Strong Wind — Lake, Florida

2012-06-26 · Lake, Florida

Event narrative

Tropical Storm Debby, located over the northeast Gulf of Mexico, created rough water conditions due to 20 mph winds with gusts to 35 mph. Two canoes went out on Lake Dorr with one adult in each canoe, and a total of five children divided between the two canoes. One canoe returned to shore to drop off the children, then attempted to return to the second canoe to assist them return to shore. While enroute, the canoe capsized and the person who was onboard drowned. The other canoe and occupant were helped back to shore by another vessel. None of the five canoeists were wearing life vests.

Wider weather episode

While Tropical Storm Debby was located over the northeast Gulf of Mexico, numerous strong rain bands rotated across east-central Florida. One particular persistent, mini-supercell produced three tornadoes as it traveled north from Okeechobee to Brevard County. The tornadoes occurred over rural areas of Osceola and Brevard Counties, which limited damage. Another mini-supercell moved north from Polk County and produced discontinuous tornado damage along a 3.7 mile path in southeast Lake County. A linear squall line behind the mini-supercells caused a localized area of property damage in northwest Osceola County. A canoe capsized on an inland lake in Lake County due to gusty winds and choppy conditions on the water, resulting in a drowning. Multi-day rainfall totals exceeded four inches across portions of Seminole, Orange, Volusia and Lake Counties, with maximum accumulations of 7-9 inches near Pierson, Lady Lake, and Astor Park in Lake County. No significant flooding occurred due to abnormally dry soil conditions prior to the rain event.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 380146. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.