Multiple tornadoes were reported across Florida as Hurricane Milton began to devastate the state.

They were spotted crossing a major highway in parts of South Florida while motorists were on the move.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said forecast conditions would help Milton produce the phenomenon and that “multiple tornadoes” were likely across central and southern Florida. Multiple tornado warnings are in effect across the state.

Forecasters say tornadoes or tornadoes can form in tropical weather, but they are usually not very strong and still pose a deadly threat.

According to the National Weather Service (NWS), tornadoes can accompany any tropical weather, including hurricanes.

They often occur during thunderstorms in rainbands distant from the eye of the storm – and typically form in the right quadrant of a storm, the service notes.

The key to this area is that it has the greatest wind shear and instability.

The weather service notes that most of these hurricanes are “relatively weak and short-lived, but still pose a significant threat.”

Tornadoes require particularly strong or unseasonable heat to develop. As the ground temperature increases, moist air warms and begins to rise.

When this moist, warm air above meets dry, cold air, a thundercloud begins to form.

This cloud can develop quickly and bring rain, thunder and lightning.

Winds blowing from different directions cause the air to rotate, causing a visible cone or funnel to fall from the cloud toward the ground.

Tornadoes can be hundreds of meters wide. They can last anywhere from a few seconds to more than an hour and cover dozens of kilometers.

The Fujita scale is used to determine how strong a tornado is. The highest value on the scale – an F5 – is used to categorize tornadoes that travel at speeds up to 318 miles per hour (511 km/h).

These tornadoes can cause incredible damage, blowing away vehicles and blowing away strong buildings.