By Canadian Press

Tornadoes in Virginia and Florida, flooding in other states

May 1, 2023 | 9:28 AM

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va (AP) — Officials in Virginia, Maine, and Florida are assessing damage Monday from major storms over the weekend, including some that caused power outages and wrecked homes.

The City of Virginia Beach declared a state of emergency after a tornado moved through the area and damaged dozens of homes, downed trees and caused gas leaks.

Between 50 and 100 homes were damaged after the tornado touched down around 6 p.m., city officials said in a statement Sunday. There were no immediate reports of injuries.

The National Weather Service’s Wakefield, Virginia, office confirmed the tornado based on “debris signature on radar, damage reports, and videos of the storm.” The agency said in a tweet Monday that a crew was surveying the damage to determine the rating, or severity, of the tornado.

Virginia Beach’s weekend storms are generally associated with the same large-scale area of low pressure over the Great Lakes, NWS Meteorologist Eric Seymour said by telephone.

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The agency confirmed another tornado over the weekend in Florida in a weekend filled with hazardous weather across the U.S., including high water on the Mississippi River which tested flood defenses in Iowa and Illinois as it crests in the area Monday.

In Maine, heavy rain and powerful wind gusts knocked out power for more than 50,000 homes and businesses on Monday morning. The wind gusted to 70 mph (115 kph) on Sunday near Matinicus Island, about 20 miles offshore, and to 65 mph (100 kph) onshore in Bath, where Navy shipbuilder Bath Iron Works has numerous cranes. Rainfall approaching 5 inches (13 centimeters) led to flood warnings on several rivers in parts of southern Maine.

Virginia Natural Gas responded to several homes with gas leaks and Dominion Energy was reporting about 250 outages around Virginia Beach on Monday morning.

The tornado touched down in the area of River Road and North Great Neck Road, Virginia Beach officials said in a social media post. Based on public safety patrols and resident reports the city said more than a dozen homes along Upper Chelsea Reach and Haversham Close were damaged.

Great Neck Road will remain closed between Cox High School and the bridge at Adam Keeling Road until further notice to allow for crews to remove debris, the city said.

Ben Finley, The Associated Press