Florida has already seen more tornadoes this year than in all of 2023
Getting tired of tornadoes? Florida has already seen more twisters this year than all of 2023.
Much of the country has, in fact. This year is shaping up as one of the busiest years for tornadoes in recorded history, with May's number significantly higher than previous years. According to the National Weather Service's preliminary reports, Florida isn't even in the top 10 tornado-ravaged states so far in 2024.
There have been 1,495 reports of tornado activity this year through July 29, the NWS said. These have not yet been verified. The actual number of tornadoes all last year was 1,321, which was up from 2022's 1,143 and 2021's 1,314.
The Sunshine State has seen 55 reported tornadoes so far in 2024, including an EF-2 in May that tore through downtown Tallahassee as part of a multi-tornado storm, and multiple reports in January including an EF-3 in Bay County and an EF-2 in Fort Myers. Last year, there were 54 confirmed twisters in the state, according to NWS data.
That's still below the state's 50-year average of 58.7 tornadoes per year, and nowhere near the 146 twisters that Texas has seen in 2024.
So far the NWS reports 41 fatalities nationwide from tornado activity in its preliminary report, but none are yet listed in Florida. Two deaths were reported in the aftermath of the May Tallahassee tornado, a 47-year-old woman who died when a tree crashed on her mobile home and a 17-year-old girl who was struck by a tree in a wooded area.
Why are we seeing so many tornadoes?
Meteorologists interviewed by USA TODAY blame an active jet stream aided in part by the fading El Niño, a climate pattern in the Pacific Ocean that affects weather in the U.S. and around the world, coupled with a series of powerhouse storms rolling from the West Coast across the nation.
There's also the increased heat this year in the South, in Central America and the Gulf of Mexico preventing cold fronts from making any southern headway. "The moisture remains in place, that's one of the fundamental ingredients you need for tornadoes," said Victor Gensini, an associate professor of meteorology and severe weather at Northern Illinois University.
During May, when a heat dome over Central America and the Gulf of Mexico allowed for moisture to build, dozens of tornadoes struck Arkansas, Kentucky, Oklahoma and Texas, accounting for at least 23 deaths.
You're not imagining it: There have been a lot of tornadoes this spring. Here's why.
How do most people die during tornadoes?
There have been 23 killer tornadoes this year, with 41 reported fatalities nationwide:
21 died in manufactured/mobile homes
9 died in homes (uncategorized)
3 died in a vehicle
2 died outside
1 died in a building
5 locations were unknown
Which states have seen the most tornadoes in 2024?
According to NWS preliminary data, these are the states with the most reported tornadoes so far this year as of July 29.
Texas: 146
Nebraska: 131
Iowa: 129
Illinois: 122
Missouri: 97
Kansas: 88
Ohio: 78
Oklahoma: 73
Louisiana: 70
Kentucky: 57
Florida: 55
What year did Florida see the most tornadoes? What is the Night of the Tornadoes?
The most tornadoes hit the state in 1997 when 115 tornadoes were spotted across Florida. No fatalities were reported.
The next year saw 109, but far more damage. Between Feb. 21 and 23, 1998, fifteen tornadoes touched down with seven of them hitting the night of the 22nd, tearing a 50-mile path through Central Florida. More than 3,600 homes and businesses were damaged or destroyed with 42 people killed and 259 injured in the deadliest tornado event in state history.
Called the Night of the Tornadoes, one of them was originally rated an F-4 on the Fujita scale (later downgraded to a high F-3) and was responsible for 25 deaths near Kissimmee, the highest single-tornado death toll Florida has ever seen.
In 2004, the year four hurricanes hit the state one after the other, we saw 106 tornadoes. Six people were killed, according to NWS data.
How are tornadoes rated? What is the EF scale?
The Enhanced Fujita Scale or EF Scale measures tornadoes based on estimated wind speeds of 3-second gusts and the damage they cause based on a judgment of eight levels of damage to 28 indicators including different varieties of buildings, towers, poles and trees, according to the National Weather Service.
EF-0: 65-85 mph
EF-1: 86-110 mph
EF-2: 111-135 mph
EF-3: 136-165 mph
EF-4: 166-200 mph
EF-5: Over 200 mph
EF ratings are assigned after the tornado has passed and damage can be surveyed and assessed. They seek to measure damage caused by a tornado and may not be a strict measurement of wind speeds.
The EF Scale has been revised from the original Fujita Scale introduced in 1971 by Ted Fujita, a meteorologist at the University of Chicago, with help from what was then called the Allen Pearson, head of the National Severe Storms Forecast Center and is now the Storm Prediction Center. The EF Scale was established in the U.S. in 2007.
Contributors: Dinah Voyles Pulver, Elizabeth Weise, Doyle Rice, USA TODAY
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Tornadoes in Florida: State has seen 55 this year, 11th most in US
