Tornado Rips Through Florida Panhandle, Alabama

CENTURY, FL — While the Tampa Bay area escaped Monday’s storms largely unscathed, the same cannot be said for some parts of Florida.

The National Weather Service’s Mobile, Ala., office has confirmed a tornado touchdown in Century. That twister left a swath of damage in its wake as it moved through north Escambia County and into Alabama Monday afternoon. At least three people were injured as the tornado moved through, several media outlets have reported.

Staff members from the weather service’s Mobile office were out assessing the damage Tuesday morning, said meteorologist Cody Linsey. The intensity of the tornado, which was first reported just after 3 p.m., is still under investigation.

The lingering storms also gave rise to potential tornado activity in South Florida. A Florida Highway Patrolman reportedly called in a tornado touchdown in Collier County Tuesday morning, the Naples Daily News reported. It is unclear if that storm caused any damage. Possible tornado activity has also been reported in the Miami-Dade County area.

See Also:

• Florida Tornadoes Were No Freak Storms, Forecasters Warn
• 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

Tornado activity in the wintertime is nothing new in Florida, but this year’s El Nino weather pattern is being blamed for a greater likelihood of stronger storms developing. In January, two EF-2 tornadoes touched down on the same night, causing damage in Sarasota and Manatee counties. The Sarasota tornado was blamed for more than $12 million in damage while Manatee’s storm claimed the lives of two people.

While EF-2 tornadoes are “unusual” in Florida compared with smaller waterspouts that are frequent in the summertime, National Weather Service meteorologist Andrew McKaughan said they can and, as evidenced in recent history, 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.”

“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.

As winter rolls on, Lindsey recommends all Floridians make sure they are prepared for storms and learn the difference between tornado watches and warnings. Watches, he said, are issued when conditions are favorable for tornado development. Warnings are issued when severe weather is imminent.

“It’s good to be prepared and to know when conditions are favorable,” he said. When warnings are issued, it’s important for residents to “take that action.”

Now that the storms have moved through the Tampa Bay area, residents can anticipate a fairly mild week. The weather service’s Ruskin office is forecasting mostly sunny conditions with highs in the low 70s through Friday.

For an extended forecast in your neighborhood, visit your local Patch’s homepage. To learn more about severe weather preparedness, visit the National Weather Service online.

Photos courtesy of NorthEscambia.com.