:2007 Groundhog Day tornado outbreak
{{Short description|None}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2012}}
{{good article}}
{{Infobox storm
| partof = the tornado outbreaks of 2007
| name = 2007 Groundhog Day tornado outbreak
| image = Track of the 2007 Central Florida tornadoes.jpg
| alt = A map displaying the path of the three tornadoes.
| caption = Tracks of the three tornadoes in Florida
| type = Tornado outbreak
| active = February 2, 2007
| lowest pressure =
| lowest temperature =
| tornadoes = 4
| fujitascale = EF3
| tornado duration = 4 hours, 54 minutes
| highest winds =
| hail =
| gusts =
| maximum snow =
| power outages =
| fatalities = 21 fatalities; 76 injuries
| damages = $218 million (2007 US$){{cite web|title=Storm Event database |publisher=National Climatic Data Center |url=http://www4.ncdc.noaa.gov/cgi-win/wwcgi.dll?wwevent~storms |access-date=July 10, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080328072232/http://www4.ncdc.noaa.gov/cgi-win/wwcgi.dll?wwevent~storms |archive-date=March 28, 2008 |df=mdy }}
| affected = Central Florida
| current advisories =
| enhanced = yes
| notes =
}}
The 2007 Groundhog Day tornado outbreak was a localized but devastating tornado event that took place in central Florida early on February 2, 2007. Early morning temperatures had risen well above average for the season; combined with increased moisture and a powerful jet stream, this created enough instability and wind shear for thunderstorms to rotate and spawn tornadoes. Due to the conditions, a long-tracked supercell formed and produced three tornadoes over one hour and seventeen minutes. The supercell resulted in a 70-mile (110-kilometer) trail of damage.
Twenty-one people were killed and 76 others were injured in the outbreak. The first tornado damaged 1,145 homes and destroyed 200 others in Sumter County before hitting the Lady Lake area where it killed eight people. A total of 180 homes were damaged and 101 homes were destroyed in Lake County.{{Cite news | first=Chris | last=Bonanno | title=Severe weather awareness week well-timed | url=http://www.floridatoday.com/story/news/local/2015/01/30/weather-wise-severe-weather-awareness-week-timed/22602229/| newspaper=Florida Today | location=Melbourne, Florida| pages= 3A, 8A | date=January 31, 2015 | access-date=February 2, 2015}} The second tornado killed 13 people in the Lake Mack area and damaged or destroyed over 500 homes and other structures during its existence, including the {{convert|1500|ft|m|abbr=off|sp=us|adj=on}} tall transmission tower of WCFB FM.{{Cite web|url=http://cflradio.net/94.5_WCFB_FM_Tower_Collapse.htm|title=WCFB-FM 94.5 Tower Collapse|website=cflradio.net|access-date=2016-09-30}} The final tornado damaged roofs, car ports and garage doors along its path through New Smyrna Beach. The outbreak was the second deadliest on record for Florida and caused an estimated $218 million in damage.
