Hurricane Agnes tornado outbreak
On June 18–19, 1972, Hurricane Agnes generated the third-deadliest tropical cyclone-related tornado outbreak in the United States since 1900, as well as the deadliest such tornado outbreak on record in Florida. The outbreak lasted about 38 hours and produced at least 19 confirmed tornadoes, though some studies suggested nearly a dozen more. Two of the tornadoes killed a total of seven people and were not classified as tornadoes by the National Weather Service until 2018. In Florida alone, the outbreak inflicted at least 135 injuries and destroyed 15 homes, while 119 homes received damage. Statewide, 217 trailers were destroyed and 196 trailers incurred damage. Additionally, six businesses were destroyed, while six others were damaged.[1][nb 2][nb 3][nb 4][nb 5]
.jpg.webp) Damage from an F2 tornado in Key West, Florida | |
| Type | Tornado outbreak Tropical cyclone |
|---|---|
| Duration | June 18–19, 1972 |
| Tornadoes confirmed | 19 confirmed |
| Max. rating1 | F3 tornado |
| Duration of tornado outbreak2 | 1 day, 13 hours, 45 minutes |
| Fatalities | 7 fatalities, ≥ 135 injuries |
| Damage | $5,570,030 (1972 USD)[nb 1] $39 million (2023 USD) |
| Areas affected | Florida and Georgia |
Part of the tornadoes of 1972 1Most severe tornado damage; see Fujita scale 2Time from first tornado to last tornado | |
Background
Reanalysis of the 1972 Hurricane Agnes tornado outbreak
The interaction of baroclinic features with Agnes resulted in a tropical cyclone with "hybrid" characteristics, which increased the threat of strong tornadoes with longer path lengths.[15][16] The outbreak became the most significant tornado outbreak associated with a tropical cyclone prior to landfall.[1] The presence of strong wind shear surrounding the tropical cyclone facilitated the development of strong tornadoes, including the greatest number of tornadoes of at least F2 intensity within one 24-hour period in Florida.[1][15] Studies have suggested strong wind shear in the lower levels of the atmosphere is a common feature during tornado outbreaks involving the outer rain bands of tropical cyclones near Florida.[2] Additionally, in Florida cases, the favored region for tornado outbreaks is the northeastern quadrant of northward-moving tropical cyclones. Agnes represented one of these cases.[2][17]
Daily statistics
| Impacts by region | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Region | Locale | County | Deaths | Injuries | Damages | Source |
| United States | Florida | Brevard | 0 | 34 | $3,580,000 | [18][5][19] |
| Glades | 0 | 6 | $190,000 | [18][5] | ||
| Hendry | 1 | 1 | $10,000 | [18][5] | ||
| Highlands | 0 | 0 | $30 | [18][5] | ||
| Lee | 0 | 0 | $125,000 | [18][5] | ||
| Monroe | 0 | 40 | $752,000 | [18][5][19] | ||
| Okeechobee | 6 | 46 | $525,000 | [18][5] | ||
| Palm Beach | 0 | 0 | $10,000 | [18][5] | ||
| Pasco | 0 | 4 | $20,000 | [18][5] | ||
| Polk | 0 | 3 | $43,000 | [18][5] | ||
| Volusia | 0 | 0 | $40,000 | [18][5] | ||
| Georgia | Coffee | 0 | 0 | $250,000 | [18][6] | |
| Pierce | 0 | 1 | $25,000 | [18][6] | ||
| Total | 7 | 135 | $5,570,030 | [5][6][18][19] | ||
Confirmed tornadoes
| FU | F0 | F1 | F2 | F3 | F4 | F5 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 1 | 7 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 0 | ≥ 19 |
| "FU" denotes unclassified but confirmed tornadoes. | |||||||
- A number of undocumented tornadoes were located in 2002, but were overlooked at the time of the outbreak. Most of these remain unlisted in official records. For example, a brief tornado struck Everglades City. Trees were prostrated and portions of a home were transported for 1⁄4 mi (0.40 km).[20][1] Additionally, a brief tornado damaged a roof and two airplanes in the town of Immokalee. Power lines were downed in the area.[20][1]
June 18 event
| F# | Location | County / Parish | State | Start coord. |
Time (UTC) | Path length | Max. width | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| F2 | Big Coppitt Key | Monroe | Florida | 24.62°N 81.68°W | 06:15–? | 1 mile (1.6 km) | 100 yards (91 m) | Tornado developed over Geiger Key, striking a trailer park. In all, 47–60 trailers and five homes incurred damage. One frame residence lost its roof. Losses totalled $342,000, and 40 people were injured.[22][19][23] |
