LEE COUNTY, Fla. – The National Weather Service says Sunday’s tornado near the Iona neighborhood in Lee County was actually on the ground for 7.9 miles instead of the initial report of 1.8 miles.
In a public information statement released this morning, the NWS says the tornado path revision was based on damage reports, videos of the tornado and communication with emergency management officials in the area.
The new path of the tornado is shown in the image below.
Given the new data, the NWS says the event began at 7:32 a.m. Sunday with a water spout south of Punta Rassa and the Sanibel Causeway. The water spout became a tornado when it came ashore west of Bunche Beach and then moved along McGregor Boulevard crossing over three manufactured home communities. New with the report this morning is that the NWS says the tornado stayed on the ground until just south of the Cape Coral Bridge, lifting at 7:48 a.m. Sunday.
The wind intensity of the tornado is unchanged despite the twister staying on the ground for longer than originally known. Winds with the tornado were estimated at 118 mph, making it an EF2 tornado on the Enhanced Fujita Scale.
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