Hurricane Isbell tornado outbreak

Hurricane Isbell spawned one of the most significant tornado outbreaks to strike the Miami metropolitan area on October 14, 1964. It produced at least nine confirmed, and possibly as many as 17, tornadoes, four of which were rated significant (F2) on the Fujita scale. Although there were no fatalities, 48 people were injured and losses totaled $560,250. The most damaging of the tornadoes was an estimated F2 that injured 22 people at a mobile home park in Briny Breezes, causing $250,000 in losses.[nb 2][nb 3][nb 4]

Hurricane Isbell tornado outbreak
Colored dots superimposed on white line passing over green land masses and blue water bodies
Map plotting the track and intensity of the storm, according to the Saffir–Simpson scale
TypeTornado outbreak
Tropical cyclone
DurationOctober 14, 1964
Tornadoes
confirmed		9 confirmed
Max. rating1F2 tornado
Duration of
tornado outbreak2		7 hours and 40 minutes
Fatalities48 injuries
Damage$560,250 (1964 USD)[1][nb 1]
$5.29 million (2023 USD)
Areas affectedSouth Florida

1Most severe tornado damage; see Fujita scale
2Time from first tornado to last tornado

Background

At 21:00 UTC on October 14, 1964, Hurricane Isbell made landfall near Everglades City as a Category 2 with maximum sustained winds of 105 mph (169 km/h), having weakened somewhat from its estimated peak intensity of 115 mph (185 km/h). It quickly crossed over South Florida, spending five hours over land prior to entering the Atlantic Ocean. Much of the damage associated with the storm in South Florida was attributable to a series of tornadoes that affected the region. The tornadoes—estimates of which range from 13 to 17—were responsible for all injuries that occurred during the passage of the storm.[15][16][17][18][19][20]

Confirmed tornadoes
Confirmed tornadoes by Fujita rating
FU F0 F1 F2 F3 F4 F5 Total
0 0 5 4 0 0 0 ≥ 9
Confirmed tornadoes – Tuesday, October 14, 1964[nb 5][nb 6]
F# Location County / Parish State Start
coord.		 Time (UTC) Path length Max. width Summary
F1 Coral Gables Miami-Dade FL 25.75°N 80.25°W / 25.75; -80.25 (Coral Gables (October 14, F1)) 20:10–? ≥0.1 miles (0.16 km) 67 yards (61 m) Damages were estimated at $2,500 (1964 USD).[22]
F1 ESE of Carnestown Collier FL 25.9°N 81.5°W / 25.9; -81.5 (Dismal Key (October 14, F1)) 20:15–? ≥0.1 miles (0.16 km) 10 yards (9.1 m) A utility shed disintegrated and portions of the roof and siding were carried 300 feet (91 m). A chickee was flattened as well, and a cabin cruiser was moved 150 ft (46 m) into the nearby Everglades. The tornado may have occurred near Wagon Wheel, between Carnestown and Ochopee. Damages were estimated at $250 (1964 USD). NCEI lists the point of touchdown as having been east-northeast of Dismal Key.[23][24]
F1 Northeastern Boca Raton Palm Beach FL 26.35°N 80.08°W / 26.35; -80.08 (Pearl City (October 14, F1)) 21:00–? ≥0.1 miles (0.16 km) 10 yards (9.1 m) In the 3000 and 3100 blocks of NE 5th Avenue on the east side of Boca Raton, a brief tornado tore a screen enclosure from a home. Screens, windows, awnings, and shrubbery were damaged. Three people were injured and damages were estimated at $2,500 (1964 USD). NCEI indicates that the tornado affected Pearl City.[25][26]
F1 Eastern Boynton Beach Palm Beach FL 26.53°N 80.07°W / 26.53; -80.07 (Boynton Beach (October 14, F1)) 22:00–? ≥0.1 miles (0.16 km) 10 yards (9.1 m) Three people were injured and damages were estimated at $2,500 (1964 USD).[27]
F2 ESE of Hobe Sound Martin FL 27.05°N 80.12°W / 27.05; -80.12 (Hobe Sound (October 14, F2)) 22:00–? ≥0.1 miles (0.16 km) 10 yards (9.1 m) A citrus stand and a service station were damaged west-northwest of Harbor Island. Damages were estimated at $2,500 (1964 USD). Tornado researcher Thomas P. Grazulis did not classify the tornado as an F2 or stronger.[28][29][30]
F2 Delray Beach to Briny Breezes Palm Beach FL 26.47°N 80.07°W / 26.47; -80.07 (Delray Beach (October 14, F2)) 22:24–? ≥0.1 miles (0.16 km) 100 yards (91 m) A tornado destroyed 12 mobile homes in the Briny Breezes Mobile Home Park and unroofed four homes southeast of Boynton Beach, injuring 22 people and causing $250,000 (1964 USD) in damage.[31][30]
F1 Lake Worth Corridor to SW of Golden Lakes Palm Beach FL 26.72°N 80.07°W / 26.72; -80.07 (West Palm Beach (October 14, F1)) 23:00–? ≥0.1 miles (0.16 km) 10 yards (9.1 m) A tornado first touched down in the 3900 block of Military Trail, near the intersection of that road and Lake Worth Road. A tavern was ruined, with windows broken and the liquor stock scattered. Nearby garage doors were blown out, semi-trucks were tipped onto their sides, and trees and power poles were downed. A fire station was also damaged. The tornado continued into Forest Hills Village and Monmouth Estates, doing mostly minor damage to homes. One home had its windows broken and its furniture strewn about, and another home had its ceiling damaged. A lawn mower was thrown into a field and an automobile was thrown into a nearby yard. The tornado continued intermittently to the fairgrounds on Southern Boulevard, where signs were blown down. Three people were injured and damages were estimated at $25,000 (1964 USD).[32][33]
F2 Eau Gallie Brevard FL 28.13°N 80.63°W / 28.13; -80.63 (Eau Gallie (October 14, F2)) 01:20–? ≥0.1 miles (0.16 km) 10 yards (9.1 m) A brief tornado destroyed 12 trailers, unroofed a church, and shifted a home 100 ft (30 m) in the Eau Gallie neighborhood of Northern Melbourne, injuring 17 people, and causing $250,000 (1964 USD) in damage.[34][30]
F2 Davie to Dania Beach Broward FL 26.07°N 80.2°W / 26.07; -80.2 (Davie (October 14, F2)) 03:50–? ≥0.1 miles (0.16 km) 10 yards (9.1 m) A tornado hit the Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International Airport, damaging six airplanes. A nearby clubhouse was unroofed as well and damages were estimated at $25,000 (1964 USD).[35][30]

