A fast-moving thunderstorm packing golf-ball-sized hail and wind gusts up to 60 mph swept north along Florida's coast Friday evening, prompting a severe thunderstorm warning for North Palm Beach, Lake Park and Juno Beach that was set to run until 6:45 p.m. EDT. The storm was also capable of producing a tornado, according to the warning.
NWS Miami posted the alert on X just before 6:30 p.m., writing that “a severe thunderstorm warning continues for north palm beach, lake park, and juno beach, florida, until 6:45 pm edt,” according to NWS Miami
. The warning had been issued at 6:27 p.m. EDT, with an expiration time of 6:45 p.m. EDT, per
GovOneStop
.
At the time the warning was issued, the severe thunderstorm was located over North Palm Beach or near Riviera Beach, moving north at 5 to 10 mph, the same report notes. The hazard information listed golf ball-sized hail alongside the 60 mph wind gusts, and GovOneStop's account of the warning also flagged torrential rainfall occurring with the storm that could lead to flash flooding.
Wide Swath of Northeastern Palm Beach County in the Path
The warning's reach extended well beyond the three communities named in the NWS Miami post. Per GovOneStop, locations impacted included Jupiter, Palm Beach Gardens, Riviera Beach, Juno Beach, North Palm Beach, Lake Park, Juno Ridge and FAU North Campus. The attached NWS Miami warning graphic estimated potential exposure at 140,171 people, 23 schools and one hospital within the warned area.
The storm had been building for hours before the severe warning went out. Earlier Friday afternoon, GovOneStop's account of a special weather statement described NWS Miami tracking a strong thunderstorm over the Port of Palm Beach or Riviera Beach, moving north at 10 mph with gusts of 45 to 50 mph and nickel-sized hail. By the time the severe thunderstorm warning was issued, the reported hazards had escalated to golf ball-sized hail and 60 mph gusts, a clear jump from the earlier statement's figures.
Conflicting Reports on When the Alert Ended
Exactly when the danger passed is unclear. A Boca Post update posted at 6:38 p.m. stated the alert had been canceled, while the same outlet also reported elsewhere that the severe thunderstorm warning remained in effect until 6:45 p.m. Friday for northeastern Palm Beach County, according to Boca Post. The two accounts from the same report do not align, and neither has been resolved with additional confirmation.
NWS Miami's social post, shared in Spanish for South Florida residents, underscored the same hazards highlighted in the official warning: hail potentially the size of a golf ball, winds up to 60 mph, and the possibility of a tornado. The agency's graphic reiterated the population and infrastructure exposure figures circulating with the alert, placing the number of schools within the warned zone at 23 and hospitals at one.
Residents across North Palm Beach, Lake Park, Juno Beach and the surrounding communities named in the warning were urged to stay alert as the storm continued its northward track Friday evening.
