2007 Groundhog Day tornado outbreak

2007 Groundhog Day tornado outbreak
A map displaying the path of the three tornadoes.
Tracks of the three tornadoes in Florida
TypeTornado outbreak
DurationFebruary 2, 2007
Tornadoes
confirmed		4
Max. rating1EF3 tornado
Duration of
tornado outbreak2		4 hours, 54 minutes
Fatalities21 fatalities; 76 injuries
Damage$218 million (2007 US$)[1]
Areas affectedCentral Florida

1Most severe tornado damage; see Enhanced Fujita scale
2Time from first tornado to last tornado

The 2007 Groundhog Day tornado outbreak[2] was a localized but devastating tornado event that took place in central Florida early on February 2, 2007. Early morning temperatures had risen well above average for the season; combined with increased moisture and a powerful jet stream, this created enough instability and wind shear for thunderstorms to rotate and spawn tornadoes. Due to the conditions, a long-tracked supercell formed and produced three tornadoes over one hour and seventeen minutes. The supercell resulted in a 70-mile (110-kilometer) trail of damage.

Twenty-one people were killed and 76 others were injured in the outbreak. The first tornado damaged 1,145 homes and destroyed 200 others in Sumter County before hitting the Lady Lake area where it killed eight people. A total of 180 homes were damaged and 101 homes were destroyed in Lake County.[3] The second tornado killed 13 people in the Lake Mack area and damaged or destroyed over 500 homes and other structures during its existence, including the 1,500-foot (460-meter) tall transmission tower of WCFB FM.[4] The final tornado damaged roofs, car ports and garage doors along its path through New Smyrna Beach. The outbreak was the second deadliest on record for Florida and caused an estimated $218 million in damage.

  1. ^ "Storm Event database". National Climatic Data Center. Archived from the original on March 28, 2008. Retrieved July 10, 2009.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference MEL was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Bonanno, Chris (January 31, 2015). "Severe weather awareness week well-timed". Florida Today. Melbourne, Florida. pp. 3A, 8A. Retrieved February 2, 2015.
  4. ^ "WCFB-FM 94.5 Tower Collapse". cflradio.net. Retrieved September 30, 2016.