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F0 tornado in Okeechobee County, Florida

Tornado May 12, 1996 · Okeechobee County, Florida

Rating

0.1 mi

Path length

20 yd

Path width

Death

$50K

Damage as recorded

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The path drawn at its surveyed width of 20 yards (0.01 mi) — zoom in and the swath grows to true scale. Other tornadoes recorded nearby that day are shown faint.

What F0 means. This tornado was rated on Fujita’s original scale, used until 2007. F0 meant light damage: shingles and siding peeled, gutters torn, branches broken; the scale paired it with winds of 40–72 mph, figures later judged too high, especially toward the top of the scale, and revised downward in the Enhanced Fujita scale. Ratings then, as now, came from the damage.

The wider storm

A small F0 tornado touched down on the northwest shore of Lake Okeechobee just east of the Kissimmee River. The tornado moved east northeast for about 200 feet and overturned a travel trailer killing the only occupant. About 60 other trailers and mobile homes received minor damage.

Began near Okeechobee (27.1800, -80.9200).

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event 5555353. Narratives are written by the National Weather Service forecast office that issued the report.

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