Watch FL Sheriff's Deputy Race Toward Tornado As Patrol Car Films

FLORIDA — Ahead of a cold front moving in to southwest and central Florida Sunday, strong, gusty winds, severe thunderstorms and tornadoes wreaked havoc, especially in southwest Florida.

The National Weather Service issued a hazardous weather outlook for the area that remains in effect Monday, producing coastal flooding during high tides, 7- to 9-foot waves, dangerous rip currents and risks to boaters. Small-craft boaters are being warned to stay off the water.

Multiple tornadoes touched down Sunday morning as the severe storms moved across the area.

Officials in Lee County said 28 homes were destroyed in that county and at least 62 homes are no longer livable. At least four people were injured in the storms.

Additionally, the National Weather Service confirmed that at least one tornado touched down in Collier County, knocking over a tractor-trailer truck as it was traveling north along Interstate 75, blocking the interstate for several hours. The driver was taken to the hospital with injuries.

At 9:18 Sunday, Collier County sheriff's Cpl. Eric Kincaid was traveling south on Collier Boulevard toward Marco Island when he spotted a tornado traveling north toward U.S. 41. Cpl. Kincaid turned on his emergency lights, made a U-turn at the traffic signal, and followed the tornado at a safe distance to ensure that drivers in the area got out of the way. The tornado crossed over U.S. 41, traveling through East Naples, knocking down trees, lifting tiled roofs and scattering debris throughout the area before dissipating.

The Iona McGregor Fire Department said there is significant damage in that area after the National Weather Service confirmed that an EF2 tornado with 118 mph winds touched down in Iona for a distance of 2 miles. This is the first EF2 tornado on the Enhanced Fujita scale of 0 to 2 to hit the area since 2016.

Some mobile homes in Iona were destroyed. Iona McGregor Fire Department Deputy Chief Khalid Aquil estimates that 150 to 200 people were displaced.

Charlotte County Public Safety reported severe storms there as well, displacing residents from their damaged homes. The county has set up a shelter for those people.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis offered prayers to those impacted by the storms and vowed to send Florida Division of Emergency Management response teams to help.

Further north in Clearwater, strong winds knocked the stucco off a Bank of America building, causing police to close roads while the debris was cleaned up.

According to National Weather Service, 21 tornado warnings in all were issued Sunday, spawning five confirmed tornadoes.

Damage ranged from twisted sheet metal and downed trees and signs to destroyed homes, but there were only a handful of reported injuries, officials said.

The American Red Cross has been called in to assist families who lost their homes, however, cleanup efforts are estimated to continue for several weeks.

Despite the havoc taking place in southwest and central Florida Sunday, the storm bypassed the first postseason playoff game between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Philadelphia Eagles played at 1 p.m. at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa. The Bucs won 31-15.