Dozens of homes damaged, wildfire sparked from severe weather in Clay County

Severe weather leaves at least forty homes damaged and a 600 acre wildfire burning in Clay County.

GALLERY: Damage from severe weather in Northeast Florida

Clay County Emergency Management and the Town of Orange Park continue assessing the damage from Tuesday’s storms. Downed trees and power lines are the early focus, with more than 40 homes reportedly hit with trees or suffering some related damage. Emergency Management says this damage was from straight line winds.

At 10:30PM Tuesday, around 5,100 Clay Electric customers in Orange Park are without power.  By 7am Wednesday that number was below 1,200.

Action News Jax Chief Meteorologist Mike Buresh says damage in Clay County appears to be downburst winds of 50-70 mph, possibly a few higher gusts in very localized areas.  The National Weather Service is not expected to conduct a post-storm survey at this time.

Lightning also sparked a fire around US 17 and Warner Road on the Clay/Putnam County line. The Florida Highway Patrol says the fire is 600 acres at this time, and they’re asking anyone driving in the area to be cautious because smoke and fog could cause conditions to quickly deteriorate.

Mike Buresh is tracking the potential for more afternoon storms today, and each afternoon into the weekend.

If you have any questions or damage to report, you’re asked to contact Clay County Emergency Management at 904-284-7703.