Severe thunderstorm warning issued for northern Monroe County, Collier County
Radar-indicated storms hit northern mainland Monroe and southeastern Collier, with 60 mph gusts and quarter-size hail threatening Loop Road, Big Cypress and nearby roads until 5:45 p.m.
A severe thunderstorm warning put northern mainland Monroe County and southeastern Collier County under a short but sharp threat Friday evening, with the National Weather Service warning of 60 mph wind gusts and quarter-size hail through 5:45 p.m. EDT. The storm was radar-indicated, and officials said residents around Loop Road EE Center, Dade-Collier Training Airport and Big Cypress National Preserve needed to take the warning seriously.
The National Weather Service in Miami issued the alert at 5:08 p.m. EDT on June 12, 2026, when the storm was located near Loop Road EE Center, about 23 miles east of Chokoloskee. It was moving north at 10 mph, slow enough to keep the threat in place across the same stretch of interior South Florida for a prolonged period as it drifted toward northern mainland Monroe County.
The weather service said the main hazards were damaging wind and hail. Gusts near 60 mph could tear at roofs, siding and trees, while quarter-size hail could crack windshields and dent cars left exposed. In practical terms, that meant residents and travelers in the warning area needed to get off the road, secure vehicles and move quickly to shelter before the storm reached them.
Officials advised people to move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a building. For the Everglades and Big Cypress corridor, that guidance mattered especially for anyone working, traveling or recreating near open terrain, where there is little protection from fast-moving thunderstorm winds and hail. The warning area included parts of the inland mainland that connect Monroe and Collier counties, making evening travel across exposed stretches especially vulnerable.
The warning expired at 5:45 p.m. EDT, but it landed during a broader run of active severe-weather days in South Florida. Earlier in the week, the Miami weather office had already handled severe thunderstorm coverage across the region, underscoring that Monroe and Collier counties were facing a repeated risk of damaging storms rather than a one-off event.
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