EF2 Tornado — Liberty, Florida

2023-04-27 · near Hosford, Liberty, Florida

Event narrative

A large tornado touched down on the southwest side of Hosford, FL just west of NE Shadow Lane. The tornado snapped or uprooted several trees on NE Chester Street and NE Liberty Circle. There was some minor roof damage in this quadrant of town and a few damaged outbuildings. In the center of town, near the intersection of SR 20 and SR 65, a gas station and adjacent building suffered minor roof damage. Most damage in these areas was consistent with EF0 or EF1 winds. The tornado continued northeastward along SR 65 where the the highest concentration of damage was found. Damage to homes and snapped trees were noted on both sides of the highway with the trees felled in opposite directions on either side of the road. Several outbuildings were destroyed or heavily damaged. Several homes sustained roof damage on either side of the road. The most significant damage occurred just north of NE Granny Annie Road on SR 65. One single family home had the roof and back porch completely removed. An adjacent home on the same property had the roof of a second story bedroom removed with partial collapse of the walls. The tree damage in this area was also extensive. Winds in this location were estimated to be 125 mph, which justifies an EF2 rating. The tornado was also rather wide with a width around one-half mile at times. The tornado continued to the northeast along SR 65 for a short while, snapping trees along the way before potentially lifting. It is possible the tornado continued east of SR 65 for a ways, but there was no way for the survey team to access these areas. Damage cost was estimated.

Wider weather episode

A strong spring storm system moved through the area with ample instability and shear for severe weather. Numerous reports of severe weather were received across the tri-state area. Two tornadoes occurred across southwest Georgia, and seven tornadoes occurred across the eastern Florida panhandle and big bend. An EF2 tornado produced significant damage in the town of Hosford, FL.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (30.3832, -84.8169)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1090343. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.