Hurricane Georges tornado outbreak

The 1998 Hurricane Georges tornado outbreak was a six-day tornado outbreak associated with the passage of Hurricane Georges in the Southeast United States. Most of the tornadoes produced by the storm formed in the outer bands of the storm and were relatively weak; however, one F2 tornado touched down in Florida. The outbreak produced 47 tornadoes—20 in Alabama, 17 in Florida and 10 in Georgia—and was the most extensive tornado event in Florida history, with touchdowns reported the entire length of the state.^[1]

Hurricane Georges tornado outbreak

Tracks of all the tornadoes spawned by Hurricane Georges
Type	Tornado outbreak
Duration	September 24–30, 1998
Tornadoes confirmed	47
Max. rating1	F2 tornado
Duration of tornado outbreak2	5 days, 21 hours, 52 minutes
Fatalities	None reported
Damage	$9 million (1998 USD) $17.4 million (2024 USD)
Areas affected	Alabama, Georgia, Florida
1Most severe tornado damage; see Fujita scale 2Time from first tornado to last tornado

Meteorological synopsis

Main article: Meteorological history of Hurricane Georges

Weather radar image of Hurricane Georges at landfall

On September 22, as Hurricane Georges was still over Hispaniola, the National Hurricane Center warned that there was the possibility of isolated tornadoes in the outer bands of the storm.^[2] The first tornado, rated F0 touched down in Miami-Dade County around 8:08 am EDT on September 24. A second F0 touched down roughly an hour later in the county. The first tornado watch associated with the hurricane was issued at 6:00 am EDT on September 25 for south-central Florida and remained in effect for 24 hours.^[1] Over the following three days, a tornado watch was constantly in effect for some part of Florida as Georges slowly moved parallel to the state.^[3] During the afternoon of September 25, a new watch was issued to encompass Sarasota and Manatee counties.^[4] By September 26, nearly every county south Marion County had been placed under a tornado watch.^[5]

As Georges was not forecast to impact the coastline of Georgia, the National Hurricane Center did not issue any tropical storm watches or warnings; however after weakening to a tropical storm, the system tracked through the state,^[6] prompting the National Weather Service to issue tornado watches and tornado Warnings for parts of the region.^[7] Due to the slow motion of the storm, the Hydrometeorological Prediction Center (HPC) issued flash flood watches for central and southwestern portions of the state on September 29. The first tornado watch in the state associated with Georges was issued for the same areas.^[8] The next day, the flash flood watch was expanded to include all areas of the state except the northwest region.^[9]

Confirmed tornadoes

Confirmed tornadoes by Fujita rating

FU	F0	F1	F2	F3	F4	F5	Total
0	26	20	1	0	0	0	47

September 24 event

List of reported tornadoes - Thursday, September 24, 1998
F#	Location	County	Coord.	Time (EDT)	Path length	Damage
Florida
F0	Key Biscayne to Cutler Ridge	Miami-Dade	25°40′N 80°13′W	0808	15 miles (24 km)	The first tornado associated with Hurricane Georges in the United States formed as a waterspout along the eastern coast of Florida near Key Biscayne. The waterspout moved onshore several minutes after touching down; the NEXRAD doppler weather radar indicated winds up to 77 mph (124 km/h) around 8:13 am EDT. The tornado crossed bodies of water several times along its 15 mi (24 km). Damage from the tornado was mostly confined to downed trees and power lines; however, some homes were damaged by the fallen trees. Damages from the tornado amounted to $50,000.[10]
F0	Miami Lakes area	Miami-Dade	25°55′N 80°18′W	0910	0.1 miles (0.16 km)	Roughly an hour after the first tornado, another touched down near Miami Lakes, downing trees and power lines before lifting ten minutes later. The tornado remained nearly stationary for its whole life. Damages from the tornado, caused by fallen trees, amounted to $30,000.[11]

