Original story: http://www.nbc-2.com/story/30989696/nws-straight-line-winds-equivalent-to-ef-1-tornado#.Vp0GVxCrTUI
The National Weather Service in Miami concluded a 30-mile stretch of Collier County was hit Sunday by a large swath of severe thunderstorm winds that reached speeds from 70 to 90 miles per hour.
The development of a tornado was ruled inconclusive -- though a storm with winds at 70-90 mph is similar to an EF-1 tornado.
The storm moved onshore in Naples and concluded as it passed over Immokalee. NWS detailed damage that included several beached catamarans in the vicinity of the Naples Pier, impacted trees in Port Royal, Aqualine Shores, Royal Harbor and Olde Naples.
Damage along the Naples coastline extended as far south as the southernmost part of Gordon Drive and as far north as Broad Avenue.
Some of the most significant damage, NWS said, included large uprooted hardwood trees snapped at the trunk on Kings Town Drive, and pine trees snapped up to 50 feet above their base.
Several planes and trees were damaged at Naples Municipal Airport and NWS observed an 82 mph wind gust at 5:25 a.m. A nearby weather station observed an 84 mph gust at the same time.
The final location of damage was the Immokalee Seminole Reservation, which had a 79 mph gust at 5:51 a.m. The severe thunderstorm was moving at 60 mph.
The National Weather Service in Miami concluded a 30-mile stretch of Collier County was hit Sunday by a large swath of severe thunderstorm winds that reached speeds from 70 to 90 miles per hour.
The development of a tornado was ruled inconclusive -- though a storm with winds at 70-90 mph is similar to an EF-1 tornado.
The storm moved onshore in Naples and concluded as it passed over Immokalee. NWS detailed damage that included several beached catamarans in the vicinity of the Naples Pier, impacted trees in Port Royal, Aqualine Shores, Royal Harbor and Olde Naples.
Damage along the Naples coastline extended as far south as the southernmost part of Gordon Drive and as far north as Broad Avenue.
Some of the most significant damage, NWS said, included large uprooted hardwood trees snapped at the trunk on Kings Town Drive, and pine trees snapped up to 50 feet above their base.
Several planes and trees were damaged at Naples Municipal Airport and NWS observed an 82 mph wind gust at 5:25 a.m. A nearby weather station observed an 84 mph gust at the same time.
The final location of damage was the Immokalee Seminole Reservation, which had a 79 mph gust at 5:51 a.m. The severe thunderstorm was moving at 60 mph.
