6 l892 - l000 - Orange Co., Winter Garden - A tornado destroyed five homes. A woman was killed when her home turned completely upside down and fell on her. 5 injuries.
8 1978 - 1720 - Hillsborough Co., Dover - A tornado destroyed 4 block homes, 5 mobile homes, 6 other homes and several cars. 1817 - Windermere, Orange Co. - Tornado severely damaged large lakefront home and damaged 5 other homes. 1835 - Lockhart, Orange Co. to Sanford, Seminole Co. - Large tornado moved through mobile home park near Lockhart destroying 17 trailers, damaging 60 and injuring 23 people, 8 seriously. Tornado continued into Seminole Co., passing southeast of Sanford and causing damage to homes and boats along St. Johns River.
10 1986 - 1730 - Orange Co., Christmas - Thunderstorm winds destroyed 2 mobile homes and damaged a house. Three people in one mobile home suffered cuts and bruises.
11 l9l8 - 2100 - Orange Co., Apopka - A tornado ripped apart 20 buildings.
28 1973 - Afternoon - Central Florida - Tornadoes touched down in Polk, Orange, Osceola, and Brevard Counties. In Orlando hundreds were left homeless and 16 people were injured by a tornado crossing the southwest side of the city. Another tornado ripped off the beacon tower at the Titusville Airport and damaged many signs. A tornado near Dade City injured a man in a mobile home. Another Tornado struck the Ixora Park area of Northwest Osceola Co. damaging 300 homes injuring seven people.
5 l992 - 0400 - 0700 - Brevard, Citrus, Hillsborough, Levy, Marion, Orange, Pasco Counties - A squall line with severe thunderstorm winds and hail swept across central Florida in early morning hours causing widespread minor property damage, but no serious injuries.
19 l963 - Morning - central Florida - Pinellas, Polk, Orange, Seminole, Hillsborough, Lake and Brevard Counties - thunderstorm winds caused damage to buildings, parked aircraft, and some construction equipment. Wind gust blew small car from Sunshine Skyway into the Gulf and drowned the driver. Several small tornadoes touched down briefly in Central Florida causing minor damage.
22-23 1998 - Central Florida - During the late night and early morning hours of 22-23 February 1998 (Sunday - Monday), the most devastating tornado outbreak ever to occur in the state of Florida, in terms of both loss of life and property damage, occurred within the county warning area of the Melbourne (MLB) National Weather Service Office (NWSO). Forty-two people died as a result of the tornadoes and more than 260 others were injured. Over 3,000 structures were damaged, and more than 700 were completely destroyed. Damage was estimated in excess of $100 million. A total of seven confirmed tornadoes occurred that night. Four of the tornadoes were unusually long-lived and produced damage tracks of between 8 and 38 miles, resulting in the majority of damage and all fatalities. Uncommon among Florida tornadoes, the estimated wind speed for three of these twisters reached 200 mph which is on the high end of F3 intensity on the Fujita scale. Although this event was of historical proportion the number of fatalities could have been significantly higher if these killer tornadoes were not accurately forecast, detected, and then warned for in a timely and professional manner.
26 l934 - 0530 - Alachua Co. - A Tornado destroyed 3 farmhouses near La Crosse. 06l5 - Putnam Co., Tornado unroofed and tore apart houses in Palatka. 0730 - Orange Co., A Tornado destroyed a church and small home at Taft.
6 l992 - Early Evening - Central Florida - Hail up to l.75" covered the ground up to a foot deep in southwest Seminole County. l.75" hail fell in Lake County and l.25" hail fell in Orange County. Severe Thunderstorm winds caused damage in Orange, Seminole, Brevard, and Indian River Counties. Damage ran into the millions, but there were no serious injuries.
