Severe weather Friday afternoon and evening brought waterspouts, lightning strikes and multiple fires across the Treasure Coast and Palm Beach County. Multiple residents in Sebastian sent videos to WPTV showing a large waterspout passing over the Indian River Lagoon Friday afternoon.
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 of rain.
The severe weather also produced significant lightning activity that ignited a brush fire near the 1900 block of Castinet Lane after reports that a lightning strike set vegetation in a nearby lot ablaze. Lucie County Fire District crews contained that fire. Fire crews also responded to a house fire at the 900 block of Bellevue Avenue during the evening storm. WPTV radar picked up a significant amount of lightning in the area at the time of the fire, though Lucie County Fire District said it cannot confirm the cause as the fire marshal's office still needs to investigate.
The severe weather stretched to Okeechobee County, where fire rescue crews airlifted a man to the hospital after he was struck by lightning. Moore O'Rourke described the experience as frightening. "All of a sudden, it got black.
The wind started just raging and the sky had lit up like I have not seen," she said. "I mean it was radical. I mean it was a little scary."
Friday's severe weather left a trail of impacts from Sebastian through Port St. Lucie and into Palm Beach and Okeechobee counties, serving as a reminder of nature's unpredictable power.