Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Tornadoes
Florida didn’t get many hurricanes, but the tornadoes kept coming
Florida dodged most of the hurricanes in this record-setting year for named storms. But, as usual, Florida couldn’t avoid tornadoes.
You might be surprised to learn Florida leads the nation with 12.2 tornadoes per 10,000 square miles.
The Sunshine State is ahead of tornado alley states such as
Kansas (11.7), which ranks No. 2 in tornadoes per 10,000 square miles, and Oklahoma (9.0), which ranks No. 7.
The “per 10,000 square miles” qualification, which is used by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), makes everything relative such as using “per capita” when talking about populations.
“If you factor in the size of the
state then you can get numbers that are more realistic,” said Bill Bunting, chief of forecast operations at the NOAA storm prediction center in Norman, Okla. “While Florida has 12.2 tornadoes per 10,000 square miles where Texas only has 5.9, Texas does have more tornadoes.”
When looking at tornado totals, Florida had 54 tornadoes through September of this year, and that doesn’t count the two that reportedly touched down near Tampa about two weeks ago.
Last year, Florida had 29 tornadoes. In 2018, Florida had 46 tornadoes, and in 2017, Florida had 57 tornadoes.
Florida ranks No. 3 nationally in terms of the number of tornadoes.
“But when you normalize it by the size of the state,” Bunting said, “it’s at the top of the list at 12.2.”
It’s not known how many of Florida’s tornadoes are spawned by hurricanes. Most of the tornadoes in tornado alley are caused by the collision of warm air from the Gulf of Mexico colliding with cold air from the Rockies.
Florida’s tornadoes are usually on the lower end of the Enhanced Fujita scale, which is the rating system for tornadoes. That means Florida’s tornadoes aren’t as big or as dangerous as the EF3 (winds of 136-165 miles per hour), EF4 (166200 mph), or EF5 (200+ mph) tornadoes that go through tornado alley.
When you rate the number of strong and violent tornadoes per 10,000 square miles, Florida rates at 0.4, while Kansas is 3.1, Texas is 2.8, and Oklahoma is 2.7, which means those states are five to seven times more likely to see a strong or violent tornado.
June is the most popular month for tornadoes in Florida, and spring and summer are the most common times of year for Florida to have tornadoes.
However, on April 12, 2018, a pair of tornadoes touched down in Fort Lauderdale.
“The message I would want to send is that Florida is at risk from tornadoes whether it’s No. 1 on the list or No. 3, or whatever the number,” Bunting said. “Certainly, the vulnerability is there … And I think the real important message is, have a plan. Think about what you would do if you receive the tornado warning, or saw one approaching.”