1998 жылғы Флорида штатындағы құйынды дауылдар трагедиясы

Windstorm in Central Florida, USA, on February 22–23, 1998

On February 21–23, 1998, a devastating tornado outbreak affected portions of the Southeastern United States, primarily the U. S. state of Florida. Sometimes known as the Night of the Tornadoes, it was the deadliest tornado event in Florida history. In all, 15 tornadoes touched down, one of which was long lived and tracked for nearly 40 mile (64 km). Affecting mainly the Interstate 4 (I 4) corridor of Central Florida, including the Greater Orlando area, the tornadoes—among the strongest ever recorded in Florida—produced near violent damage, killed 42 people, and caused 259 injuries. One of the tornadoes was initially rated an F4 on the Fujita scale—among only two others officially so designated in the State of Florida, in 1958 and 1966—but was subsequently downgraded to a high end F3; with 25 fatalities, most of which occurred in and near Kissimmee, this tornado featured the deadliest single tornado death toll in Florida history, the previous such record being 17 on March 31, 1962. Two other F3s and a couple of additional strong tornadoes occurred over portions of Central Florida during the outbreak, killing an additional 17 people and injuring 109 others. As the most intense activity of the outbreak occurred after sunset, concentrated either shortly prior to or after midnight, and affected densely populated portions of the I 4 corridor, including numerous mobile home and recreational vehicle (RV) parks, many sleeping residents became casualties; of the 42 deaths, 40 occurred in manufactured housing or trailers, including 15 at the Morningside Acres mobile home park and eight at the Ponderosa RV Park, both of which were located in Kissimmee.

On February 22, 1998, data from both NEXRAD and weather satellites indicated that a bow echo and associated outflow boundary bisected portions of the Florida Panhandle and northernmost peninsular Florida, including the First Coast. Along the boundary, a vigorous squall line with embedded supercells—the initial nexus of severe weather—developed over the eastern Gulf of Mexico and headed eastward, toward the Tampa Bay Area. Ahead of the squall line, a retreating warm front coincided with robust atmospheric instability due to diurnal heating. By 7:00 p. m. EST, a low pressure area near Mobile, Alabama, was linked to a cold front that extended southward, just off the west coast of Florida, while a trough in the middle to upper troposphere generated a strong subtropical jet maximum of up to This upper level jet streak intersected a strengthening low level wind field, with winds locally in excess of just above the surface, and thereby yielded conducive conditions to tornadogenesis. During the evening and the overnight hours of February 22–23, 1998, this volatile environment—known to be common in the El Niño phase of the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) during the Florida dry season (November 1 – April 30)—eventually produced seven tornadoes between about 11:00 p. m. EST on February 22 and 2:30 am. EST on the following morning. During El Niño the jet stream is typically stronger and displaced southward near or over Florida during meteorological winter and spring, thereby augmenting the likelihood of significant severe weather and tornado activity. During February 1998 one of the strongest El Niño episodes on record was ongoing, rivaling a similar episode in 1982–3 that had also contributed to elevated tornado activity over Florida. By October 1997, the National Weather Service (NWS) in Melbourne, Florida, highlighted the potential for enhanced severe weather over the coming months due to El Niño. By 6:00 am. EST (11:00 UTC) on February 22, the Storm Prediction Center (SPC) had issued a convective outlook for day one indicating a moderate risk of severe thunderstorms capable of producing tornadoes over portions of North and Central Florida. At 11:55 am. EST (16:55 UTC), the NWS in Melbourne also issued a Hazardous Weather Outlook (HWO) highlighting a "significant" threat of tornadoes, hail, and destructive winds. By 1:44 pm. EST (18:44 UTC), the SPC issued its first tornado watch covering portions of the threatened area in Central Florida. Numerous, long lived supercells with persistent mesocyclones would eventually evolve during the evening and track generally east northeastward or northeastward over Central Florida, generating tornadoes that killed 42 people and seriously injured at least 259 others, making the outbreak the deadliest in Florida's history, surpassing another that killed 17 people on March 31, 1962, in Santa Rosa County.

+ Confirmed tornadoes – Saturday, February 21, 1998F#LocationCounty / ParishStateStartcoord. (Coordinates)Time (UTC)Path lengthMax. (Maximum) widthSummary F0N of Santa CruzDuvalTX23:05–?0.1 mile (0 km)Brief tornado reported south of Rios. F0S of San DiegoDuvalTX23:18–?0.1 mile (0 km)Brief tornado reported. F0Seven SistersDuvalTX00:00–?0.1 mile (0 km)Brief tornado reported.

