A sprawling winter storm hit the South with strong thunderstorms and tornado warnings that blew roofs off homes and tossed about furniture Tuesday and brought cities across the Midwest to a standstill with more than half a foot of snow, stranding people on highways.

The violent storm with 55 mph winds and hail moved through the Florida Panhandle and into parts of Alabama and Georgia by sunrise Tuesday, along with at least several reports of radar-confirmed tornadoes, the National Weather Service said. A wind gust of 106 mph was recorded before dawn near the coast in Walton County, Florida.

“We still have potentially strong storms in that area through (Tuesday) morning and the potential for more severe weather and tornadoes,” meteorologist Lance Franck in Tallahassee said.

Keep reading on the storm damage in Panama City Beach and the Florida Panhandle: https://www.wtsp.com/article/weather/severe-weather/florida-panhandle-panama-city-beach-tornado-storm-system/67-24976b53-0a0e-44a9-8f6c-946e1ad82919