Tornadoes strike Virginia and Florida, flooding in other states

Officials in Virginia, Maine, and Florida are assessing damage Monday from major storms over the weekend, including some that caused power outages and wrecked homes.

The City of Virginia Beach declared a state of emergency after a tornado moved through the area and damaged dozens of homes, downed trees and caused gas leaks.

Between 50 and 100 homes were damaged after the tornado touched down around 6 p.m., city officials said in a statement Sunday. There were no immediate reports of injuries.

The National Weather Service's Wakefield, Virginia, office confirmed the tornado based on "debris signature on radar, damage reports, and videos of the storm." The agency said in a tweet Monday that a crew was surveying the damage to determine the rating, or severity, of the tornado.

Virginia Beach's weekend storms are generally associated with the same large-scale area of low pressure over the Great Lakes, NWS Meteorologist Eric Seymour said by telephone.

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