Lakeland is under a tornado watch and had a brief tornado warning

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Lakeland and much of Florida will remain under a tornado watch until 8 p.m. Thursday as the eye of Hurricane Helene continues its march north 150 miles west.

A tornado warning was issued at 6:48 p.m. when weather radar detected rotational motion near the Polk-Hillsborough line south of State Road 60. However, officials said it quickly dissipated.

Strong winds and rain battered Lakeland starting late afternoon, and Lakeland Electric’s outage map showed 4,320 customers without power as of 7:38 p.m

Residents can expect rain bands from the storm to strengthen this afternoon “as the center of the storm is to the west of us,” Polk County Emergency Services Director Paul Womble said earlier in the day. “It’s definitely the weather that doesn’t clear up until after dark.”

The strongest winds will blow late Thursday afternoon into the evening hours, Womble said.

Elsewhere in Florida: Tornado warnings were already in place Thursday morning for Collier and Lee counties in southwest Florida and Brevard County on the East Coast, meaning forecasters were seeing rotation on radar and tornadoes had formed, he said. It is not clear whether they landed.

Helene is expected to make landfall in the Big Bend area as a Category 3 or 4 storm and track through Tallahassee. Storm surges could reach heights of up to 20 feet in affected areas, causing catastrophic damage and possible fatalities. The state capital is exposed to wind speeds of up to 130 miles per hour.

Right now, Polk County first responders and Lakeland Electric linemen are waiting out the storm and preparing to deploy to North Florida the next morning when it is safe to do so.

Phone notifications: Womble encouraged people to keep their cell phone notifications on, as annoying as they may be.

“From when these alerts appear to when you need to take action, you will only have a few minutes to take action – just a few minutes,” Womble said. “So we really encourage people to turn on these automatic notifications on their phones.”

Guide to Managing Notifications: iPhones | Android phones

You can also sign up for Polk County alerts here.

Safety tips: Womble also had some safety tips for any New Floridians moving to the area:

• Have a hurricane plan ready for you and/or your family.
• Don’t walk in floodwaters.
• Do not touch or come near downed power lines. Always assume they are active.
• Stay away from flooded streams, lakes and ponds due to the danger of wildlife such as snakes, alligators and swimming ants, as well as possible contamination with fecal bacteria.
• Do not connect generators directly to a home’s fuse box unless an electrician has installed a transfer switch.
• Do not operate the generator in the garage or on an enclosed porch; Keep it 20 feet away from the house.