Tornado outbreak of April 15, 1958

On April 15, 1958, a tornado outbreak produced severe weather over peninsular Florida and part of neighboring Georgia.[nb 1] A total of five tornadoes occurred, the strongest of which was posthumously rated F4 in Polk County, Florida, becoming one of only two F4 tornadoes recorded in the U.S. state of Florida, although the rating is disputed.[7][nb 2] The second F4 tornado occurred on April 4, 1966, in Polk County near Gibsonia and Galloway.[12] In total, 36 people were injured during the 1958 outbreak, but no deaths were directly related to the tornadoes.[13][14][7] In addition to confirmed tornadoes, an unconfirmed tornado was also reported near Wimauma, Florida.[15]

April 1958 Florida tornado outbreak
DurationApril 15, 1958
Tornadoes confirmed5
Max. rating1F4 tornado
Duration of tornado outbreak26 hours
Casualties4 non–tornadic deaths, 36 injuries
Areas affectedFlorida and Georgia

1Most severe tornado damage; see Fujita scale
2Time from first tornado to last tornado

Confirmed tornadoes
Confirmed tornadoes by Fujita rating
FU F0 F1 F2 F3 F4 F5 Total
0 0 2 0 2 1 0 5
F# Location County State Time (UTC) Path length Damage
F4 Bereah Polk FL 1700 0.1 miles (0.16 km) The first tornado of the day produced severe damage in rural Polk County. Nine small homes were destroyed near Bereah, but only one residence was well constructed. Seven injuries occurred, and a 2,500 US gal (9,500 L) water tank was thrown for more than 1 mi (1.6 km). Rating disputed, ranked F3 by Grazulis.[13][14]
F1 WSW of Gulf City Hillsborough FL 1720 0.5 miles (0.80 km) The second tornado of the day touched down west-southwest of Ruskin, Florida, where it crossed Mullet Key.[15]
F3 N of Saint Augustine Saint Johns FL 1720 3.6 miles (5.8 km) The third tornado touched down in Saint Johns County and affected neighborhoods north of Saint Augustine, producing F3 damage. The tornado destroyed six homes in multiple subdivisions north of Saint Augustine. In addition, 8–10 homes received damage, and nine people were injured. Rating disputed, ranked F2 by Grazulis.[13][14][7]
F3 Fort Pierce Saint Lucie FL 1809 14.8 miles (23.8 km) See section on this tornado
F1 Riddleville Washington GA 2130 0.8 miles (1.3 km) Tornado leveled three homes, all unoccupied, as well as a barn. It also damaged two additional homes.[16]

Fort Pierce, Florida
Fort Pierce, Florida
F3 tornado
Max. rating1F3 tornado
Casualties20 injuries
1Most severe tornado damage; see Fujita scale

The fourth tornado became the most destructive event of the outbreak, touching down near U.S. Route 441 west of Fort Pierce in Saint Lucie County.[7][17] It moved east through the city's business district and moved offshore over the Atlantic Ocean.[17][13] A total of 28 homes were demolished or received damage in the Fort Pierce area, while 200 additional buildings were destroyed or damaged as well. In addition, nine small residences were destroyed outside the city. Initial estimates placed damages near $5,000,000 (1958 USD), but these estimates were deemed too high by the General Adjustments Bureau.[13][17] Final estimates placed damages near "over half million" or $0.6 million.[17][7] Martial law was declared after the tornado struck the city, but it was lifted on April 16.[15] Grapefruit was tossed from the trees, but growers salvaged the majority of the fruit from the ground.[17] Most of the 20 injuries were inflicted by flying glass in the city's downtown business district.[13]

Non-tornadic effects

One B-47 bomber departing from MacDill Air Force Base was destroyed when it encountered the parent thunderstorm. The plane unsuccessfully attempted to fly at lower altitudes and avoid it.[14] The four crew members aboard were not found.[15]

See also

Notes
  1. An outbreak is generally defined as a group of at least six tornadoes (the number sometimes varies slightly according to local climatology) with no more than a six-hour gap between individual tornadoes. An outbreak sequence, prior to (after) the start of modern records in 1950, is defined as a period of no more than two (one) consecutive days without at least one significant (F2 or stronger) tornado.[1][2][3][4][5][6]
  2. 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.[8] While the Fujita scale has been superseded by the Enhanced Fujita scale in the U.S. since February 1, 2007,[9] Canada utilized the old scale until April 1, 2013;[10] nations elsewhere, like the United Kingdom, apply other classifications such as the TORRO scale.[11]

References
  1. Schneider, Russell S.; Brooks, Harold E.; Schaefer, Joseph T. (2004). Tornado Outbreak Day Sequences: Historic Events and Climatology (1875-2003) (PDF). 22nd Conference on Severe Local Storms. Hyannis, Massachusetts: American Meteorological Society. Retrieved 17 September 2019.
  2. Hagemeyer, Bartlett C. (September 1997). "Peninsular Florida Tornado Outbreaks". Weather and Forecasting. Boston: American Meteorological Society. 12 (3): 400. Bibcode:1997WtFor..12..399H. doi:10.1175/1520-0434(1997)012<0399:PFTO>2.0.CO;2.
  3. Grazulis 2001, p. 206
  4. Hagemeyer 1997, p. 401
  5. Hagemeyer, Bartlett C.; Spratt, Scott M. (2002). Written at Melbourne, Florida. Thirty Years After Hurricane Agnes: the Forgotten Florida Tornado Disaster (PDF). 25th Conference on Hurricanes and Tropical Meteorology. San Diego, California: American Meteorological Society. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 October 2008. Retrieved 24 November 2019.
  6. Grazulis, Thomas P. (2001). The Tornado: Nature's Ultimate Windstorm. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press. p. 206. ISBN 978-0-8061-3538-0.
  7. "NCDC Storm Event Database". Archived from the original on 17 July 2008. Retrieved 2008-07-22.
  8. Grazulis, Thomas P. (July 1993). Significant Tornadoes 1680–1991: A Chronology and Analysis of Events. St. Johnsbury, Vermont: The Tornado Project of Environmental Films. p. 141. ISBN 1-879362-03-1.
  9. Edwards, Roger (5 March 2015). "Enhanced F Scale for Tornado Damage". The Online Tornado FAQ (by Roger Edwards, SPC). Storm Prediction Center. Retrieved 25 February 2016.
  10. "Enhanced Fujita Scale (EF-Scale)". Environment and Climate Change Canada. Environment and Climate Change Canada. 6 June 2013. Archived from the original on 25 February 2016. Retrieved 25 February 2016.
  11. "The International Tornado Intensity Scale". Tornado and Storm Research Organisation. Tornado and Storm Research Organisation. 2016. Archived from the original on 25 February 2016. Retrieved 25 February 2016.
  12. Grazulis 1993, pp. 1079–80
  13. Grazulis 1993, p. 1014
  14. "Tornadoes Wreck Homes, Injure 60 In Florida". Tucson Daily Citizen. Tucson, Arizona. The Associated Press. April 16, 1958.
  15. "City in Florida is Battered by Freak Twister". Moberly Monitor-Index. Moberly, Missouri. Associated Press. April 16, 1958.
  16. "Storm data and unusual weather phenomena". Climatological Data National Summary. United States Department of Commerce. 9 (4): 107–129. April 1958.
  17. Campbell, Scotty (April 17, 1958). "Tornado Damage Loss Estimates Drop". Fort Pierce News-Tribune. Fort Pierce, Florida.
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