EF2 Tornado — Okeechobee, Florida

2017-04-06 · near Ft Drum, Okeechobee, Florida

Event narrative

A NWS damage survey found that tornado damage began in Fort Drum, just west of US-441 and NW 358th Boulevard. The tornado continued eastward for 4.1 miles, crossing Highway 441 and the Florida Turnpike before dissipating. While much of the path occurred through an unpopulated area, several streets and mobile homes were impacted. Three mobile homes were destroyed, 1 sustained major damage, 13 had minor damage and an additional two were affected. Many trees were snapped, twisted above the base or uprooted. The tornado reached peak intensity just east of Highway 441, where mobile home and tree damage suggested winds reached near 115 mph (EF-2). There were no casualties as most of the residents in the affected area were not at home during the tornado. DI3, DOD8, EXP-LB; DI27, DOD4, EXP-UB.

Wider weather episode

During the early morning hours, a strong thunderstorm along a decaying squall line produced localized wind damage in the town of Lady Lake. Tree damage occurred, along with very minor damage to one home.

As the squall line continued to sag southward, it became reinvigorated toward mid morning. A cluster of strong storms formed into a bow echo as it approached the Kissimmee River near the border of southwest Osceola and northwest Okeechobee Counties. Very strong straight line winds destroyed two recreational vehicles within the Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park and resulted in two injuries. As the cell continued east, a tornado developed and impacted Fort Drum with EF-2 damage to several mobile homes and numerous trees.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (27.5739, -80.8352)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 696333. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.