+ Confirmed tornadoes – Sunday, February 22, 1998F#LocationCounty / ParishStateStartcoord. (Coordinates)Time (UTC)Path lengthMax. (Maximum) widthSummary F0TaylorHoustonAL14:00–?0.3 mile (0 km)Short lived, weak tornado, visible as a funnel cloud, affected 52 homes in a subdivision of Taylor, damaging or downing sheds, fencing, awnings, porches, shingles, power lines, and trees. Losses totaled $75,000. F0HollisterPutnamFL20:45–?0.2 mile (0 km)Brief, weak tornado felled several large trees. Losses totaled $4,000. F0N of ToledoCharltonGA22:05–?0.5 mile (1 km)Tornado south southwest of Folkston downed several large trees, snapped power lines, and damaged a mobile home. Losses totaled $5,000. Tornado ended near Chesser Island in the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge. F0ColemanSumterFL02:50–?0.1 mile (0 km)Brief, weak tornado developed near the intersection of U. S. Highway 301 and County Road 468, damaging or downing trees, a pair of power poles, two sheds, and a mobile home. Losses totaled $20,000. F2SW of Daytona Beach to South DaytonaVolusiaFL03:55–04:058 mile (13 km)1 death – First significant tornado of the outbreak formed from the same supercell as the preceding tornado in Sumter County, touching down on Route 92 and killing a 41 year old man in a mobile home before tracking over the intersection of I 95 and I 4, overturning four semi trailer trucks. Afterward, the tornado passed just south of Daytona International Speedway and Daytona Beach International Airport, damaging or destroying 64 homes and 150 mobile homes in the Pelican Bay development and the Colonial Colony South trailer park, respectively, along with numerous cars. In all, the tornado destroyed or damaged 600 structures. Three people were injured and losses totaled $4 million. F3S of Orange Mountain to SE of PiedmontLake, OrangeFL04:37–05:0018 mile (29 km)3 deaths – First of three intense tornadoes in the outbreak began south southeast of Clermont, downing trees across rural portions of Lake County, before moving into the Winter Garden–Ocoee area, where 500 buildings were destroyed or damaged, including those at a mobile home park and an apartment complex. 70 people were injured and losses totaled $15 million. Tornado ended north northwest of Lockhart. F3SSW of Campbell to W of Port St. JohnOsceola, OrangeFL05:40–06:3838 mile (61 km)25 deaths – See section on this tornado – Deadliest tornado in Florida history; was initially rated F4. At least 150 people were injured and losses totaled $55 million. F2S of Creighton to ArielVolusiaFL05:45–05:525 mile (8 km)Strong tornado formed from the same storm as the Sanford F3, passing through the Oak Hill area. A few barns and several trees were downed, while a pair of houses and 10 mobile homes received damage. Losses totaled $500,000. F1Cape CanaveralBrevardFL07:30–?1 mile (2 km)Brief tornado hit Port Canaveral from the west, damaging 30 structures. The tornado formed over the Banana River and dissipated over the Atlantic Ocean. Losses totaled $1 million.

This devastating, long tracked tornado was initially assigned an F4 rating, but NWS assessments later reduced this to high end F3 intensity. The tornado began near Intercession City, only 8 mile (13 km) southeast of Walt Disney World, and moved northeastward. It first did some minor damage to homes in the Campbell–Poinciana area. As it moved into Kissimmee, it leveled part of The Shops at Kissimmee shopping center and crossed the northern part of Lake Tohopekaliga. The tornado subsequently crossed U. S. Route 441 and reached its maximum intensity as it struck the Ponderosa Pines RV park. In the RV park, at least 10 people died and almost all of the 200 residences, including both RVs and mobile homes, were destroyed. Many of these residences had their frames thrown, stripped, and wrapped around trees. Many trees were snapped and uprooted as well. Nearby, the Morningside Acres mobile home park was devastated as well. Upon leaving the Ponderosa Pines and Morningside areas, the tornado heavily damaged homes next to a school in the Lakeside Estates subdivision of Buenaventura Lakes. After devastating the Kissimmee area, the tornado mostly impacted rural, swampy areas in Orange and Brevard counties, though it hit a few lakeside homes in Lake Hart and Lake Mary Jane. It lifted over the Tosohatchee Wildlife Management Area, 8 mile (13 km) east southeast of Christmas, west of Port St. John—just before the Great Outdoors RV Park, which, according to the NWS, was "one of the largest in the United States, housing 1,000 recreational vehicle lots." Along the entire path, 1,000 structures were damaged or destroyed, including several well built homes that were nearly leveled. At least one new home, built of stucco and CBUs, was flattened except for its front entryway and part of a wall.