TAMPA, FLA. (WSVN) - As northern states dealt with freezing temperatures, strong storms brought strong winds and widespread damage to parts of Florida, leaving residents in fear for their lives.

Residents across the Tampa Bay area woke up to a late winter headache, Sunday morning.

Cameras captured an uprooted tree blocking a residential street.

A couple in Seminole described the sudden change in weather.

“Holy moly,” said the man.

“Oh, my God. All I saw was wind,” said the woman.

“And then it came strong fast,” said the man.

“Fast, within seconds,” said the woman.

“Like a whirly-wind,” said the man.

Another couple also described the violent gusts.

“We heard a very strong wind come through,” said the man.

“Come through on the side of our house,” said the woman.

The second couple said they rushed outside to find their yards covered in debris.

“All of a sudden, our neighbor called and said, ‘Your tree came down,'” said the man. “We looked out, and there it was, laying across our neighbors’ yard.”

In Highlands County, the damage to homes and businesses is expected to take days to clean up.

“It is going to be intense. Our crews have been out already, helping some of the residents,” said a spokesperson with Highlands County Fire Rescue.

Sebring resident Matthew Christian snapped several pictures while checking for damage at his office.

“The Florida Credit Union sits on the highway, and right behind there is the mobile home park, and it looked like whatever hit that blew it all the way across Highway 27,” he said.

The path of destruction comes one day after wicked weather battered Central Florida.

Cleanup is underway in Ocala after, police said, a tornado touched down, knocking out power to more than 6,000 people at one point.

“I came outside, and I got greeted by a chair. It hit me in the face, and then I knew we had a tornado going on,” said a resident. “I looked over, and a roof just came right over into our yard.”

The winds topped out at more than 76 miles per hour. They ripped part of the roof off an animal hospital in the area.

“All the pets are OK. That’s the most important thing, and we just have to go forward from here,” said an employee.

Meteorologists said the Florida front of severe weather was part of a larger system that swept the Northeast, bringing snow and ice with it.

It made for a challenging drive in parts of New Jersey.

“When we left the city, it was kind of messy,” said driver Peter Russo.

Temperatures plunged to below freezing on Saturday, just days after New York City reached a high of 75 degrees.

“I was just in shorts the other day, playing basketball outside in the park,” said resident John Martin. “Now we have to wear a jacket again, which is crazy.”

The damage in the Sunshine State was so severe in certain areas that Gov. Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency for Highlands, Clay, Marion and Putnam counties.

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