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

Map plotting the track and intensity of the storm, according to the Saffir–Simpson scale
Type	Tornado outbreak Tropical cyclone
Duration	October 14, 1964
Tornadoes confirmed	9 confirmed
Max. rating1	F2 tornado
Duration of tornado outbreak2	7 hours and 40 minutes
Fatalities	None
Damage	$560,250 (1964 USD)[1][nb 1] $5.68 million (2024 USD)
Areas affected	South Florida
Part of the tornadoes and tornado outbreaks of 1964 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

• List of North American tornadoes and tornado outbreaks
• List of tornadoes spawned by tropical cyclones

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]