Has there ever been a tornado in Crestview before? What we know about 2 previous twisters

Kim Luciani, USA TODAY NETWORK - Florida
·2 min read

A possible tornado ripped through Crestview, Florida in the early morning hours on Friday, May 10, 2024.

The suspected twister was alerted to via a tornado warning by the National Weather Service in Mobile, Alabama at 3:59 a.m.

Damage was significant north of the intersection of Highways 85 and 90, according to previous reporting.

Blocked roads, damage to buildings and homes and downed trees and power lines were reported by Crestview Police Department on its Facebook page.

Has there ever been a tornado in Crestview?

Aside from Friday's suspected tornado, at least two twisters have struck the town since 1950, according to the Northwest Florida Daily News tornado archive and the National Weather Service.

  • On Jan. 5, 1962 at 4:10 p.m., twin tornadoes, with about 100-yard-wide path each and 100 yards apart ripped through a residential area on edge of Crestwood, killing a 6-month-old girl and injuring 30, according to the National Weather Service.

  • On Oct. 4, 1995, an EF-2 tornado touched down near Interstate 10, east of Crestview. The tornado moved northwest across Okaloosa Lane and across U.S. Highway 90 before dissipating near Highway 85. The tornado destroyed two homes and a church and severely damaged the late Bob Sikes Homestead and the Crestview High School's gymnasium. The two destroyed homes were along Okaloosa Lane where one woman was killed and three people were injured. The tornado was on the ground for nearly two miles.

Does Crestview get hurricanes?

According to climate risk data company Risk Factor, the most severe hurricane to hit Crestview was a Category 4 storm with maximum wind speeds of 192 mph on Sept. 28, 1917.

Crestview is located only 30 miles from the Gulf of Mexico and has endured its share of hurricanes, more recently the effects of Hurricane Idalia in 2023 and Hurricane Sally in 2020.

Where is Crestview, Florida?

Crestview is located 50 miles east of Pensacola and 30 miles from the Gulf of Mexico and Florida's Emerald Coast beaches. The city is the county seat for Okaloosa County.

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This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Crestview, FL tornadoes: City has seen deadly twisters in past