| F2 | Northern Key West | Monroe | Florida | 24.57°N 81.80°W | 07:00–? | 1.5 miles (2.4 km) | 50 yards (46 m) | Buildings were destroyed and unroofed on the northern side of Key West. Losses amounted to $400,000.[22][19] |
| F1 | Conch Key | Monroe | Florida | 24.83°N 80.88°W | 10:00–? | 2 miles (3.2 km) | 20 yards (18 m) | The majority of the damage occurred on Conch Key, where the tornado damaged six trailers. Losses amounted to less than $10,000.[22] |
| F1 | NNE of Basinger | Okeechobee | Florida | 27.43°N 81.00°W | 17:55–? | 1 mile (1.6 km) | 50 yards (46 m) | This tornado first impacted U.S. Route 98 and damaged or destroyed six mobile homes. Two individuals received injuries, and damages totalled $20,000.[24][22] |
| F2 | WSW of Sanibel | Lee | Florida | 26.43°N 82.12°W | 18:38–? | 0.3 miles (0.48 km) | 30 yards (27 m) | Five stores and the roof of a church were destroyed. Losses reached $15,000. Grazulis did not list this tornado as an F2 or stronger.[22][19] |
| F2 | Pine Island | Lee | Florida | 26.62°N 82.17°W | 19:00–? | 2 miles (3.2 km) | 50 yards (46 m) | This tornado passed through three trailer parks and destroyed four mobile homes. Several stores received damage as well. Losses were near $50,000. Grazulis did not list this tornado as an F2 or stronger.[25][19] |
| F1 | NNE of Lake Alfred | Polk | Florida | 28.13°N 81.70°W | 19:10–? | 0.3 miles (0.48 km) | 50 yards (46 m) | This tornado struck the Haines City Mobile Home Park and severely damaged six mobile homes. Three minor injuries occurred, and damages reached $43,000.[26][25] |
| F2 | Lehigh Acres | Lee | Florida | 26.62°N 81.63°W | 20:00–? | 0.5 miles (0.80 km) | 20 yards (18 m) | A brief tornado struck and destroyed a television transmission tower. Damages were estimated at $60,000. Grazulis did not list this tornado as an F2 or stronger.[25][19] |
| F2 | S of Fort Denaud to WNW of LaBelle | Hendry, Glades | Florida | 26.73°N 81.47°W | 21:13–? | 3.5 miles (5.6 km) | 150 yards (140 m) | 1 death – This strong tornado killed a woman as it wrecked her mobile home in Fort Denaud. It then damaged Citrus crops and destroyed 10 other mobile homes near LaBelle before dissipating. Losses totalled $200,000, and seven people were injured.[1][25][5] |
| F1 | NNW of Crystal Springs | Pasco | Florida | 28.20°N 82.17°W | 21:40–? | 0.2 miles (0.32 km) | 50 yards (46 m) | This brief tornado damaged a number of homes. Four people were injured, one seriously, and damages reached $20,000.[27][25] |
| F1 | E of Juno Ridge | Palm Beach | Florida | 26.80°N 80.10°W | 22:40–? | 0.3 miles (0.48 km) | 50 yards (46 m) | A short-lived tornado struck the Lost Tree Village Club in North Palm Beach, tossing a sailboat from a lake onto a roof. A home and tennis courts sustained damage as well. Losses reached $10,000. NCEI lists a touchdown west of Lake Park.[25][20] |
| F0 | E of Brighton | Highlands | Florida | 27.22°N 80.97°W | 22:45–? | 1 mile (1.6 km) | 20 yards (18 m) | A brief tornado produced minimal damage near the intersection of the Kissimmee River and State Road 70.[25] |
| F2 | Malabar | Brevard | Florida | 28.00°N 80.57°W | 23:46–? | 2 miles (3.2 km) | 100 yards (91 m) | A strong tornado affected the Century Oaks Trailer Park. In all, six mobile homes were destroyed, while nine others sustained damage. Homes were also damaged in Port Malabar. 11 people were injured, and estimated losses reached $100,000, primarily at the trailer park. Grazulis did not list this tornado as an F2 or stronger.[28][19][20][25] |
| F2 | Taylor Creek to NE of Cypress Quarters | Okeechobee | Florida | 27.21°N 80.8°W | 04:55–? | 4.5 miles (7.2 km) | 440 yards (400 m) | 6 deaths – This strong tornado destroyed or extensively damaged 50 mobile homes. Losses totalled $500,000, and 44 people were injured.[29][1][25] |
June 19 event
| F# | Location | County / Parish | State | Start coord. |