15 - l8 l960 - north and central Florida - Citrus, Marion, Lake, Seminole, Brevard, Orange, Osceola, Polk, Sumter, Hernando, Pasco and Hillsborough Counties - Heavy Rain and Flood - Generally more than l0 inches of rain fell on a large section of central Florida during this 4-day period and the area of Pasco, Hernando, most of Sumter and the northern portion of Hillsborough counties received close to l5 inches of rain. Many points reported hail, high wind and tornadoes at some point during the period. Resulting high water and river overflow wreaked havoc on roads, bridges and agricultural crops. River overflow and/or accumulated waters in poorly drained areas forced many residents from their homes in several effected counties. Flood on the Hillsborough River considered worst since September l933. Total storm damage, including that of hail, wind, tornadoes, flood and other causes estimated near $20 million, half of which was sustained by agriculture.
l7 l928 - 00l0 - Lake/Orange Cos.- Tornado moved from Lake Jem to Mt. Dora. A woman was killed when she was thrown from her disintegrating home.
19 l98l - 0045 - Orange Co., Orlando - A tornado destroyed l2 houses, damaged 35, and two mobile homes destroyed. l injury. 0200 - Osceola Co., St. Cloud - A tornado destroyed 4 mobile homes, damaged several others, and destroyed l house. ll injuries.
25 l992 - Evening - Central Florida - Hailstorm - The worst hailstorm in Florida history struck the Orlando area just three weeks after one of the worst hailstorms in Central Florida history (see 3/6/92). Hail up to baseball size hit the University of Central Florida (UCF) and the vast greenhouse areas in western Orange County, crippling the nursery industry in the area. Damage was estimated at 60 - l00 million dollars. Smaller hail also fell in North Florida and as far South as Miami. Thunderstorm winds destroyed a citrus packing plant near Groveland in Lake County, injuring eight. The largest official hailstone recorded was 3.00" at the UCF - the third largest Florida hailstone on record, but residents reported larger hail that melted. While it will remain debatable whether the largest hail of all time fell in this storm (that distinction - 4 1/2"- belongs with the 3/30/95 Polk Co. hailstorm), it was clearly the costliest hailstorm in Florida history.
30 1996 - Afternoon - evening - Central Florida - Severe Weather Outbreak
- Tornadoes were documented in Hernando,
Sumter, Lake, Polk, and Brevard counties. In Brevard County, a waterspout
/tornado touched down in Merritt Island and
Cape Canaveral, tearing out windows and damaging roofs on six homes,
destroying a small building on a used car lot, and
damaging the roof of a night club and a dive shop. 25 other buildings
in the area received minor damage. Windows were blown out of 30 vehicles.
Damage estimates were near $500,000. Hail, most the size of baseballs,
severely damaged the roofs,
knocked out windows in nearly 600 homes, and severely damaged 3,000
vehicles in Lake Wales, Polk County. Softball size
hail (4.50-inch) also occurred in Lake Wales, which set a new record
as the largest documented hail for the state of Florida. Hail accumulated
to a depth of one foot in Bartow. Golf ball size hail (1.75-inch)
fell in Hillsborough, Lake, Orange, Seminole, Brevard, Osceola and Martin
counties. An 86 mph wind gust at Bartow Municipal Airport caused window
and roof damage to the FAA tower, severely damaged roofs and doors of two
businesses at the airport, and overturned and demolished five mobile homes
on wheels at a mobile home plant on airport property. Winds blew down trees
in Chuluota, Seminole County, in Mulberry, Polk County, and damaged a van
and injured one person in Ocoee, Orange County. Total property damage was
estimated at $28 million dollars, with the storm producing the record size
hail causing the majority of the damage at nearly $25 million dollars.
19 l988 - 0330 - Gadsden, Madison, Hamilton Cos. - A tornado moved through Madison destroying 17 homes and damaging 30 homes, in addition several commercial buildings, a church, and three buildings at North Florida Junior College were destroyed. Two people were killed in a mobile home and 2 were killed in a farm house - l8 injuries, 6 requiring hospitalization. About 90,000 chicks were killed. Other tornadoes hit Bellville in Hamilton Co., and severe thunderstorm winds were reported in Quincy. Later in the morning severe thunderstorm winds unroofed a house and blew a large tree on a car near Lake Apopka in Orange Co. and a tornado near Mascotte in Lake Co. heavily damage 7 mobile homes and a frame house.
