Were May 10 tornadoes the worst in Leon County history? One in 1945 may have been worse
Three separate tornadoes, two of them EF-2 tornadoes, struck Leon County Friday in what may have been the area's worst tornado strike in nearly 80 years.
Two twisters ripped through Tallahassee with estimated peak winds of 115 mph each, according to the National Weather Service, one traveling 19 miles from Gadsden to Leon County and the other moving 27 miles from Tallahassee into Jefferson County. They converged at the Capital City Country Club and left a swath of destruction behind with damaged homes, college campuses and buildings.
Right after the height of the storms, more than 200,000 customers in North Florida were without power. 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.
A third tornado, an EF-1 with peak winds of 110 mph, traveled 31 miles from Gadsden into Leon County.
How are tornado strengths rated?
Since 2007, meteorologists have used the Enhanced Fujita Scale or EF Scale to rate tornadoes based on estimated wind speeds of 3-second gusts based on surveys of the resulting damage after the fact.
EF-0: 65-85 mph
EF-1: 86-110 mph
EF-2: 111-135 mph
EF-3: 135-165 mph
EF-4: 166-200 mph
EF-5: Over 200 mph
How did Friday's tornadoes compare to others in Leon County's history? There have only been about 30 tornadoes recorded in the area since about 1880, according to NWS records.
Here are the tornadoes that caused the most damage. You also can see the history of Florida's tornadoes in this interactive map.
Oct. 22, 1945: EF-3 tornado devastates Tallahassee
Two EF-3 tornadoes have struck the area since meteorologists have been tracking them, and the earliest one set some disastrous records.
On Oct. 22, 1945, an EF-3 tornado with winds estimated between 136 and 165 mph traveled 18 miles from south of Tallahassee to Miccosukee with a maximum width of 150 yards, more than twice any other tornado tracked in the area until 1995. At least 33 homes were damaged or destroyed in rural parts of town and one woman was killed when her house was swept away and she was hurled 500 feet. Four other people were reported injured. Property damage was estimated to be $50,000.
There were 12 more tornadoes tracked between then and 1995, five of them EF-2s. No fatalities or injuries were reported and damages averaged around $25,000 or less for each, except for one.
May 16, 1983: EF-1 tornado hits airplane hangar
On May 16, a relatively minor tornado traveled two miles in Tallahassee but it destroyed several buildings at a general aviation hangar and some homes in a nearby residential area, doing an estimated $2.5 million in damages.
Nov. 11, 1995: EF-1 tornado hits downtown Tallahassee
A severe thunderstorm on the morning of Nov. 11, 1995, spawned a tornado that caused $500,000 in damage by blowing away hundreds of mature pines and hardwoods and damaging residences and apartment complexes. The roof of the Tallahassee Civic Center sustained a great deal of damage, the NWS said, but while people received cuts and bruises there were no serious injuries.
A few weak tornadoes formed in the area in 2003, 2004 and 2005 with some minor tree damage and no fatalities or injuries.
March 7, 2008: EF-1 tornado tears through Capitola
A tornado touched down between Tallahassee and Capitola to the east, and traveled northeast across Capitola damaging several homes, tearing up trees and downing power lines. One person was injured. Damges were estimated to be $750,000.
June 4, 2009: EF-0 tornado mangles elementary school roof
It was the weakest-rated tornado, with maximum winds of 65 to 70 mph, and it only traveled 25 yards.
But the one that touched down in Tallahassee on June 4, 2009, still tore up the metal roof of the Apalachee Elementary School, causing an estimated $1.3 million in damage. There were no injuries.
Two more EF-0 tornadoes came along in December of that year and in 2014, the first causing $50,000 in damage to trees and one home's roof, and an EF-1 tornado in March 2019 with max wind speeds of around 95 mph took down some fences and crushed a vehicle under a tree. Estimated damage was $40,000.
March 3, 2019: EF-3 tornado destroys homes in eastern Leon County, Jefferson
After the 1945 tornado, the second strongest was this one in 2019 which reached wind speeds of 140 mph and completely destroyed two homes near Steeds Run and Baum Road, blowing out their exterior walls. The width of the path was estimated to be 700 yards. It also picked up several cars and threw them a short distance away.
During the tornado's 6.5 mile journey, it also snapped trees and power poles and destroyed an outbuilding on Wadesboro Road. Damage was estimated at $500,000.
An EF-0 tornado touched down in Apalachicola National Forest in Liberty County on April 19, 2019, doing an estimated $500,00 to trees there and through Wakulla County but after moving into Leon it dissipated before it reached populated areas.
April 23, 2020: EF-1 tornado tears up trees, resulting in one death
Just over a year later an EF-1 tore through the Lake Jackson and Bradfordville areas, ripping up trees across 10 and a half miles. One of them struck a homeless man, killing him, officials at the time said. Damages were estimated at $500,000.
Jan. 27, 2021: Two EF-1 tornados hit area, destroy plane
Two EF-1 tornadoes struck the area on Jan. 27, 2021. One uprooted several large live oak trees and destroyed several outbuildings.
The other rampaged through one end of Tallahassee International Airport, moving a 737, spinning a CRJ plane around, uprooting a tree onto cars in the parking lot and flipping a small Piper plane upside down. Damages were estimated at $200,000, mostly due to the ruined Piper.
Since then, until the Friday, May 10 tornadoes, Leon County has seen only three EF-0 and EF-1 tornadoes in unpopulated areas.
Contributing: Cheryl McCloud, USA TODAY Network-Florida
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Florida tornadoes: Where May 10 tornadoes rank in Leon County history
