Tornado flips cars and damages homes in coastal Florida city

A tornado touched down in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, as a powerful storm system brought intense rain and powerful winds to the US state, overturning cars, damaging homes and snapping tree branches.

Storm damage forced authorities in the coastal city to close major roads as workers cleared debris and inspected wreckage.

Images from the scene showed cars flipped over on top of each other, cracked tree limbs resting on vehicles and homes, as well as other debris littering streets.

A spokeswoman for the city said officials have deactivated emergency protocols and were working through lingering issues on Sunday.

The National Weather Service had placed a large stretch of central Florida under a tornado watch on Saturday afternoon as thunderstorms were cutting across the state.