2012 Tropical Storm Debby tornado outbreak

2012 Tropical Storm Debby tornado outbreak

Track map of radar–derived mesovorticies on June 24, 2012
Type	Tornado outbreak
Duration	June 23–26, 2012
Tornadoes confirmed	25
Max rating^1	EF2 tornado
Duration of tornado outbreak^2	2 days, 18 hours, 50 minutes
Highest winds	67 mph (108 km/h) in Golden Beach[1]
Largest hail	No large hail reported[2]
Damage	$1.8 million[3]
Casualties	1 fatality total
^1Most severe tornado damage; see Enhanced Fujita scale ^2Time from first tornado to last tornado

The 2012 Tropical Storm Debby tornado outbreak was a tropical cyclone-produced severe-weather event that affected the U.S. state of Florida for nearly 3 days on June 23–26, 2012. As of 12:25 p.m. EDT on June 25, the Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Oklahoma, had received 25 tornado reports from Florida, including one fatality near Venus. Throughout the entire event, 25 tornadoes touched down across the state, making the outbreak the second largest on record in Florida, behind only that spawned by Hurricane Agnes, which produced 28 tornadoes on April 18–19, 1972.^[4] At least ten of the tornadoes—the largest 24-hour total in South Florida since Hurricane Isbell produced eight in 1964—had been confirmed in four South Florida counties by the National Weather Service forecast office in Miami.^[5]

Event summary

At 3:44 p.m. CDT on June 23, as Tropical Storm Debby was located west of Florida, the SPC in Norman first noted an increasing potential for severe weather in Southwest Florida, including tornadoes, due to increasing wind shear in the lower levels of the atmosphere.^[6] Later, at 7:09 p.m. CDT, the SPC highlighted a threat of waterspouts in the region.^[7] On June 24 at 10:45 a.m. CDT, after two possible tornadoes had already been reported, the first Tornado Watch was issued for 22 counties in Central and South Florida.^[8] As of 4:00 a.m. CDT on June 25, a Tornado Watch remained in effect in portions of Central Florida.^[9] Despite the tornado watches, no tornadoes were confirmed on June 25. However, on June 26 a lone tornado touched down as Debby lingered over Florida.^[10]

Confirmed tornadoes

Confirmed tornadoes by Enhanced Fujita rating

EF0	EF1	EF2	EF3	EF4	EF5	Total
19	5	1	0	0	0	25

June 23 event

List of reported tornadoes - Saturday, June 23, 2012
EF#	Location	County	Coord.	Time (UTC)	Path length	Comments/Damage
Florida
EF0	ESE of Naples	Collier	26°07′N 81°45′W / 26.12°N 81.75°W	1935	1.7 miles (2.7 km)	A few structures suffered minor roof damage and several trees were downed.
EF0	North Naples	Collier	26°16′N 81°47′W / 26.27°N 81.79°W	2000	100 yards (91 m)	Brief tornado broke tree branches and light poles. One person was injured by a falling branch.
Sources: SPC Storm Reports for 06/23/12, NWS Miami, FL

