This Day In Weather History is a daily podcast by The Weather Network’s Chris Mei featuring stories about people, communities and events and how the weather has affected them.
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Between Sunday February 22, 1998 and Monday February 23, 1998, Florida was hit by 12 tornadoes. This is Florida’s deadliest tornado outbreak, killing 42 and injuring 260. This broke the previous record of 17 deaths from a storm that killed 17 on March 31, 1962.
These events are also known collectively as the 1998 Kissimmee tornado outbreak and the night of the tornadoes.
Aerial view of the damage in the Lakeside subdivision in Kissimmee, Florida. Courtesy of Robert Sheets
Due to the devastating loss of life, the National Weather Service (NWS) decided to conduct a service assessment to better understand what went wrong. The assessment results are published in a 37-page document.
It all started on February 22 when radar spotted long-lived supercell thunderstorms over the eastern Gulf of Mexico.
The tornado outbreaks began in the Tampa Bay Area and swept through central Florida.
Video capture of the Winter Garden tornado. Courtesy of NWS Melbourne.
The tornadoes were strong because there was a particularly strong jet stream with warm and humid air outside before a cold front. This is common during an El Niño episode in Florida’s dry season. The stronger jet streams greatly increase the likelihood that powerful tornadoes could develop.
Overall, this outbreak included four F0, three F1, two F2, and three F3 tornadoes on the Fujita scale.
The NWS conducted a service assessment to better understand the performance of its offices in terms of timely warnings, accurate forecasts and other services to keep the public safe.
Aerial view of the Ponderosa RV Park in Kissimmee, Florida. Courtesy of NOAA Service Assessment.
The assessment includes more than 15 findings and recommendations, including these three.
The Storm Prediction Center (SPC) needs to better understand how long a tornado watcher should be active in this position. During this outbreak, one employee worked his 13th straight hour.
The NWS should work with federal, state, county, and city officials to develop policies that promote recommended tornado sanctuaries in at-risk areas such as RV and RV parks.
Because Florida has a large number of visitors and seasonal residents, the NWS should work with state, county and city officials, as well as the private sector, to create emergency documents to be given to tourists upon arrival.
To learn more about Florida’s deadliest tornado outbreak, listen to tonight’s episode of This Day In Weather History.
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Thumbnail: Almost total devastation in a narrow corridor through Ponderosa RV Park in Kissimmee, Florida. Several deaths occurred at this location. Courtesy of Robert Sheets via NOAA