23 l983 - morning to afternoon - Severe weather outbreak across north central Florida. Eleven tornadoes and l2 other severe thunderstorms struck from the big bend area to Jacksonville and Orlando, injuring 9 and causing considerable property damage. A tornado destroyed a 2-story beach house at Alligator Point in Franklin Co., and fifty mobile homes were damaged at Shell Point in Wakulla Co. Two people were injured when thunderstorm winds overturned a trailer at Mayo in Lafayette Co. A tornado struck Bell in Gilchrist Co., destroying several mobile homes and injuring 4. A tornado destroyed a brick home at Fort White in Columbia Co. Other tornadoes were reported in Bradford, Union, Duval, Clay, Marion, Lake, Volusia, and Orange Counties during the early afternoon.
19 1996 afternoon - Orange Co., Orlando - Severe thunderstorm winds
damaged a large hanger door and turned a Boeing
727 aircraft 180 degrees at Orlando International Airport. Lightning
injured three landscape workers near the University of
Central Florida.
21 l98l - afternoon - Orange County - A tornado touched down in the Lockhart area near Horseshoe Lake blowing the roof off one house and damaging at least 6 others. One resident reported hearing a roaring sound lasting several seconds, then a big boom and trees started cracking. At least two other tornadoes were reported around the county as widespread severe thunderstorm activity moved across central Florida. Considerable tree damage and widespread power outages were reported. Orlando International Airport was closed for about 30 minutes during the height of a severe thunderstorm when landings and takeoffs were impossible. No injuries were reported. A tornado struck a mobile home park in southeastern Orange County damaging several carports. A third tornado struck a subdivision in northwestern Orange County causing only minor property damage. Another tornado was reported in Broward County at Deerfield Beach knocking down trees and power lines. Winds to 60 mph were reported at Ft. Lauderdale Beach.
25 l960 - afternoon - Orange Co., Orlando - Lightning killed a person.
26 l988 - l500 - southwest Orange Co. - Lightning killed a l0 year old boy riding his bicycle at a campground.
27 l991 - l8l0 - Orange Co., Orlando - Lightning killed a man and injured 2 on a golf course.
30 l976 - l430 - Orange County, Winter Park - Lightning killed
a l0 year old boy and injured l, while seeking shelter under a tree.
l0 l970 - l630 - Orange Co., Winter Park - Lightning killed an eight year old girl when hit by a badminton pole dislodged by the lightning.
l7 l98l - 1330 - Orange Co., Sea World - Severe thunderstorm winds ripped a l0,000 square ft hole in a 90 ft high pavilion. The storm panicked a crowd of 550 tourists. One death was due to injury and heart attack. l5 injured. The canopy was made of fiberglass and Teflon, designed to withstand l20 mph winds.
25 l953 - l400 - Orange Co., Orlando, Taft - Tornado ripped side and roof from barn, pushed a 2-car shed over, knocked over trees, and stripped grapefruit from trees.
3l l967 - afternoon - Orange Co., Orlando - Lightning killed a person
and injured 4 who were taking refuge in a small shed.
20 l962 - morning - Orange Co., Orlando - One man was killed when the wind blew him off a flatbed truck. He was holding a 4'X 8' plywood sheet.
28 l954 - afternoon/evening - Jefferson, Columbia, Alachua, Orange
Counties - Thunderstorm winds and hail struck Alachua and Orange Counties.
A tornado touched down briefly in Orlando and ripped up 3 large oaks. Trees,
wire lines, and TV antennas were downed in many areas. Considerable wind
damage to roofs and several automobiles were hit by falling trees. A child
was killed by lightning at Lake City. Several others were injured.
7 l989 - l700 - Orange Co., Orlando - Lightning killed a ground crewman while standing near the nose of a DC-9 aircraft.