ICYMI: Florida Tornadoes Were No Freak Storms

RUSKIN, FL — As residents in Sarasota and Manatee counties continue to clean up after tornadoes ripped through the region on Sunday, forecasters are warning the potential for more severe storms remains strong throughout the winter.

While Tampa Bay area residents are accustomed to smaller tornadoes, such as waterspouts, that form and dissipate rather quickly leaving little damage in their wake, Sunday’s supercell thunderstorms gave birth to two tornadoes, both rated EF-2, by the National Weather Service. The tornado that touched down in Sarasota was estimated to have maximum peak winds at 132 mph. That storm left about $12 million in damage in its wake and is blamed for two injuries. The tornado in Manatee County’s Duette had estimated peak winds of 127 mph and is blamed for two deaths and five injuries.

While EF-2 tornadoes are “unusual” in Florida compared with those smaller waterspouts that are frequent in the summertime, National Weather Service meteorologist Andrew McKaughan said they can and, as evidenced by the past few weeks, do happen in Florida, especially during El Nino winters.

“People here in Florida don’t really see tornadoes as that significant a threat, but that’s not the case with El Nino in place,” he said. “There’s a potential for large, destructive tornadoes throughout the winter.”

See Also:

• Tampa Bay Tornadoes: Damage Estimates Released
• Victims Identified After Tampa Bay Tornado Kills 2, Injures 5
• Duette Tornado: How To Help The Victims
• Florida Tornadoes: What You Need to Know
• Severe Storms, Tornadoes in Tampa Bay’s Winter Forecast
• Weather Radios: Deals On Tools For Tracking Florida’s Severe Storms

“This is the type of damage we can expect from El Nino type tornadoes,” weather service meteorologist Tyler Fleming agreed. When this weather pattern is present, it’s “very common for these tornadoes to happen in the middle of the night.”

“Generally, for Florida an El Nino winter means cooler than normal temperatures and wetter than normal (conditions),” weather service meteorologist Rick Davis said in an earlier interview.

The El Nino weather pattern arises when the sea surface temperatures rise in the equatorial Pacific Ocean and impact the northern hemisphere, Davis explained. When that happens, the southern branch of the Jetstream becomes more active. That enables systems to move across the Pacific, across the southern states, through the Gulf of Mexico and into Florida.

“Because the storm systems have a more southern latitude, they’re expected to produce more rain for us and then with that southern storm track more cold fronts (could move in), increasing the chances for severe weather,” Davis said.

Those increased chances for severe weather events also have forecasters urging Tampa Bay area residents to get and use weather alert smartphone apps or NOAA weather radios so they can stay abreast of changing weather conditions. Weather radios receive advisory broadcasts and emergency alerts without the need for paying a monthly subscription. They are generally battery operated or draw solar energy so they can function in poor weather conditions. The radios are designed to send audible alerts when hazardous weather is imminent and are generally loud enough to wake people up in the middle of the night if the need arises, forecasters have said.

The Tampa Bay area is in for a frigid start to the week, but more storms and thunderstorms are on the horizon Friday. The weather service has forecast an 80 percent chance of storms on Friday, but notes that it’s too early to tell if those storms will produce severe conditions.

As of Tuesday morning, Friday’s storms didn’t look “nearly as significant,” McKaughan said. Even so, conditions may change over the next few days, he added, and “the conditions are there for the rest of the winter to see more events like what we saw this past weekend.”

Photo of tornado damage courtesy of Sarasota County government