Severe weather stretched across Okeechobee County on Friday, where fire rescue crews airlifted a man to the hospital after he was struck by lightning. The incident was part of a broader pattern of severe conditions that left a trail of impacts across the Treasure Coast and Palm Beach County.
In Port St. Lucie, WPTV weather spotters captured video of heavy rain moving through the area. Merry Moore O'Rourke said her rain gauge caught over 3 inches.
"All of a sudden, it got black. The wind started just raging and the sky had lit up like I have not seen," Moore O'Rourke said. The Lucie County Fire District said crews contained a brush fire near the 1900 block of Castinet Lane after reports that a lightning strike ignited vegetation in a nearby lot.
Fire crews also responded to an evening house fire at the 900 block of Bellevue Avenue, though the fire marshal's office still needs to investigate the cause. Video sent to the WPTV newsroom from Sebastian showed a large waterspout passing over the Indian River Lagoon Friday afternoon.