The tornado watch for much of Central Florida remained in effect until 7 p.m. as golf ball-sized hail pelted parts of the area on Tuesday.
Severe thunderstorm warnings were also in effect. Heavy winds and rain moved through much of the area. Duke Energy and Orlando Utility Company were reporting more than 5,000 outages to customers.
Flights to and from Orlando International Airport were being delayed, especially from the North, officials said. There were also delays on Interstate 4 because of flooding causing lane closures on the eastbound side near the Fairbanks, Princeton and Ivanhoe exits.
There were reports of golf ball-sized hail in Oviedo and Winter Park.
The weather service issues a tornado watch when it anticipates thunderstorms that potentially could spawn cyclones.
After the bad weather passes, a front will move through Wednesday that will result in cooler temperatures, John Pendergrast of the weather service’s office in Melbourne said. He said lows should dip into the 40s on Wednesday and Thursday night, with highs in the 60s or 70s during the day.
Pendergrast said that should lead to a slow warming trend this weekend.
sruiz@orlandosentinel.com or 407-420-5008
