EF1 tornado in Flagler County, Florida

During the evening hours, between 655 pm and 710 pm EST on December 14, 2013, a tornado with maximum strength of EF1 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale touched down and crossed the northern sections of Palm Coast in Flagler County Florida. The tornado initially touched down north of Espanola on an intermittend track. The tornado then intensified to its maximum strength of 95 to 110 across the B section (Indian Trails and Pine Lakes neighborhoods) and western F sections of Palm Coast on a continuous path ranging in width from approximately 75 yards to a maximum of around 150 yards on Bannbury Lane. The tornado weakened as it moved northeast toward the coast with a path width of 25 to 50 yards across the eastern F section and Hammock area.

The location of the initial touchdown was near 29.52 degrees north latitude and 81.31 degrees west longitude. The location of the final damage was near 29.61 degrees north latitude and 81.19 degrees west longitude. The total distance between the initial touchdown and final damage was approximately 9.5 miles with the longest continuous path approximately 1 mile in the B section of Palm Coast.

Media reported 7 homes were destroyed and more than 150 damaged when the tornado struck Palm Coast. Palm Coast city officials stated that 142 homes were partially damaged in the Indian Trails neighborhood and 22 homes had moderate damage. The damage was estimated at more than $5 million. No injuries were reported. The area was cluttered with downed trees and house debris. The tornado downed power lines, blew out windows, knocked down trees and power poles and ripped away roof shingles.

A pre-frontal cluster of showers with isolated thunderstorms tracked northeast across north Florida during the afternoon and evening.

A progressive upper level trough over the central U.S. moved east as the lead short wave trough lifted northeast across the Ohio Valley during the day. Well ahead of a cold front, Northeast Florida and Southeast Ga were located in the warm sector of this system with a strongly sheared atmosphere. The 12z and 00z JAX Upper Air Sounding showed 0-3KM helicity values between 300-400 m2/s2. Surface based instability was weak but enough for thunderstorm activity over mainly northeast Florida. Two thunderstorms merged together as thunderstorms tracked from the nature coast across the Florida peninsula over Flagler County. The role of the storms interaction and merger most likely assisted in the subsequent storm enhancement and tornado genesis across Palm Coast, Florida. The storm strengthened with 40 knots of rotational velocity around 5.7 kft over Palm Coast in Flagler county, and a tornado warning was issued at 6:54 pm EST. The first confirmed tornado touchdown damage was recieved at 7 pm that nigth in Palm Coast. There were no injuries nor fatalities reported.