Severe Storms Bring EF2 Tornado, Damage to Seminole County Communities

An EF2 tornado carved through Lake Mary and Longwood on March 10, 2025, flipping a semi-truck on Interstate 4, collapsing at least one home, and crossing directly over the FOX 35 Orlando studios while meteorologist Brooks Garner was live on air tracking the very warning he was covering. The National Weather Service confirmed peak winds of 115 mph, a strength it described as a "rare phenomenon" for Central Florida, noting that only 10% of tornadoes in the region reach EF1 or EF2 intensity.

The NWS placed the tornado over Lake Mary at approximately 9:40 a.m. EDT, moving northeast at 30 mph. Over roughly four miles, it tore through Longwood before pushing into Sanford, crossing I-4 just north of Orlando along the way. A couple driving on I-4 near Sanford were caught in what AccuWeather described as a possible tornado as the storm raced through. Tornado warnings were simultaneously in effect for Seminole, Volusia, and Sarasota counties.

At the FOX 35 Lake Mary studios, tower cameras captured debris flying past the building as the twister passed overhead. Employees took shelter under their desks. The station's own headline captured the moment: "It just hit our station." Witnesses in Lake Mary described the sound as that of a freight train, while families in Longwood returned to find their neighborhood badly damaged.

Several homes were damaged across Seminole County, with at least one collapsing entirely. The semi-truck flip, with its driver and his dog inside, was among the more dramatic scenes documented by officials. Despite the breadth of destruction, no serious injuries or deaths were reported.

The March 10 tornado now serves as a stark backdrop for a county that has faced recurring severe weather. On March 15, 2026, a fresh line of strong to potentially severe storms moved through Central Florida, prompting a Tornado Warning and a Thunderstorm Warning for Seminole County. WESH's First Warning Weather Team had warned that "waves of energy moving through the jet stream" would trigger strong to severe storms between 3 p.m. and 9 p.m. Sunday, with another round expected Monday between 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. as a cold front pushed through. By the time WESH's alert page was captured, the tornado warning for Seminole County had expired, with forecasters projecting temperatures to fall to the 40s by Tuesday morning before afternoon highs struggled to reach the 60s.

Florida ranks fourth in the United States for tornado frequency, and Seminole County officials note that a majority of the state's tornado strikes occur in the Central Florida area. With 115 mph winds comparable to a Category 2 or 3 hurricane, the 2025 EF2 is a reminder of how quickly that risk can escalate beyond the smaller, shorter tornadoes that typically form in the region.

Seminole County advises residents to register for emergency weather alerts at AlertSeminole.org and to take shelter immediately upon any tornado warning. The county's emergency information line is 407-665-0000, and its offices at 1101 E. 1st St. in Sanford are open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The county is also promoting participation in the 2026 Great Tornado Drill as part of its ongoing preparedness efforts.