© Polk Fire Rescue
Up to 70 homes were damaged in Zephyrhills, Florida, on Thursday morning as severe storms rolled through. Paso County Emergency Management said that this damage was caused by straight-line winds, not a tornado.
Three tornadoes were reported elsewhere in Florida during Thursday's storms, but no significant damage was reported.
Only one injury was reported in Polk County, Florida, following the tornadoes.
Drenching downpours also soaked the Sunshine State on Thursday, leading to localized flooding.
Sarasota, Florida, was one of the wettest spots in the state, picking up over 4 inches of rain. Orlando also picked up over 3 inches of rain, which is more than the city typically sees in all of December.
Comment: This video shows a huge wave slamming into beachfront property in Sanibel, Florida.
A few days ago giant waves slammed into the California coast with expectations for conditions so extreme that the National Weather Service in the San Francisco Bay tweeted, "STAY WELL BACK FROM THE OCEAN OR RISK CERTAIN DEATH." The urgency highlights the unusual risk posed by this round of mega-swells.
A local resident, Joe Como, comments in the video below that the waves were, "the biggest he had seen in 40 years living in the Bay area."