Time (UTC) | Path length | Max. width | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| F3 | Merritt Island | Brevard | Florida | 28.37°N 80.67°W | 06:35–? | 4.9 miles (7.9 km) | 100 yards (91 m) | One apartment building was destroyed as the tornado struck a subdivision. Two hangars and 44 airplanes were destroyed at the Merritt Island Airport; one of the planes was carried more than 1⁄4 mi (0.40 km) from the airport and crashed into a home. Damages totalled $3 million. Grazulis classified this tornado as an F2.[19][25][20] |
| F3 | Cape Canaveral | Brevard | Florida | 28.47°N 80.53°W | 07:00–? | 3.8 miles (6.1 km) | 100 yards (91 m) | This intense tornado struck the town of Cape Canaveral. The tornado damaged or destroyed 22 homes and 30 mobile homes. The Coast Guard station at Port Canaveral reported a loss of $50,000. 100 residents were rendered homeless, and 23 people were injured. Overall losses exceeded $500,000.[19][25][20] |
| F1 | ENE of Geneva | Volusia | Florida | 28.75°N 81.08°W | 08:50–? | 0.1 miles (0.16 km) | 100 yards (91 m) | A brief tornado destroyed five mobile homes. Losses reached $40,000.[25] |
| F1 | SE of Homestead | Pierce | GA | 31.25°N 82.25°W | 18:55–? | 1 mile (1.6 km) | 50 yards (46 m) | A brief tornado tore a porch from a mobile home, damaged nearby structures, and felled trees. One person was injured south of Blackshear.[31][32] |
| F2 | NE of Bethel | Coffee | GA | 31.48°N 82.87°W | 20:00–? | 2 miles (3.2 km) | 50 yards (46 m) | This tornado damaged a marble plant, roofing, and residences. Many trees were splintered or downed as well. Grazulis did not list this tornado as an F2 or stronger.[32][19] |
See also
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Effects of Hurricane Agnes in Florida.
Notes
- All losses are in 1972 USD unless otherwise noted.
- An outbreak is generally defined as a group of at least six tornadoes with no more than a six-hour gap between individual tornadoes; however, the threshold varies slightly according to local climatology. On the Florida peninsula, an outbreak consists of at least four tornadoes occurring relatively synchronously—no more than four hours apart.[2][3][1][4]
- According to a reassessment in 2002, the outbreak resulted in thirty tornadoes in Florida and Georgia, including six F0 events, twelve F1 events, ten F2 events, and two F3 events on the Fujita scale. (Operationally, only seventeen tornadoes were confirmed.)[1][5][6]
- The Fujita scale was devised under the aegis of scientist T. Theodore Fujita in the early 1970s. Prior to the advent of the scale in 1971, tornadoes in the United States were officially unrated.[7][8] While the Fujita scale has been superseded by the Enhanced Fujita scale in the U.S. since February 1, 2007,[9] Canada used the old scale until April 1, 2013;[10] nations elsewhere, like the United Kingdom, apply other classifications such as the TORRO scale.[11]
- Historically, the number of tornadoes globally and in the United States was and is likely underrepresented: research by Grazulis on annual tornado activity suggests that, as of 2001, only 53% of yearly U.S. tornadoes were officially recorded. Documentation of tornadoes outside the United States was historically less exhaustive, owing to the lack of monitors in many nations and, in some cases, to internal political controls on public information.[12] Most countries only recorded tornadoes that produced severe damage or loss of life.[13] Significant low biases in U.S. tornado counts likely occurred through the early 1990s, when advanced NEXRAD was first installed and the National Weather Service began comprehensively verifying tornado occurrences.[14]
- All dates are based on the local time zone where the tornado touched down; however, all times are in Coordinated Universal Time and dates are split at midnight CST/CDT for consistency.
- Prior to 1994, only the average widths of tornado paths were officially listed.[21]
References
- Hagemeyer, Bartlett C.; Spratt, Scott M. (2002). Written at Melbourne, Florida. Thirty Years After Hurricane Agnes: the Forgotten Florida Tornado Disaster (PDF). 25th Conference on Hurricanes and Tropical Meteorology. San Diego, California: American Meteorological Society. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 16, 2008. Retrieved November 24, 2019.
