Nature flexed its muscle with a powerful round of thunderstorms and dramatic light show Saturday evening.
Because yesterday's storms started late and the air in the mid to high levels of the atmosphere was dry, the storms were particularly strong. Klystron 9 radar counted thousands of lightning strikes.
"Those storms broke through into the higher levels of the atmosphere, and that's why they got so intense," Linker said. "They got all the way to about 60,000 feet, which is very high and pretty unusual for around here. That’s why we had so much severe weather yesterday."
Damage from yesterday's storms was limited, but the Colonial Village Mobile Home Park in Largo was hit hard.
Some time after 7 p.m., high winds damaged roofs, tore away siding and caused at least one carport to collapse.
“Just heard a crack, snap and pieces of debris flying through the air,” resident Byron Gordon said. "(A section of roof) hit the corner of my roof. And pieces of siding and everything were swirling in the air. Probably higher than the telephone poles."
Reports came in from around the Bay News 9 viewing area of trees and/or power lines down and minor flooding. A possible funnel cloud was spotted over the Riverview and Lithia area around 7:30 p.m.
Wind gusts of 55 mph were recorded in Tampa and 43 mph at the Hernando County Airport. Manatee and Citrus counties also reported high winds.
Weather conditions in the Bay area can change rapidly this time of year. Stay with Bay News 9 for the latest updates.