PEMBROKE PINES, FLA. (WSVN) - Nasty weather ripped through parts of South Florida, getting Memorial Day weekend off to a stormy start. Many areas across Broward County saw the full force of Mother Nature on Friday with heavy rain, whipping winds and even flipped planes at North Perry Airport in Pembroke Pines. Airport officials said powerful winds sent parked aircraft flying, severely damaging several of them. One plane was captured upside down. Another one was seen resting on top of a fuel truck. Firefighters were seen working to get the plane dislodged, Friday night. No injuries were reported. Staff said the airport would be closed until 7 a.m. Saturday to give Broward County Aviation Department a chance to assess the damage left behind by the thunderstorm. Near the airport, video captured by resident Eddie Flor shows hail pounding the ground in the area of Taft Street, between Hiatus Road and Palm Avenue. The severe storms moved quickly during Friday afternoon’s rush hour. A tree fell on a bus stop at University Drive and Pines Boulevard after strong winds uprooted it. Surveillance video captured a massive tree that landed on the house after it was uprooted by the strong winds. Renzo Gomez, who lives near where the downed tree landed, said he was spared the worst of the storm compared to his neighbors. “Our screened porch got some holes from the hail, but nothing to the extent of this type of damage as we’re walking around, looking at what’s going on in our neighborhood,” he said. Firefighters arrived at the scene to remove the tree from the home. In Miramar, doorbell camera video shows one woman running for cover as the storms rolled into her area. “Scary. Thank God nobody was hurt, but I have no fence right now, and this is my neighbor’s shed!” said Joana Klaiss. A piece of that shed ended up tangled with the power lines. Florida Power & Light crews worked late into the night to clean up the mess and restore power to all those affected. Up north in Fort Lauderdale, after a stormy few hours, the city skyline was hidden underneath a blanket of storms before blue skies peeked back through in time for a sunset. While some residents have speculated that a small tornado may have caused some of the damage across the area, the National Weather Service said there were no tornadoes. Instead, it was powerful straight line winds.
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