Florida Tornado Hits TV Station While On-Air Meteorologist Reports It, Storm Went On To Cause Lots Of Damage

House collapsed in Florida after a tornado struck
near Orlando, Florida. 

The first major tornado in years hit central Florida Monday, damaging homes, blocking roads, but miraculously causing no fatalities or injuries. 

The storm was notable because the tornado hit an Orlando, Florida-area  television station as an on-air meteorologist was warning the public about the twister.

It was an EF2 tornado, which top winds of 115 mph, which is stronger than usual for central Florida.  A

At the Fox 35 studios, meteorologist Brooks Garner was doing a live report of a tornado warning in the area and was tracking radar images of the dangerous storm for viewers. 

Viewers also saw images from the Fox 35 outdoor tower cam of the approaching storm. There was too much rain to see any kind of traditional tornado funnel, but a wall of wind and rain was seen approaching the studio. 

Soon the view turned into a maelstrom of water and flying debris as the television station was hit. You could hear the alarm in Garner's voice as he said, "Everybody in them Fox 35 building, get to your safe space under your desk, if you're not in a designated area." He ordered the news anchors to crouch under their desks, too. 

People watching all this could also hear debris hitting the Fox 35 building during all this. Security footage taken outside the studio shows visibility dropping to near zero in the tornado as piece of trees blow around and power lines snap along a nearby street. 

After the tornado passed, it turned out the television station building had not sustained serious damage; Garner was able to stay on the air to warn adjacent neighborhoods of the approaching tornado. 

The tornado did cause a lot of damage. One home with two occupants inside collapsed almost completely, but they pair escaped uninjured. In fact, no injuries were reported despite the fact numerous homes were damaged and the tornado roared through part of a major freeway with heavy traffic. 

The Florida tornado might be a precursor to what could be a large severe storm and tornado outbreak in the forecast Friday, Saturday and Sunday in the Midwest, Gulf Coast and southeastern United States. An intense Plains storm is forecast to create favorable conditions for such dangerous weather later in the week and weekend. 

Here's the on-camera episode as the tornado struck Fox 35 studios near Orlando.  It looks like the tornado wasn't super strong at the moment it hit the television station, but was still scary. Click on this link to view, or if you see the image below, click on that.