September 25 event

List of reported tornadoes - Friday, September 25, 1998
F#	Location	County	Coord.	Time (EDT)	Path length	Damage
Florida
F0	S of Winter Haven	Polk	27°59′N 81°43′W	1000	1 mile (1.6 km)	A small rope tornado touched down in a mainly wooded area of Polk County. Along its 1 mi (1.6 km) path, a few buildings sustained minor damage, such as losing awnings or being struck by fallen tree limbs. Damages from the tornado amounted to $5,000.[12]
F0	NW of Lakeland	Polk	28°06′N 82°02′W	1030	1 mile (1.6 km)	The second tornado to touch down in Polk County was another short-lived tornado. Along its path, two barns were damaged, a trailer was blown off its foundation and several trees were downed. Damages from the tornado amounted to $40,000.[13]
F1	Sebastian area	Indian River	27°49′N 80°28′W	1050	2 miles (3.2 km)	A waterspout moved onshore near Sebastian, downing several trees before reaching F1 intensity and severely damaging a factory. Damages from the tornado amounted to $700,000, mainly from the factory.[14]
F0	NW of Tampa	Hillsborough	28°07′N 82°37′W	1105	0.1 miles (0.16 km)	A small tornado touched down on a road before lifting seconds later.[15]
F0	Hudson area	Pasco	28°22′N 82°42′W	1132	0.1 miles (0.16 km)	A brief tornado downed several trees in Hudson before lifting. Damages from the tornado amounted to $1,000.[16]
F0	E of Punta Gorda	Charlotte	26°56′N 82°00′W	1325	5 miles (8.0 km)	A rope tornado sporadically touched down along a 5 mi (8.0 km) path through Charlotte County. A few large trees were toppled and damaged from the tornado amounted to $1,000.[17]
F0	SSE of Arcadia	DeSoto	27°11′N 81°51′W	1350	6 miles (9.7 km)	A small tornado downed several trees along its 6 mi (9.7 km) path, leaving $5,000 in damages.[18]

September 26 event

On September 26, Hurricane Georges produced no known tornadoes as it moved away from the Florida coastline and into the open waters of the Gulf of Mexico.^[6]

September 27 event

List of reported tornadoes - Sunday, September 27, 1998
F#	Location	County	Coord.	Time (EDT)	Path length	Damage
Alabama
F0	N of Loxley	Baldwin	30°40′N 87°45′W	1755	0.1 miles (0.16 km)	A brief tornado, the first in Alabama in relation to Georges, touched down near Interstate 10, downing trees and power lines before lifting. Damages from the tornado amounted to $3,000.[19]
Florida
F1	Shalimar area	Okaloosa	30°26′N 86°35′W	2110	1 mile (1.6 km)	A brief F1 tornado caused significant damage to several homes in Shalimar before lifting.[20] A parking garage collapsed due to the tornado, destroying 10 cars.[21] No one was injured during the event and losses amounted to $300,000.[20]

