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F2 tornado in Charlotte County, Florida

Tornado April 5, 1993 · Charlotte County, Florida

F2
Rating
2.0 mi
Path length
100 yd
Path width
1
Injury
$5.0M
Damage as recorded
EF0EF1EF2EF3EF4EF5Unrated

NOAA recorded where this tornado touched down but not where it lifted, so it appears as a point. Other tornadoes recorded nearby that day are shown faint.

What F2 means. This tornado was rated on Fujita’s original scale, used until 2007. F2 meant considerable damage: roofs torn off well-built houses, mobile homes destroyed, large trees snapped or uprooted; the scale paired it with winds of 113–157 mph, figures later judged too high, especially toward the top of the scale, and revised downward in the Enhanced Fujita scale. Ratings then, as now, came from the damage.

What the National Weather Service wrote

A tornado moved through a residential area of Port Charlotte and moved rapidly northeastward causing a 2-mile path of destruction. In all, 69 houses were damaged, 17 of which were severely damaged and one was destroyed. A male resident of this house was cut on the forearm and received a hairline fracture of his foot as the roof was completely lifted off the structure. Promenades Mall was then hit, severely damaging a Bryons department store which will be closed for 5 months for repairs, a supermarket, a medical center, a motel and several other small businesses. Many trees were uprooted, fences damaged, screen enclosures and outbuildings were destroyed. A wind gust of 61 mph was observed at Punta Gorda Airport at 0147 EST. Damage was estimated at $1 million by the emergency manager.

Began near Port Charlotte (26.9700, -82.1000).

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event 10318116. Narratives are written by the National Weather Service forecast office that issued the report.

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