Synopsis
File:Radar loop of the 2007 Central Florida tornadoes.gif
In east central Florida, a warm sector, a region of warm surface air between a cold front and a warm front,{{cite web
| title =NOAA's National Weather Service – Glossary
| publisher =National Weather Service
| url =http://forecast.weather.gov/glossary.php?word=warm%20sector
| access-date =July 6, 2009 }}
was positioned ahead of a progressing cold front. Large scale lift was supported by a very strong jet stream aloft, with strong vertical shear evident, conducive for rotating thunderstorms and tornadoes. Instability increased overnight with temperatures and dew points increasing through the pre-dawn hours. For example, northwest of Orlando, temperatures were still at {{convert|75|°F|°C}}, which was about 3 degrees warmer than the average high for the day and 14 degrees warmer than the average low. The conditions helped several thunderstorm cells to develop ahead of the cold front in a line, in the Gulf of Mexico. One of these thunderstorm cells matured into a supercell thunderstorm that remained intact, while other cells to its north failed to sustain themselves. The supercell had strong rotation visible on radar as it approached the western Florida Coast before it produced three tornadoes, two rated EF3 from Sumter County to the coastal waters of Volusia County during the early morning hours of February 2, 2007. After moving offshore, the main tornado-producing supercell quickly weakened and decayed into a bunch of showers, while another supercell produced an EF0 tornado four hours after the main supercell moved offshore.{{cite web |author1=National Weather Service in Melbourne, Florida |title=The Groundhog Day Tornado Outbreak |url=http://www.srh.noaa.gov/mlb/?n=020207 |publisher=National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304075908/http://www.srh.noaa.gov/mlb/?n=020207 |archive-date=4 March 2016 |url-status=dead}}
At 3:06 am EST (0806 UTC), the National Weather Service (NWS) issued a tornado warning for northern Lake County until 4:00 am EST (0900 UTC).{{cite web|publisher=National Weather Service Melbourne Weather Forecast Office|date=February 2, 2007|access-date=July 6, 2009|title=Tornado Warning|url=http://www.srh.noaa.gov/mlb/surveys/020207/products/tor/tor_020304.txt |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070402002146/http://www.srh.noaa.gov/mlb/surveys/020207/products/tor/tor_020304.txt |archive-date = April 2, 2007}} At 3:10 am EST (0810 UTC), the first tornado touched down near The Villages and traveled at {{convert|55|mph|km/h}} into Lake County.{{cite web |title=February 2, Weather Event #17515 (Tornado) |url=https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=17515 |access-date=April 23, 2023 |publisher=National Climatic Data Center}} Five minutes after the tornado touched down, a severe weather update bulletin was issued by the NWS stating that there was a high likelihood of an extremely dangerous tornado and people in the path were in a life-threatening situation.{{cite web|publisher=National Weather Service Melbourne Weather Forecast Office|date=February 2, 2007|access-date=July 7, 2009|title=Severe Weather Statement|url=http://www.srh.noaa.gov/mlb/surveys/020207/products/svs/svs_020317.txt |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070211211248/http://www.srh.noaa.gov/mlb/surveys/020207/products/svs/svs_020317.txt |archive-date = February 11, 2007}} The tornado received an EF3 rating on the Enhanced Fujita Scale and had a track length of {{convert|16.5|mi|km}}. Initially, the tornado was thought to have still been on the ground and a third bulletin was released at 3:34 am EST (0834 UTC). At this time, Doppler radar indicated that a tornado was forming or was on the ground roughly {{convert|5|mi|km}} north of Umatilla.{{cite web|publisher=National Weather Service Melbourne Weather Forecast Office|date=February 2, 2007|access-date=July 7, 2009|title=Severe Weather Statement|url=http://www.srh.noaa.gov/mlb/surveys/020207/products/svs/svs_020336.txt |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070211211308/http://www.srh.noaa.gov/mlb/surveys/020207/products/svs/svs_020336.txt |archive-date = February 11, 2007}}