September 28 event

List of reported tornadoes - Monday, September 28, 1998
F#	Location	County	Coord.	Time (EDT)	Path length	Damage
Alabama
F0	SW of Opp	Covington	30°40′N 87°45′W	0805	0.1 miles (0.16 km)	A brief tornado downed trees and power lines, causing $5,000 in damages.[22]
F0	Antioch area	Covington	31°21′N 86°25′W	0845	1 mile (1.6 km)	A brief tornado touched down in the Antioch community. Three homes sustained damage before the tornado dissipated. Damages from the tornado amounted to $25,000.[23]
F1	SW of Troy	Pike, Crenshaw	31°38′N 86°10′W	1357	3 miles (4.8 km)	A short-lived tornado tracked through Pike and Crenshaw Counties, causing moderate damage, mainly to trees and power lines. A trailer was destroyed in Crenshaw County. Damages from the tornado amounted to $80,000.[24][25]
F1	Patsburg area	Crenshaw	31°47′N 86°14′W	1405	1 mile (1.6 km)	A brief tornado touched down in the town of Patsburg, destroying a business and severely damaging two homes. Several horses were injured and damages from the tornado amounted to $100,000.[26]
F0	SE of Troy	Pike	31°38′N 85°46′W	1406	5 miles (8.0 km)	An F0 tornado touched down in southeastern Pike County and downed several trees. Damages from the tornado amounted to $6,000.[27]
F1	Luverne area	Crenshaw	31°43′N 86°16′W	1410	1 mile (1.6 km)	A brief tornado touched down in Luverne and destroyed a barn. Several brick homes also sustained damage before the tornado dissipated. Damages from the tornado amounted to $50,000.[28]
F1	Petrey area	Crenshaw	31°51′N 86°12′W	1410	1 mile (1.6 km)	A brief tornado touched down in the community of Petrey, causing severe damage to three homes. Damages from the tornado amounted to $50,000.[29]
F0	ESE of Troy	Pike	31°43′N 85°45′W	1418	6 miles (9.7 km)	An F0 tornado tracked for 6 mi (9.7 km) across eastern Pike County, uprooting several trees. Damages from the tornado amounted to $7,000.[30]
F0	Letohatchee area	Lowndes	32°08′N 86°30′W	1447	6 miles (9.7 km)	A northwestward moving tornado touched down near Letohatchee, destroying a mobile home and damaging several others. Damages from the tornado amounted to $50,000.[31]
F0	SSW of Union Springs	Bullock	32°00′N 85°47′W	1453	6 miles (9.7 km)	An F0 tornado touched down near Hall's Crossroads and destroyed a church. Several homes were damaged and numerous trees were uprooted. Damages from the tornado amounted to $80,000.[32]
F0	S of Union Springs	Bullock	32°04′N 85°43′W	1544	4 miles (6.4 km)	A short-lived tornado caused minor damage to an egg farm and downed several trees and power lines. Damages from the tornado amounted to $19,000.[33]
F0	Ozark area	Dale	31°27′N 85°39′W	1630	0.1 miles (0.16 km)	A brief tornado touched down in Ozark, uprooting several trees and power lines. Damages from the tornado amounted to $25,000.[34]
F0	NE of Wetumpka	Elmore	32°34′N 86°11′W	1719	3 miles (4.8 km)	A short-lived tornado touched down near Wetumpka and caused minor damage, mainly to trees and power lines and one business was damaged. Damages from the tornado amounted to $18,000.[35]
F0	W of Phenix City	Russell, Lee	32°28′N 85°12′W	1726	3 miles (4.8 km)	A brief tornado touched down near the Russell-Lee County border. The tornado tracked for a total of 3 mi (4.8 km) through the two counties, causing $2,000 in damages.[36][37]
F0	Newville area	Henry	31°25′N 85°20′W	2000	1 mile (1.6 km)	A brief F0 tornado touched down in Newville, damaging a barn and home before lifting. Damages from the tornado amounted to $75,000.[38]
F0	Echo area	Dale	31°29′N 85°28′W	2035	0.1 miles (0.16 km)	A tornado briefly touched down near the Dale-Henry County line before lifting. A pump house was destroyed, leaving $125,000 in damages.[39]
Florida
F0	DeFuniak Springs area	Walton	30°34′N 86°07′W	0845	1 mile (1.6 km)	A brief tornado touched down in DeFuniak Springs. A home had its roof torn off as well as a nearby shed. A pump house also sustained significant damage. Damages from the tornado amounted to $50,000.[40]
F1	Panama City area	Bay	30°12′N 85°39′W	1245	2 miles (3.2 km)	Just off the coast of Panama City, a waterspout formed and moved onshore in the Bid A Wee subdivision. The F1 tornado tracked for 2 mi (3.2 km) before dissipating. Throughout its path, five homes were destroyed and 18 others were damaged. Losses from the tornado reached $250,000.[21][41]
F0	Fort Walton Beach area	Okaloosa	30°22′N 86°40′W	2110	4 miles (6.4 km)	A short-lived tornado made several touchdowns along a 4 mi (6.4 km) path through Okaloosa County causing roof and tree damage. Damages from the tornado amounted to $10,000.[42]

