Palm Bay residents said EF-0 tornado struck without warning

Palm Bay residents said EF-0 tornado struck without warning

A brief tornado touched down Sunday afternoon in a Palm Bay neighborhood, causing minor damage to homes and downing a few trees, officials said. Residents said the tornado struck with little to no warning.

PALM BAY, Fla. - Palm Bay residents said they were completely caught off guard when a brief tornado touched down in their neighborhood on Sunday, causing minor damage to homes and downing a few trees.

What we know:

A brief EF-0 tornado touched down Sunday afternoon in a Palm Bay neighborhood, damaging roofs, downing trees and startling residents. No injuries were reported, and the twister was on the ground for only three to four minutes, according to the National Weather Service.

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Weak tornado briefly touches down in Palm Bay

The National Weather Service (NWS) said a weak tornado touched down Sunday afternoon in Palm Bay and uprooted a tree, as well as caused some damage to a home. Citing radar and the damage reports, NWS has given it a preliminary EF-0 rating on the Enhanced Fujita Scale. This video, taken by viewer Tim Barton, shows the tornado in the sky.

What we don't know:

Officials have not yet provided an estimate of the total cost of damage.

What they're saying:

Residents described having little to no warning before the tornado appeared. Tim Barton, a delivery driver in the area, said he first noticed rotating clouds and then watched as the tornado formed directly in front of him.

"I wouldn’t have been able to tell you five minutes before that there was going to be a tornado," Barton said.

Meteorologists said it is difficult to predict low-end tornadoes like Sunday’s, leaving questions about whether future systems could provide better warning times. 

"Yesterday’s tornado, we believe, was on the ground for approximately three to four minutes," said Will Ulrich, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. "Even if we could predict them in time, the storms would likely be gone before you could do anything about it."

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