See also

Notes
  1. All losses are in 1964 USD unless otherwise noted.
  2. 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][4][5][6]
  3. 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]
  4. 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]
  5. 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.
  6. Prior to 1994, only the average widths of tornado paths were officially listed.[21]

References
  1. Storm Data Publication 1964, Events Reported
  2. Hagemeyer 1997, p. 400
  3. Grazulis 2001, p. 206
  4. Hagemeyer 1997, p. 401
  5. 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.
  6. Grazulis, Thomas P. (2001). The Tornado: Nature's Ultimate Windstorm. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press. p. 206. ISBN 978-0-8061-3538-0.
  7. Grazulis 1993, p. 141.
  8. Grazulis 2001a, p. 131.
  9. 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.
  10. "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.
  11. "The International Tornado Intensity Scale". Tornado and Storm Research Organisation. 2016. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved February 25, 2016.
  12. Grazulis 2001a, pp. 251–4.
  13. 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.
  14. Cook & Schaefer 2008, p. 3135
  15. USWB 1964, p. 106.
  16. USWB 1967, p. 122.
  17. Dunn 1965, p. 187.
  18. U.S. Weather Bureau (October 1964). Hurricane Isbell - October 12 – 16, 1964. Miami - South Florida Weather Forecast Office (Report). Miami: National Weather Service. Retrieved October 25, 2023.
  19. IBTrACS 2021, 1964283N15277
  20. Hurricane Research Division (February 2008). "Chronological List of All Hurricanes which Affected the Continental United States: 1851–2007". National Hurricane Center. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Archived from the original (.TXT) on September 21, 2008. Retrieved June 18, 2014.
  21. Brooks 2004, p. 310.
  22. Storm Data Publication 1964, #9988785
  23. Storm Data Publication 1964, #9988786
  24. Winter, Fred G. (October 16, 1964). Written at Naples, Florida. "Hurricane Isbell Damage Runs Half-Million in Collier County". Fort Myers News-Press. Fort Myers, Florida. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
  25. Storm Data Publication 1964, #9988787
  26. "Isbell Ploughs Through Glades West of City" (PDF). Boca Raton News. Vol. 9, no. 47. Boca Raton, Florida: Boca Raton Historical Society and Museum. October 15, 1964. pp. 1A, 16A. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
  27. Storm Data Publication 1964, #9988788
  28. Storm Data Publication 1964, #9988789
  29. "Storm Damage Slight, Coastal Areas Report". The Palm Beach Post. West Palm Beach, Florida. October 16, 1964.
  30. Grazulis 1993, p. 1057.
  31. Storm Data Publication 1964, #9988790
  32. Storm Data Publication 1964, #9988791
  33. "Storm Hits Hardest In Briny Breezes". The Palm Beach Post. West Palm Beach, Florida. October 15, 1964.
  34. Storm Data Publication 1964, #9988792
  35. Storm Data Publication 1964, #9988793

Sources
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