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Hurricane Agnes tornado outbreak
1972 tornado outbreak in Florida From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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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]
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Background
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]
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Daily statistics
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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
June 19 event
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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]
- 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.
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References
Sources
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