- Hagemeyer 1997, p. 400
- Hagemeyer 1997, p. 401
- Grazulis 2001a, p. 206
- Storm Data Publication 1972, Events Reported
- Storm Data Publication 1972, Events Reported
- Grazulis 1993, p. 141.
- Grazulis 2001a, p. 131.
- Edwards, Roger (March 5, 2015). "Enhanced F Scale for Tornado Damage". The Online Tornado FAQ (by Roger Edwards, SPC). Storm Prediction Center. Retrieved February 25, 2016.
- "Enhanced Fujita Scale (EF-Scale)". Environment and Climate Change Canada. June 6, 2013. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved February 25, 2016.
- "The International Tornado Intensity Scale". Tornado and Storm Research Organisation. 2016. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved February 25, 2016.
- Grazulis 2001a, pp. 251–4.
- Edwards, Roger (March 5, 2015). "The Online Tornado FAQ (by Roger Edwards, SPC)". Storm Prediction Center: Frequently Asked Questions about Tornadoes. Storm Prediction Center. Retrieved February 25, 2016.
- Cook & Schaefer 2008, p. 3135
- "Hurricanes and Tornadoes". Central Pacific Hurricane Center. Archived from the original on November 3, 2008. Retrieved November 15, 2009.
- Hagemeyer, Bartlett C. (1998). Written at Melbourne, Florida. 1.2 Significant Tornado Events Associated with Tropical and Hybrid Cyclones in Florida. 16th Conference on Weather Analysis and Forecasting. Phoenix, Arizona: American Meteorological Society. Archived from the original on June 16, 2004. Retrieved November 24, 2019.
- Hagemeyer, Bartlett C.; Hodanish, Stephen J. (1995). Written at Melbourne, Florida. Florida Tornado Outbreaks Associated With Tropical Cyclones. 21st Conference on Hurricanes and Tropical Meteorology. Miami: American Meteorological Society. Archived from the original on June 17, 2008. Retrieved November 24, 2019.
- Storm Data 1972, pp. 76–8.
- Grazulis 1993, p. 1132.
- "Tornadoes". Naples Daily News. Naples, Florida. June 19, 1972.
- Brooks 2004, p. 310.
- Storm Data 1972, p. 76
- Storm Data Publication 1972, #9998261
- Storm Data Publication 1972, #9998264
- Storm Data 1972, p. 77
- Storm Data Publication 1972, #9998267
- Storm Data Publication 1972, #9998269
- Storm Data Publication 1972, #9998272
- Storm Data Publication 1972, #990000003
- Storm Data Publication 1972, #9995664
- Storm Data 1972, p. 78
Sources
- Brooks, Harold E. (April 2004). "On the Relationship of Tornado Path Length and Width to Intensity". Weather and Forecasting. Boston: American Meteorological Society. 19 (2): 310–19. Bibcode:2004WtFor..19..310B. doi:10.1175/1520-0434(2004)019<0310:OTROTP>2.0.CO;2.
- Cook, A. R.; Schaefer, J. T. (August 2008). Written at Norman, Oklahoma. "The Relation of El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) to Winter Tornado Outbreaks". Monthly Weather Review. Boston: American Meteorological Society. 136 (8): 3135. Bibcode:2008MWRv..136.3121C. doi:10.1175/2007MWR2171.1.
- Grazulis, Thomas P. (July 1993). Significant Tornadoes 1680–1991: A Chronology and Analysis of Events. St. Johnsbury, Vermont: The Tornado Project of Environmental Films. ISBN 1-879362-03-1.
- Grazulis, Thomas P. (2001a). The Tornado: Nature's Ultimate Windstorm. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press. ISBN 978-0-8061-3538-0.
- Grazulis, Thomas P. (2001b). F5-F6 Tornadoes. St. Johnsbury, Vermont: The Tornado Project of Environmental Films.
- Hagemeyer, Bartlett C. (September 1997). "Peninsular Florida Tornado Outbreaks". Weather and Forecasting. Boston: American Meteorological Society. 12 (3): 400. Bibcode:1997WtFor..12..399H. doi:10.1175/1520-0434(1997)012<0399:PFTO>2.0.CO;2. S2CID 120588681.
- International Best Track Archive for Climate Stewardship (IBTrACS) (May 2021). IBTrACS browser (hosted by UNC Asheville) (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information – via World Data Center for Meteorology.
- National Weather Service (June 1972). Storm Data Publication (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information – via Storm Events Database.
- National Weather Service (June 1972). "Storm Data and Unusual Weather Phenomena". Storm Data. Asheville, North Carolina: National Climatic Data Center. 6 (14).
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