File:Deland_Tornado_February_2nd,_2007.png
The mesocyclone that produced the first tornado restrengthened and formed another tornado near Paisley at 3:37 am EST (0837 UTC) in Lake County. A second tornado warning was issued at 3:52 am EST (0852 UTC) for Volusia County as the tornado was tracking toward the area.{{cite web|publisher=National Weather Service|date=February 2, 2007|access-date=July 7, 2009|title=Tornado Warning|url=http://www.srh.noaa.gov/mlb/surveys/020207/products/tor/tor_020352.txt |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070402000523/http://www.srh.noaa.gov/mlb/surveys/020207/products/tor/tor_020352.txt |archive-date = April 2, 2007}} It went east northeast toward the Lake Mack area, exceeding {{convert|50|mph|km/h}}.{{cite web| title =February 2, Weather Event #650106 (Tornado)| publisher =National Climatic Data Center| url =http://www4.ncdc.noaa.gov/cgi-win/wwcgi.dll?wwevent~ShowEvent~650106| archive-url =https://archive.today/20090723051354/http://www4.ncdc.noaa.gov/cgi-win/wwcgi.dll?wwevent~ShowEvent~650106| url-status =dead| archive-date =July 23, 2009| access-date =July 8, 2009}} The tornado received an EF3 rating on the Enhanced Fujita Scale and traveled a total of {{convert|26|mi|km}}. A third tornado warning was issued in Volusia County at 4:13 am EST (0913 UTC), nearly ten minutes before the third tornado touched down.{{cite web|publisher=National Weather Service Melbourne Weather Forecast Office|date=February 2, 2007|access-date=July 7, 2009|title=Tornado Warning|url=http://www.srh.noaa.gov/mlb/surveys/020207/products/tor/tor_020413.txt |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070402095411/http://www.srh.noaa.gov/mlb/surveys/020207/products/tor/tor_020413.txt |archive-date = April 2, 2007}} The supercell produced its last tornado east of I-95 at 4:22 am EST (0922 UTC) and dissipated five minutes later at the Intracoastal Waterway, {{convert|3|mi|km}} from where it touched down. The tornado had a maximum width of {{convert|100|yd|m}} around the time it reached peak intensity.{{cite web |title=February 2, Weather Event #19002 (Tornado) |url=https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=19002 |access-date=April 23, 2023 |publisher=National Climatic Data Center}} The tornado was rated EF1 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale and traveled for {{convert|3|mi|km}}.
{{clear}}
Confirmed tornadoes
{{Tornado Chart
|Total = 4
|F0 = 1
|F1 = 1
|F2 = 0
|F3 = 2
|F4 = 0
|F5 = 0
|Enhanced=yes
}}
=February 2 event=
| class="wikitable sortable" style="width:100%;"
|+ List of confirmed tornadoes – Friday, February 2, 2007{{efn|All dates are based on the local time zone where the tornado touched down; however, all times are in Coordinated Universal Time for consistency.|group=note|name=Date/Time}} ! scope="col" style="width:3%; text-align:center;"|EF# ! scope="col" style="width:7%; text-align:center;" class="unsortable"|Location ! scope="col" style="width:6%; text-align:center;" class="unsortable"|County / Parish ! scope="col" style="width:3%; text-align:center;"|State ! scope="col" style="width:6%; text-align:center;"|Start Coord. ! scope="col" style="width:5%; text-align:center;"|Time (UTC) ! scope="col" style="width:6%; text-align:center;"|Path length ! scope="col" style="width:6%; text-align:center;"|Max width ! scope="col" class="unsortable" style="width:48%; text-align:center;"|Summary |
| bgcolor=#{{Storm colour|cat3}} | EF3
|E of Wildwood to E of Lady Lake |FL |{{Coord|28.8815 |
| 82.0457|name=Wildwood (Feb. 2, EF3)}}
