Although Florida is most known for its tropical storms, the Sunshine State has experienced many natural disasters, including tornadoes. Some of the most destructive tornadoes have struck Florida, reportedly during the spring and summer. Florida has the distinction of having a higher frequency of tornadoes per 10,000 square miles than any other state.
What is a tornado? In simple terms, a tornado is a violently rotating column of air that is created by a severe thunderstorm. It often appears to have a funnel shape and can develop suddenly, having winds over 250 mph.
In Florida, tornadoes form along a squall line ahead of an advancing cold front; along the squall lines in areas where masses of warm air converge; from isolated thunderstorms and/or within a hurricane.
The intensity of a tornado can be determined only when survey teams from the National Weather Service can examine the structural damage in the aftermath. After the survey is complete, the tornado is given a value from the Fujita Scale, a scale developed by Dr. T. Theodore Fujita, that categorizes tornadoes on the basis of their intensity and area. Over the years, the new Enhanced Fujita Scale (EF Scale) arose in 2007 and allowed scientists to determine the intensity of a tornado when there is no structural damage.
The EF Scale rates tornadoes as follows:
EF 0 (Gale): wind gusts of 65-85 mph; some damage to chimneys; branches broken off of trees; shallow-rooted trees pushed over, etc.
EF 1 (Weak): wind gusts of 86-110 mph; surfaces peeled off of roofs; damaged/pushed mobile homes; moving cars pushed off of roads, etc.
EF 2 (Strong): wind gusts of 111-135 mph; considerable damage; roofs torn off houses; demolished mobile homes; large trees snapped or uprooted, etc.
EF 3 (Severe): wind gusts of 136-165 mph; roof and walls torn off well-constructed homes; overturned trains; uprooted trees; structures with weak foundations blown off, etc.
EF 4 (Devastating): wind gusts of 166-200 mph; well-constructed houses leveled; cars thrown, etc.
EF 5 (Incredible): wind gusts of 200+ mph; strong framed houses lifted off of foundations and carried a considerable distance; trees debarked; steel reinforced structures damaged, etc.
There have been several tornadoes that have occurred in Madison County, with the first being recorded on June 1, 1959. This tornado was ranked as an EF 1 on the EF Scale with zero fatalities. On Dec. 3, 1968, an EF 1 tornado occurred, with zero fatalities.
On Dec. 25, 1969, more than a year later, Madison received an EF 2 tornado with no fatalities and one injury. On Sep. 9, 1971, an EF 0 hit Madison and no damage was done.
Madison was hit by EF 1 tornadoes with no damage on Oct. 20, 1976 and Dec. 29, 1983.
Madison received one of the deadliest tornadoes in the state of Florida on April 19, 1988, an EF 3 tornado that killed four people and injured 18. The tornado moved southwest of Madison to 11 miles east-northeast of Madison. 17 homes were destroyed, according to the Florida Climate Center, and more than 30 homes were damaged. At North Florida Junior College (now called North Florida Community College), three buildings were destroyed and nine were damaged.
More of Madison's tornado history can be viewed at www.tornadohistoryproject.com/tornado/Florida/Madison/table.
