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F2 tornado in Glades County, Florida

Tornado June 18, 1972 · Glades County, Florida

Rating

3.5 mi

Whole path

150 yd

Path width

Death

Injuries

$200K

Damage as recorded

NOAA records this tornado county by county. Its path ran through Hendry County → Glades County; the totals above are for the whole tornado.

EF0EF1EF2EF3EF4EF5Unrated

The path drawn at its surveyed width of 150 yards (0.09 mi) — zoom in and the swath grows to true scale. Other tornadoes recorded nearby that day are shown faint.

What F2 means. This tornado was rated on Fujita’s original scale, used until 2007. F2 meant considerable damage: roofs torn off well-built houses, mobile homes destroyed, large trees snapped or uprooted; the scale paired it with winds of 113–157 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.

What the National Weather Service wrote

A tornado moved northward from Hendry County, tearing up citrus groves before hitting two trailer parks near LaBelle. Ten units were destroyed and 6 persons were injured. Property damage was estimated at $190,000, with $5,000 in crop damage. Note: this event was added in 2018, following a reanalysis by NWS Melbourne.

The wider storm

As Hurricane Agnes moved northward, approximately 200 miles west of the Florida peninsula, numerous tornadoes occurred across south and central Florida, many of which were strong (F2 and F3), resulting in numerous casualties and considerable property damage.

Began near Labelle (26.7700, -81.4800).

Other tornadoes from the same storm system

1 more tornado the National Weather Service filed under this storm episode.

F2 Okeechobee County 6 dead

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event 990000001. Narratives are written by the National Weather Service forecast office that issued the report.

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