Tornado watch lifted in Tampa Bay after evening storms

A tornado watch placed on Tampa Bay was lifted by 9 p.m. on Saturday, according to the National Weather Service. Swirling winds and rain had blown through parts of the region earlier in the evening.

The weather forced the Gasparilla Music Festival in Tampa’s Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park to close, according to the event’s Twitter account.

The official outdoor watch party for Game 6 of the Tampa Bay Lightning-Toronto Maple Leafs series in the Stanley Cup Playoffs was canceled. The watch party was supposed to be held outside Amalie Arena in Thunder Alley.

Forecasters had announced the tornado watch as a line of storms cut toward Florida’s Gulf Coast on Saturday afternoon. They warned of hail and gusts of wind up to 70 mph.

Mike Clay, chief meteorologist for Bay News 9, tweeted that the line of storms was expected to weaken on its path east. But Clay said the region could see another round of potentially severe storms after midnight.

A tornado watch means that conditions are conducive for tornadoes to form in the area. Residents under such a watch should remain on alert, stay inside and closely follow updates from officials.