June 24 event

List of reported tornadoes - Sunday, June 24, 2012
EF#	Location	County	Coord.	Time (UTC)	Path length	Comments/Damage
Florida
EF0	SE of Bowling Green	Hardee	27°38′N 81°53′W / 27.63°N 81.88°W	1415	17 miles (27 km)	Several trees were downed and tractors and a barn were damaged.
EF0	Muse area	Glades	26°50′N 81°30′W / 26.83°N 81.50°W	1500	50 yards (46 m)	A barn suffered roof damage with this brief tornado.
EF0	E of Goodland	Collier	25°55′N 81°40′W / 25.92°N 81.66°W	1510	16.2 miles (26.1 km)	Waterspout moved onshore and downed a few trees.
EF0	WNW of Rock Island	Collier	26°11′N 81°29′W / 26.19°N 81.49°W	1600	50 yards (46 m)	Brief tornado with no damage.
EF0	Venus area	Highlands	27°02′N 81°22′W / 27.04°N 81.36°W	1623	3.6 miles (5.8 km)	1 death - A woman was thrown 200 yards (180 m) from her mobile home and killed when it was destroyed. One other person was injured.
EF0	Lake Worth	Palm Beach	26°37′N 80°04′W / 26.62°N 80.07°W	1625	50 yards (46 m)	Damage was confined to a few homes and some vegetation.
EF0	SW of Immokalee	Collier	26°20′N 81°32′W / 26.34°N 81.53°W	1625	50 yards (46 m)	No damage was reported with this brief tornado.
EF0	West Palm Beach	Palm Beach	26°43′N 80°04′W / 26.71°N 80.06°W	1725	1.2 miles (1.9 km)	Most of the damage occurred to trees. However, a few structures sustained roof damage, a gate was blown across a street, and a railroad crossing arm was broken.
EF0	Golden Beach	Miami-Dade	25°58′N 80°07′W / 25.97°N 80.12°W	1805	0.5 miles (0.80 km)	Waterspout came onshore and twisted a gate. It also blew open a garage door and two more gates.
EF0	SW of Palmdale	Glades	26°56′N 81°19′W / 26.93°N 81.32°W	1904	0.5 miles (0.80 km)	No damage was reported.
EF1	NW of Lake Placid	Highlands	27°20′N 81°23′W / 27.33°N 81.39°W	1923	5.3 miles (8.5 km)	Several homes were severely damaged and power lines were downed. One home of poor construction was left with only one wall standing.
EF1	SSE of Indian Rocks Beach	Pinellas	27°53′N 82°50′W / 27.88°N 82.84°W	1940	0.75 miles (1.21 km)	21 structures were damaged, including mobile homes, car ports, and billboards. Several trees were downed as well.
EF0	NE of Lake Magdalene	Hillsborough	28°09′N 82°22′W / 28.15°N 82.37°W	2039	1.1 miles (1.8 km)	Five homes, pool cages, and fences were damaged and trees were downed.
EF1	SSE of New Port Richey	Pasco	28°14′N 82°43′W / 28.24°N 82.72°W	2117	0.4 miles (0.64 km)	Five homes suffered major damage.
EF0	SE of Winter Haven	Polk	27°58′N 81°41′W / 27.96°N 81.68°W	2255	0.9 miles (1,400 m)	A semi was overturned and trees and power lines were downed.
EF2	E of Winter Haven	Polk	27°57′N 81°41′W / 27.95°N 81.68°W	0004	7 miles (11 km)	17 homes, a retail store, and several mobile homes suffered minor to major roof and other structural damage. Several power lines were downed. One person was injured.
EF1	SSE of St. Petersburg	Pinellas	27°42′N 82°44′W / 27.70°N 82.74°W	0021	3.3 miles (5.3 km)	Large waterspout moved onshore where a marina building was damaged, a house lost its roof, and the top floor of a condo building was destroyed. One two story home had its bottom floor collapse. Multiple other structures sustained lesser roof damage. Trees were downed in the area as well.
EF0	SE of Clermont	Lake	28°29′02″N 81°39′36″W / 28.484°N 81.660°W	0059	3.7 miles (6.0 km)	Tornado moved over Johns Lake and caused minor damage to four homes and surrounding property. Numerous trees were downed.
EF0	Yeehaw Junction area	Osceola	27°41′N 80°54′W / 27.69°N 80.90°W	0155	3.1 miles (5.0 km)	Many trees were downed, a few structures suffered minor damage, and a few vehicles were damaged.
EF1	Sugarmill Woods area	Citrus	28°42′N 82°28′W / 28.70°N 82.47°W	0157	5 miles (8.0 km)	20 homes suffered minor damage. Another home suffered major damage and a mobile home was destroyed. Numerous trees were downed.
EF0	NE of Deer Park	Osceola	28°06′11″N 80°52′34″W / 28.103°N 80.876°W	0246	1.2 miles (1.9 km)	Several trees were downed and a fence was damaged.
EF0	SW of Titusville	Brevard	28°31′52″N 80°51′40″W / 28.531°N 80.861°W	0337	1.2 miles (1.9 km)	A few trees and tree limbs were downed.
Sources: SPC Storm Reports for 06/24/12, NWS Miami, FL, NWS Tampa Bay, FL, NWS Melbourne, FL, NCDC Storm Events Database

June 26 event

List of reported tornadoes - Tuesday, June 26, 2012
EF#	Location	County	Coord.	Time (UTC)	Path length	Comments/Damage
Florida
EF0	ENE of Brighton	Highlands	27°16′N 81°01′W / 27.27°N 81.02°W	1425	1.1 miles (1.8 km)	Brief touchdown with no damage.
Sources: SPC Storm Reports for 06/26/12, NCDC Storm Events Database

See also

• Hurricane Isaac (2012)
• Tornadoes of 2012

References

1. "Florida Event Report: Thunderstorm Winds". National Climatic Data Center. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 2012. Retrieved September 20, 2012.
2. "Storm Reports for June 24, 2012". Storm Prediction Center. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. July 4, 2012. Retrieved September 20, 2012.
3. "Storm Events Database: Florida Tornadoes from June 23–24, 2012". National Climatic Data Center. 2012. Retrieved September 20, 2012.
4. "SPC National Severe Weather Database Browser". Storm Prediction Center. Retrieved 25 June 2012.
5. "Summary of Tornado Reports Over South Florida: June 23-24, 2012" (PDF). NWS Forecast Office, Miami, Florida. Retrieved 25 June 2012.
6. "Mesoscale Discussion 1252". Storm Prediction Center. Retrieved 25 June 2012.
7. "Mesoscale Discussion 1254". Storm Prediction Center. Retrieved 25 June 2012.
8. "Tornado Watch 422". Storm Prediction Center. Retrieved 25 June 2012.
9. "Tornado Watch 423". Storm Prediction Center. Retrieved 25 June 2012.
10. "NCDC Storm Events Database". National Climatic Data Center. Retrieved 30 September 2012.