EF0 Tornado — Sarasota, Florida

2023-10-11 · near Gator Creek Estates, Sarasota, Florida

Event narrative

A supercell that developed over the Gulf of Mexico and likely produced a waterspout while offshore moved ashore just after 9:30 PM EST (0230Z) between Venice and Osprey. Radar-indicated rotation weakened about 10 to 15 minutes after the storm moved ashore around 9:45 PM EST (0245Z), just after it crossed Interstate 75 east of Osprey. The storm again exhibited increasing organization and rotation just after 9:50 PM EST (0250Z) as it approached SR 72/Clark Rd while continuing north-northeast, and produced a brief EF-0 tornado just before 10:00 PM EST (0300Z) that affected a neighborhood just north of SR 72/Clark Rd on the east side of Sarasota. A metal pool cage/lanai was collapsed at one home, while a small trailer was moved several feet outside of another home. The circulation weakened shortly thereafter as the storm continued across northern Sarasota County.

Wider weather episode

A severe weather episode with an area of low pressure and associated cold front moving east across the Gulf of Mexico approaching the peninsula produced multiple supercell thunderstorms and likely waterspouts over the open waters before approaching the west Florida coast, where one waterspout was observed and multiple strong wind gusts were reported.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (27.2661, -82.3829)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1143566. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.