Video: Tornado captured on Florida school district camera sweeping through St. Johns County | FOX 51 Gainesville
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Video: Tornado captured on Florida school district camera sweeping through St. Johns County

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Published  May 31, 2025 11:49am EDT
Severe Weather
FOX 35 Orlando
New video shows tornado in St. Johns County

New video shows tornado in St. Johns County

New video captured by a Florida school district camera shows the moment a confirmed tornado swept through St. Johns County earlier this week. According to officials, no one was injured, but the storm did "severely impact" parts of St. Johns County

The Brief

    • A tornado swept through the St. Johns County area of Florida on Thursday.
    • A St. Johns County School District camera captured the moment.
    • According to officials, no one was injured, but the storm did "severely impact" parts of St. Johns County.

ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. - A Florida school district camera captured the moment a confirmed tornado swept through St. Johns County earlier this week. 

Here's everything we know about the tornado and what happened.

Tornado sweeps across St. Johns County

What we know:

A tornado formed during stormy weather near a busy highway in northeast Florida on Thursday, likely startling drivers during their afternoon commute.

The tornado was later captured as it moved through the area on a St. Johns County School District camera. The St. Johns County Sheriff's Office later shared the video on its Facebook page on Friday.

In the video, the tornado can be seen swiftly sweeping through a line of trees boarding a school's field. 

Tornado touches down in St. Johns County

Tornado touches down in St. Johns County

The St. Johns County Sheriff's Office has released more video footage of the tornado confirmed by the National Weather Service on Thursday in St. Johns County. This is the view from a St. Johns County School District camera. (Credit: St. Johns County Sheriff's Office)

The backstory:

The tornado was first captured in traffic camera footage shared by the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office on Thursday.

The traffic camera at State Road 9B and St. Johns Parkway shows the tornado moving into the shot in the top-right corner. The tornado then touched down near the busy intersection.

The tornado then moved northeastward and dissipated over a retention pond along S.R. 9B.

Tornado forms in St. Johns County

Tornado forms in St. Johns County

A tornado touched down near a busy highway in northeast Florida on Thursday. It was caught on a traffic camera at State Road 9B and St. Johns Parkway.

‘Severe impact’

What they're saying:

The St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office said nobody was injured in the storm, but it did "severely impact" parts of the county, with downed trees and power lines.

Local media also reported damage to a restaurant in the area.

The National Weather Service (NWS) conducted a storm survey in north St. Johns County on Friday morning, where they designated the tornado as an EF-0.

According to the NWS's preliminary damage survey, the tornado had estimated peak winds of 85 mph and traveled 1.6 miles.

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The Source: This story was written based on information shared by the St. Johns County Sheriff's Office in a Facebook post, from the St. Johns County School District cameras and from the National Weather Service (NWS) in a storm survery.

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