September 29 event

List of reported tornadoes - Tuesday, September 29, 1998
F#	Location	County	Coord.	Time (EDT)	Path length	Damage
Alabama
F1	Samson area	Geneva	31°07′N 86°03′W	0230	1 mile (1.6 km)	A brief tornado touched down in Samson and lifted a mobile home 50 ft (15 m) off the ground before destroying it. The three occupants of the mobile home sustained minor injuries. Damages from the tornado amounted to $100,000.[43]
F1	Enterprise area	Coffee	31°19′N 85°51′W	0240	1 mile (1.6 km)	A brief tornado touched down in Enterprise, causing severe damage to Camp Wiregrass and a few homes. Numerous residences in the city were left without power after numerous power lines were downed. Damages from the tornado amounted to $1.5 million.[44]
F1	New Brockton area	Coffee	31°23′N 85°56′W	0245	1 mile (1.6 km)	A brief tornado touched down in New Brockton, severely damaging several chicken houses before lifting. Damages from the tornado amounted to $500,000.[45]
F1	Geneva area	Geneva	31°02′N 85°53′W	0245	3 miles (4.8 km)	A short-lived tornado made several touchdowns along a 3 mi (4.8 km) path, damaging trees and a church before dissipating. Damages from the tornado amounted to $50,000.[46]
Georgia
F1	Camilla area	Mitchell	31°14′N 84°12′W	0505	3 miles (4.8 km)	A short-lived tornado touched down in Camila, damaging a home and farm machinery. Numerous trees were uprooted or destroyed along its path. One man was injured after his truck was tossed off the road. Damages from the tornado amounted to $500,000.[47]
F1	E of Cuthbert	Randolph	31°46′N 84°46′W	1300	1 mile (1.6 km)	A brief tornado destroyed a manufacturing plant; one employee was injured after being struck by debris. Damages from the tornado amounted to $500,000.[48]
F1	Coolidge area	Thomas	31°01′N 83°51′W	1440	1 mile (1.6 km)	A brief tornado touched down near Coolidge, destroying a poultry farm, killing the 45,000 chickens housed there and damaged two other structures. Damages from the tornado amounted to $450,000.[49]
F1	Autreyville area	Colquitt	31°04′N 83°46′W	1515	2 miles (3.2 km)	A brief tornado touched down near Autreyville, destroying a mobile home and tossing another into a ditch, injuring one person. A chicken farm was also destroyed and another sustained damage. Damages from the tornado amounted to $550,000.[50]
F1	DeSoto area	Sumter	31°57′N 84°04′W	1530	0.1 miles (0.16 km)	A brief tornado touched down in Desoto, destroyed one home and seven mobile homes. Numerous other structure were damaged by the tornado and hundreds of trees were uprooted. Twelve people were also injured. Damages from the tornado amounted to $200,000.[51]
F1	Isabella area	Worth	31°34′N 83°51′W	1600	2 miles (3.2 km)	An F1 tornado briefly touched down in the Boy Scout Camp Osborn, causing severe damage to structures and uprooted over 1,000 trees. Damages from the tornado amounted to $300,000.[52]
F1	SE of DeSoto	Sumter	31°55′N 84°02′W	1635	0.1 miles (0.16 km)	A brief tornado touched down to the southeast of DeSoto, destroying several mobile homes and damaging other structures. Ten people were injured by the tornado and damages amounted to $200,000.[53]
F0	Andersonville area	Sumter	32°12′N 84°08′W	1710	0.1 miles (0.16 km)	A brief tornado, spawned by the same storm that produced the second DeSoto tornado 35 minutes earlier, touched down near Andersonville, severely damaging a pecan grove. Damages from the tornado amounted to $20,000.[54]
F0	Bainbridge area	Sumter	30°54′N 84°34′W	1730	1 mile (1.6 km)	A brief tornado touched down near Bainbridge, downing trees and power lines before lifting. Damages from the tornado amounted to $50,000.[55]
F1	E of Colquitt	Miller	31°10′N 84°32′W	1930	2 miles (3.2 km)	A short-lived tornado destroyed a trailer, critically injuring two of the occupants. Traveling north, several other structures were damaged. Damages from the tornado amounted to $750,000.[56]
Florida
F1	Westbay area	Bay	30°17′N 85°52′W	0915	3 miles (4.8 km)	A short-lived tornado touched down in Westbay, damaging a church and injuring one person before lifting. Damages from the tornado amounted to $125,000.[57]
F0	Hopewell area	Madison	30°23′N 83°26′W	1900	1 mile (1.6 km)	A brief tornado touched down in Hopewell, damaging a convenience store before dissipating. Damages from the tornado amounted to $25,000.[58]
F2	W of Live Oak	Suwannee	30°18′N 83°06′W	2330	2.5 miles (4.0 km)	The strongest tornado spawned by Georges touched down in Suwannee County.[59] The 500 ft (150 m) wide tornado cut a path of damage through a residential area just outside Live Oak around 11:30 am EDT. One mobile home was completely destroyed and debris from the structure was tossed up to 1 mi (1.6 km) away.[60] Seven homes and 12 cars were destroyed while five other structures were damaged throughout the tornado's path.[59][60] Residents in the town were caught by surprise as the tornado struck while they were sleeping. One of the survivors reported that the first thing she remembered was waking up in a field about 100 ft (30 m) from her home. Several other people were also thrown from their homes by the tornado.[61] In all, five people were hurt during the event, two of which sustained critical injuries.[59] According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, losses in the area exceeded $1 million, qualifying Suwannee County as a major federal disaster area, allowing for governmental aid to be sent.[62]

September 30 event

List of reported tornadoes - Wednesday, September 30, 1998
F#	Location	County	Coord.	Time (EDT)	Path length	Damage
Florida
F0	Fletcher area	Dixie	29°45′N 82°59′W	0600	1 mile (1.6 km)	A brief tornado touched down near Fletcher, destroying two mobile homes and uprooting several trees before dissipating. Damages from the tornado amounted to $100,000.[63]

See also

• Tropical cyclones portal

• Hurricane Georges
• List of tornadoes and tornado outbreaks
  • List of North American tornadoes and tornado outbreaks
  • List of tropical cyclone-spawned tornadoes