Tornado causes damage at Tallahassee Airport
 |
An airplane at the Tallahassee International Airport was flipped over as the tornado-warned storm moved through on Wednesday. (Twitter/City of Tallahassee) |
A severe thunderstorm spun up a tornado that struck the Tallahassee International Airport just before noon on Wednesday, causing damage and forcing the airport to be shut down temporarily.
The tornado was confirmed by law enforcement at the airport, located just southwest of downtown Tallahassee, Florida.
"The tornado occurred at the [Tallahassee] airport," the National Weather Service office in Tallahassee, Florida, tweeted. "Our office is northeast of the airport on the campus of FSU and was not affected."
No injuries were reported at the airport, but one hangar and one small plane were damaged, Tallahassee Mayor John Dailey said on Twitter. The airport was closed for around two hours before being reopened early Wednesday afternoon.
 |
A building was damaged at Tallahassee International Airport on Wednesday as severe weather moved through. (Twitter/City of Tallahassee) |
The tornado has been given a preliminary rating of an EF-0, but it could change as the National Weather Service continues to survey the damage in the area.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP
The weather radar that is operated at the airport went offline just as the tornado tracked through the area. Radar is a critical tool used by meteorologists when severe weather strikes and can even show when there is a tornado on the ground that is lofting debris in the air. This is referred to as a "tornado debris signature," meaning the radar is able to differentiate debris from rain, hail and other weather elements.
 |
This radar image shows Tallahassee, Florida, as the tornado-warned thunderstorm moved through the area just before midday Wednesday. (AccuWeather) |
AccuWeather Broadcast Meteorologist Justin Povick said that there was a tornado debris signature on the radar at the Tallahassee radar site as the tornado-warned storm moved overhead.
The radar has since gone offline, but it escaped unharmed, according to the National Weather Service.
There is no damage. That's discoloration on the dome. Most radars get dirty over time, until they get a cleaning or a new paint job. Radar is okay, besides comms issues in the area. https://t.co/wofDwl0puH
— NWS Tallahassee (@NWSTallahassee) January 27, 2021
Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
