Did Tallahassee see worst tornado outbreak ever? Here's what we know
May 10, 2024, could possibly go down in history as Tallahassee's worst tornado outbreak ever.
Three different tornadoes, two of them EF-2 tornadoes, hit the area Friday. Two tornadoes tore through the urban core of Tallahassee and converged at the Capital City Country Club.
The twisters left behind a trail of destruction across college campuses, homes and businesses, along with downed trees and utility poles.
As strong as Friday's storms were, they weren't the strongest to have hit Leon County. The National Weather Service tornado database records two EF-3 tornadoes in the county's past.
As Leon County picks up the pieces, here's what we know about Friday's tornadoes and storms.
Did any of the Florida tornadoes kill anyone?
A 47-year-old woman was killed when a tree hit her home off Aenon Church Road in Tallahassee, according to the Leon County Sheriff's Office.
EF-2 tornado traveled 19 miles from Gadsden County into Leon County
Rating: EF-2 (significant tornado with 111-135 mph winds)
Estimated peak wind: 115 mph
Path length: 19.58 miles
Path width: 900 yards
Start: 6:38 a.m. in Greensboro in Gadsden Country
End: 7:03 a.m. in west Indian Head Acres
Second EF-2 tornado traveled 27 miles from Tallahassee into Jefferson County
Rating: EF-2 (significant tornado with 111-135 mph winds)
Estimated peak wind: 115 mph
Path length: 27.22 miles
Path width: 1,400 yards
Start time: 6:50 a.m. near Fort Braden
End location: 7:14 a.m. near Chaires Crossroads in Jefferson County
EF-1 tornado traveled 31 miles from Gadsden into Leon County
Rating: EF-1 (moderate tornado with 86-110 mph winds)
Estimated peak wind: 110 mph
Path length: 31.69 miles
Path width: 1,100 yards
Start: 6:50 a.m. at Bloxham in Gadsden County
End: 7:13 a.m. near Natural Bridge in Leon County
How unusual were the tornadoes that hit North Florida?
"Long-tracking tornadoes are very unusual in Leon County," Ryan Truchelut, better known as the WeatherTiger hurricane forecaster, wrote on Facebook.
"There is no history of anything other than brief, short-lived touchdowns in the urban core, college campuses, or densest residential areas of town," Truchelut said.
Power outages continue to affect Tallahassee customers
Three days after Friday's tornadoes and storms, more than 21,000 customers remained without power, according to the City of Tallahassee outage map.
Power outage map: Track power outages in your area here
The city has identified more than 150 damaged transformers, along with 399 confirmed broken utility poles across the network, That number is expected to exceed 500.
2 Leon County schools closed Monday. No school buses running
All Leon County public schools will be open Monday except SAIL High School and Sabal Palm Elementary School, Leon Schools Superintendent Rocky Hanna said on Facebook Live Sunday night.
He also said school buses will not operate because of road hazards such as downed trees and power lines.
Student absences will be excused for hardships and all school start times will be delayed by 30 minutes.
Gov. DeSantis declares state of emergency for Tallahassee, North Florida
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis issued an executive order declaring a state of emergency for North Florida counties affected the storms and tornadoes that hit the area May 10.
Counties included in the executive order are: Baker, Columbia, Gadsden, Hamilton, Jefferson, Lafayette, Leon, Liberty, Madison, Suwannee, Taylor and Wakulla counties.
What's the strongest tornado that has hit Tallahassee?
Two EF-3 tornadoes have hit Leon County in the past, according to National Weather Service records.
An EF-3 tornado with maximum winds of 140 mph tracked 6.5 miles across far eastern Leon County into western Jefferson County on March 3, 2019. Two homes were destroyed. No fatalities or injuries were reported.
Interactive map: See history of Florida tornadoes since 1950
On Oct. 22, 1945, an EF-3 tornado traveled 18 miles from south of Tallahassee to Miccosukee. One woman was killed as her home was swept away and she was thrown 500 feet. Four others were injured. At least 33 homes were damaged or destroyed, according to National Weather Service.
Contributors: Alaijah Brown, Douglas Soule, William Hatfield, Tallahassee Democrat; C. A. Bridges, USA TODAY Network-Florida
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Florida tornadoes hit Tallahassee college campuses, homes, businesses
