PERRY, Fla. (WTXL) — Powerful winds from an early morning storm damaged the front of a grocery store in Perry. The National Weather Service in Tallahassee estimated the storm blew through at 4:09 a.m. Thursday.
People who work at the Save A Lot on South Jefferson Street said they found the damage Thursday morning. A chunk of the roof on the front of the building was torn off. Metal framing was exposed to the sky above.
Caution tape was put up around the damaged part of the store to keep shoppers safe. A sign on the front of the building instructed shoppers to use the door on the other side of the building entrance.
We checked with the National Weather Service. Peak wind gusts ranged from 20-30 mph between 1 a.m. and 10 a.m. Thursday. Those gusts were recorded at the Perry-Foley Airport. It's unclear how strong the winds were that damaged the store Thursday morning. A tornado watch had been in effect for the area overnight. It has since expired.
Perry is still recovering from Hurricane Idalia, which struck the community August 30th. Perry-Foley Airport recorded a peak wind gust of 74 mph during that event.
