Powerful tornado flips cars, damages homes in Palm Beach Gardens neighborhood

PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. – Some extremely wild weather was caught on camera in Palm Beach County on Saturday.

The powerful winds lifted and flipped a car, sending it flying in the air.

Neighbors watched as a tornado appeared to touch down in Palm Beach Gardens.

“Sounded like a freight train at our house,” said resident Jay Robb.

Residents later surveyed the damage, finding cars stacked on top of each other and a dumpster thrown into another vehicle.

Many said they felt grateful they were able to walk away.

“We saw one of the light poles fly through my bedroom window, and we grabbed her and ran to my bedroom closet and just waited it out there,” said resident Andie Matthews.

The National Weather Service confirmed the EF-2 tornado was the cause of the damage.

Homeowner Manuel Clemente told Local 10 News’ Trent Kelly that his wife and 7-year-old son were inside their house when the tornado came tearing though, busting out their windows.

His wife injured her knee and had to be taken to the hospital, but his son was OK.

“I work about five minutes down the road, and I rushed back and found my young son hugging my wife. They were crying,” he said.

Crews spent hours working on power lines as police shut down roads covered in debris.

“Never seen anything like this, ever,” said Robb. “Cars piled up, boats, 25-foot boat up in a tree. You don’t see that kind of stuff all the time.”


About the Author:

Trent Kelly is an award-winning multimedia journalist who joined the Local 10 News team in June 2018. Trent is no stranger to Florida. Born in Tampa, he attended the University of Florida in Gainesville, where he graduated with honors from the UF College of Journalism and Communications.