|08:10–08:25 |{{convert|16.17|mi|km|abbr=on|sortable=on}} |{{convert|450|yd|m|abbr=on|sortable=on}} |8 deaths – The first tornado from the main supercell began near Wildwood and moved across the south side of The Villages, where numerous frame homes were damaged or destroyed. The tornado then struck the neighboring town of Lady Lake, where numerous mobile homes were obliterated and Lady Lake Church was completely destroyed. Numerous trees were snapped and uprooted, and several greenhouses were destroyed further along the path before the tornado dissipated. 1,246 homes and mobile homes were damaged, and 301 others were destroyed. In addition to the fatalities, an additional 25 people were injured. This was the first tornado to occur after implementation of the Enhanced Fujita Scale. The tornado caused $114 million in damage.{{cite web|publisher=National Centers for Environmental Information|year=2007|access-date=December 8, 2021|title=Florida Event Report: EF3 Tornado|url=https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=17515}}{{cite web|publisher=National Centers for Environmental Information|year=2007|access-date=December 8, 2021|title=Florida Event Report: EF3 Tornado|url=https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=18948}} |
| bgcolor=#{{Storm colour|cat3}} | EF3
|FL |{{Coord|28.9588 |
| 81.5871|name=Paisley (Feb. 2, EF3)}}
|08:37–09:10 |{{convert|26.03|mi|km|abbr=on|sortable=on}} |{{convert|450|yd|m|abbr=on|sortable=on}} |13 deaths – After the previous EF3 tornado had dissipated, the supercell produced a second EF3 tornado, the deadliest of the outbreak (the third deadliest tornado in Florida's history behind the Milton F3 tornado in 1962 with 17 fatalities and the Kissimmee tornado of 1998 with 25 fatalities), at 3:37 a.m. EST (08:37 UTC). The high-end EF3 tornado first touched down southwest of Paisley, snapping numerous trees and toppling a radio tower before moving east and striking Lake Mack. Numerous mobile homes and RVs were obliterated, and numerous trees were snapped and debarked, some of which had mobile home frames wrapped around them. The tornado continued east and tore through the south side of DeLand before dissipating. Numerous mobile homes, frame homes, and apartment buildings were damaged or destroyed in DeLand. In all, 421 homes and mobile homes were damaged, and 192 others were destroyed. A total of 51 people injured. Damage totaled $52 million.{{cite web |url=http://www.weather.gov/media/mlb/surveys/020207.pdf|title=The Groundhog Day Tornado Outbreak |date=February 17, 2007 |website=National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office in Melbourne, Florida |publisher=National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration |access-date=March 11, 2014}}{{cite web|publisher=National Centers for Environmental Information|year=2007|access-date=December 8, 2021|title=Florida Event Report: EF3 Tornado|url=https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=18950}}{{cite web|publisher=National Centers for Environmental Information|year=2007|access-date=December 8, 2021|title=Florida Event Report: EF3 Tornado|url=https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=19002}} |
| bgcolor=#{{Storm colour|cat1}} | EF1
|FL |{{Coord|29.0641 |
| 80.9890|name=New Smyrna Beach (Feb. 2, EF1)}}
|09:22–09:27 |{{convert|3.1|mi|km|abbr=on|sortable=on}} |{{convert|100|yd|m|abbr=on|sortable=on}} |Many homes sustained structural damage, mainly to roofs and chimneys. Carports, garage doors, and pool screens were damaged as well.{{cite web|publisher=National Centers for Environmental Information|year=2007|access-date=December 8, 2021|title=Florida Event Report: EF1 Tornado|url=https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=19002}} |
| bgcolor=#{{Storm colour|storm}} | EF0
|Polk |FL |{{Coord|27.73 |
| 81.53|name=Frostproof (Feb. 2, EF0)}}
|13:00–13:04 |{{convert|0.5|mi|km|abbr=on|sortable=on}} |{{convert|50|yd|m|abbr=on|sortable=on}} |A house sustained shingle loss, two sheds were blown over, and several citrus trees were downed.{{cite web|publisher=National Centers for Environmental Information|year=2007|access-date=December 8, 2021|title=Florida Event Report: EF0 Tornado|url=https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=12846}} |
Aftermath
File:Deland 3.jpg|alt=What was a brick two-story home has had its roof and parts of the second floor torn off. Debris and tree branches are strewn all over the surrounding lawn.]]
