Keep your phone charged and look out for warnings; this destructive phenomenon can spring up in a matter of moments, experts say.
Hurricane Helene is forecast to make landfall in Florida on Thursday evening, packing destructive winds of up to 160 mph and heavy rainfall. In addition to these threats, forecasters are urging Gulf Coast residents to remain alert for a secondary danger: tornadoes.
These « spin-up » tornadoes, sometimes referred to as « gustnadoes », are brief, intense vortexes that can form within the downbursts of thunderstorms. While not as strong or long-lived as the classic tornadoes typical in the central U.S., they are still highly dangerous.
« Tornadoes embedded in tropical rainbands can be incredibly dangerous, especially after dark », AccuWeather chief meteorologist Jon Porter said in an update.
The risk of spin-up tornadoes extends across much of the Florida Peninsula and parts of the Panhandle, with the threat moving inland to Georgia, eastern Alabama, southwestern South Carolina, and southeastern Tennessee through Friday.
