EF2 Tornado — Calhoun, Florida

2014-11-17 · near Kennys Mill, Calhoun, Florida

Event narrative

The tornado likely began in a heavily forested area with limited access just SW of the Calhoun Correctional Institution - between the prison grounds and Highway 71. The beginning point was estimated based on the rest of the damage path and a lack of observed damage along Highway 71. The tornado then quickly intensified as it moved into the prison grounds. Several concrete buildings were heavily damaged - including a two-story printing facility. The eastern wall of that particular building was completely collapsed with the roof almost entirely removed. An adjacent concrete building also had large sections of roof removed. The damage to both of these buildings was rated EF2 with maximum estimated winds of 120-130 mph - in the high end of the EF2 range. Other buildings, including some warehouses, were also damaged on the prison grounds. There were some light poles that were snapped, and some trees near the entrance to the facility were also snapped. All of that additional damage was rated EF1. Over 30 cars that were parked in the parking lot by the administrative building were damaged, and some were tossed or rolled as much as 50-100 yards - a few badly crumpled due to impacts. There were some objects driven into the ground near the parking lot as well; an emergency manager also observed a screwdriver driven into the bottom of a flipped vehicle. Some concrete curbs along the parking lot were ripped from the ground.

After moving northeast off the prison grounds, the tornado crossed some forested area near the Apalachicola River, clipping areas along the southern tip of River Road and then crossing Highway 20 just west of the Apalachicola River bridge. There were numerous healthy, large trees that were snapped in the damage path, as well as some power poles. This portion of the damage path was rated EF1 with maximum winds of around 100 MPH. This tornado continued into Liberty county and eventually ended in Gadsden county.

Monetary damage for this tornado was estimated at around $2 million. Structural damage to the prison was estimated at around $1.8 million, but the $1.8 million figure did not include fencing, lighting, or vehicle damage that also occurred.

Wider weather episode

A strong upper level trough and surface cold front moved through the region, bringing a round of severe weather across the area. Isolated supercells developed ahead of the main squall line, and one produced an EF2 tornado in Florida which was the longest continuous damage path in Florida since the Central Florida outbreak of February 1, 2007.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (30.4025, -85.0746)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 547725. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.