The outbreak was the second-deadliest on record for Florida, behind one that killed 42 people in February 1998.{{cite web
|last = Forbes
|first = Greg
|author-link = Gregory S. Forbes
|title = Deadly Florida Tornado Outbreak
|publisher = The Weather Channel
|date = February 3, 2007
|url = http://www.weather.com/blog/weather/8_11687.html
|access-date = July 11, 2009
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20091210070646/http://www.weather.com/blog/weather/8_11687.html
|archive-date = December 10, 2009
|url-status = dead
|df = mdy-all
}} Damages from the tornado outbreak totaled $218 million (2007 US$). Christopher Patton, spokesman for the Lake County emergency operations center, described the damage as "unlike even perhaps the hurricanes of 2004 when we had minor roof damage, screen damage, pool damage. This is way far more devastating."{{cite web
|agency = Reuters
|title = 14 killed by tornadoes in central Florida
|work = The Star
|date = February 2, 2007
|url = http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2007/2/2/worldupdates/2007-02-02T205358Z_01_NOOTR_RTRJONC_0_-286166-2&sec=Worldupdates
|access-date = July 7, 2009
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110604024249/http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=%2F2007%2F2%2F2%2Fworldupdates%2F2007-02-02T205358Z_01_NOOTR_RTRJONC_0_-286166-2&sec=Worldupdates
|archive-date = June 4, 2011
|url-status = dead
|df = mdy-all
}} The tornadoes were the first to be rated on the Enhanced Fujita Scale, which replaced the original Fujita Scale.{{cite news
| agency =Associated Press
| title =Tornado to Be 1st Assessed by New Scale
|newspaper=The Washington Post
| date =February 2, 2007
| url =https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/02/AR2007020201570.html
| access-date =July 11, 2009}}
U.S. President George W. Bush signed a declaration to designate Sumter, Lake, Volusia and Seminole counties as disaster areas.{{cite web
| title =Disaster aid coming for tornado-ravaged central Florida
|publisher=CBC |location=Canada
| date =February 3, 2007
| url =https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/disaster-aid-coming-for-tornado-ravaged-central-florida-1.649289
| access-date =July 10, 2009}} A state of emergency was declared by Governor Charlie Crist for the same counties.{{cite web
| last =Sepulvado
| first =John
| title =Florida Death Toll Continues to Rise After Storms
| publisher =National Public Radio
| date =February 2, 2007
| url =https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=7138282
| access-date =July 8, 2009}} More than 400 American Red Cross volunteers from across several states went to help in central Florida. The Tampa Bay chapter of the American Red Cross sent six volunteers with emergency response vehicles to the main area of damage.{{cite web
| last =Hackett
| first =Alexandra
| title =Volunteers descend on Central Florida
| publisher =WTSP
| year =2007
| url =http://www.wtsp.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=48717
| access-date =July 10, 2009}} The Walt Disney Company donated $50,000 to the American Red Cross to help aid victims and Feed The Children sent two truckloads of relief supplies to the central Florida area. The Salvation Army brought several mobile kitchens to offer relief to victims and Verizon Wireless helped by offering citizens the use of a wireless emergency communication center, in addition to cleaning and repairing cellular phones damaged by the storms.{{cite web
|title = People, Corporations Across Nation Pledge Help
|publisher = WESH
|date = February 5, 2007
|url = http://www.wesh.com/news/10922016/detail.html
|access-date = July 10, 2009
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070208172436/http://www.wesh.com/news/10922016/detail.html
|archive-date = February 8, 2007
|url-status = dead
|df = mdy-all
}} Katie Couric anchored the CBS Evening News from Lady Lake on February 2. The broadcast was slated to be from Miami, where Super Bowl XLI was held two days later as the game was to air on CBS. A moment of silence was held before Super Bowl XLI in Miami to honor the victims of the tornadoes.{{cite web
| agency =Associated Press
| title =Victims of central Florida storms remembered before Super Bowl
|publisher=ESPN
| date =February 4, 2007
| url =https://www.espn.com/espn/wire?section=nfl&id=2754338
| access-date =July 10, 2009 }}
See also
Notes
{{reflist|group=note}}
References
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}
External links
{{commons category}}
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20090204204759/http://www.tampabay.com/specials/2008/reports/lady-lake-anniv/ Special Report: The Central Florida Tornadoes: One Year Later] from the St. Petersburg Times
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20100528115201/http://www.flhsmv.gov/html/reports_and_statistics/mhd_reports/Lady%20Lake%20Tornado%20Report.pdf Lady Lake tornado report]
{{2007 tornado outbreaks}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Groundhog Day tornadoes, 2007}}
Category:F3, EF3 and IF3 tornadoes