquez, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service's Miami office, told Scientific American. According to WFTS-TV meteorologist Greg Dee, Saharan dust is usually "not an issue for us here right at the surface, most of the dust is high up in the atmosphere." "But occasionally, some folks that are very sensitive to particles, particulates in the air, may experience a little bit of discomfort," he said As far as its environmental impact, WJXT reported that the Saharan Air Layer can suppress the development of tropical cyclones as well as cloud development and storms. This is due to its characteristics of "warm, dry air with strong winds." Moist and dry air are expected to alternate between the Caribbean and as far north as Florida waters in the Gulf and Atlantic over the next 10 days, per Accuweather. AccuWeather reported that it is monitoring an area along the Southeast coast for "potential subtropical or tropical development." Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. "While the risk of development is low, impacts such as heavy, flooding rain that can disrupt outdoor plans, minor coastal flooding, rip currents and rough surf are all possible mid-to-late week," its website states. Read the original article on People
