Thunderstorm Safety and Preparedness

Scary Scene in Miami: Furniture Blows Off Condo Balconies During Storm, Crashes onto Street Below

Drivers along Miami's Biscayne Boulevard are used to seeing frequent heavy rain and thunderstorms, but when the downpours came Saturday afternoon, something else fell with them.

Several pieces of patio furniture were blown off balconies at a condominium that overlooks the roadway, and the bizarre moments were captured by an onlooker. The videos, which were posted after the storm rolled through on Saturday, have already received more than 170,000 views on YouTube.

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A piece of furniture is airborne after being blown off a condo balcony in Miami, Florida, on Saturday.
(Screenshot via YouTube)

Losing a few deck chairs to the storm may seem harmless, but wind-blown debris from high-rises can be extremely dangerous. National Weather Service science officer Kevin Scharfenberg, who works at the Miami office, told the Miami Herald that the last time a storm in the area blew furniture into the air was in March of last year.

During that incident, a glass tabletop was blown from the ninth floor of a building, hitting a maintenance worker. The man later died at a nearby hospital from the injuries he sustained during the accident, Scharfenberg also said.

After viewing Saturday's video, Scharfenberg told the Herald he believes winds as high as 70 mph were present at the time the video was shot.

“It was certainly pretty astounding to see because one or two of those lounge chairs got thrown, and they went all the way across the street,” he said. “It shows how dangerous it can be.”

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