Tornado outbreak of February 23, 1965

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Tornado outbreak of February 23, 1965
TypeTornado outbreak
DurationFebruary 23, 1965
Highest gust71 kn (82 mph; 131 km/h) at Lehigh Acres[1][2]
Tornadoes
confirmed		4 confirmed
Max. rating1F3 tornado
Fatalities0 fatalities, 8 injuries
Damage$302,500 (1965 USD)[nb 1][3]
$2.48 million (2022 USD)
Areas affectedSouth Florida

1Most severe tornado damage; see Fujita scale

On Tuesday, February 23, 1965, a small, localized tornado outbreak affected the southern Florida peninsula. At least four confirmed tornadoes touched down between 10 a.m.–1 p.m. EST (15:00–18:00 UTC); the strongest tornado moved through the Fort Lauderdale area and produced F3 damage on the Fujita scale, injuring six people. In addition, a F1 tornado also moved through northern Broward and southern Palm Beach counties. Two tornadoes also affected Lee County, producing F2 and F1 damage, respectively. 50 percent of the tornadoes attained strong (F2–F3) intensity.[nb 2][nb 3][nb 4]

Background[]

Impact[]

Confirmed tornadoes[]

Confirmed tornadoes by Fujita rating
FU F0 F1 F2 F3 F4 F5 Total
0 0 2 1 1 0 0 4

February 23 event[]

Confirmed tornadoes – Tuesday, February 23, 1965[nb 5][nb 6]
F# Location County / Parish State Start
coord. 		Time (UTC) Path length Max. width Summary
F1 Western Pompano Beach to Delray Beach Broward, Palm Beach FL 26°15′N 80°12′W / 26.25°N 80.20°W / 26.25; -80.20 (Pompano Beach (February 23, F1)) 15:50–? 14.1 miles (22.7 km) 33 yards (30 m) Tornado produced intermittent, minor damage, mainly to trees and fences. Losses totaled $2,500.[18][2][19]
F3 Southwestern Fort Lauderdale to Southeastern Oakland Park Broward FL 26°06′N 80°10′W / 26.10°N 80.17°W / 26.10; -80.17 (Fort Lauderdale (February 23, F3)) 16:15–? 5.7 miles (9.2 km) 60 yards (55 m) See section on this tornado – Six people were injured and losses totaled $250,000.
F1 Iona Lee FL 26°30′N 81°45′W / 26.50°N 81.75°W / 26.50; -81.75 (San Carlos Park (February 23, F1)) 17:45–? 0.1 miles (0.16 km) 33 yards (30 m) Tornado substantially damaged saran housing and vegetation at a plant nursery. Two injuries were reported and losses totaled $25,000.[20][2]
F2 Fort Myers Lee FL 26°37′N 81°52′W / 26.62°N 81.87°W / 26.62; -81.87 (Fort Myers (February 1965, F2)) 17:45–? 0.5 miles (0.80 km) 67 yards (61 m) Losses totaled $25,000. Grazulis did not list this tornado as an F2 or stronger.[21][2][22]

Fort Lauderdale–Oakland Park, Florida[]

Fort Lauderdale–Oakland Park, Florida
F3 tornado
Max. rating1F3 tornado
Fatalities6 injuries
Damage$250,000 (1965 USD)
$2.05 million (2022 USD)
1Most severe tornado damage; see Fujita scale

The second tornado touched down near Chula Vista and moved north-northeast across western portions of the city of Fort Lauderdale, affecting 40 blocks of the city. The small funnel was visible from a jetliner waiting to take off from Fort Lauderdale International Airport. Later, it briefly lifted prior to touching down in Oakland Park, and it dissipated northeast of Wilton Manors. Though three funnel clouds occurred along the path, only one tornado developed. One home was destroyed, while seven trailers, three cars, and multiple trucks received severe damage. Most of the damage affected a marina and a trailer park, though damage to power poles left about 2,400 residents powerless. The width of the damage path did not exceed 60 yd (180 ft). The tornado caused six injuries, three of them due to airborne debris, and at least $140,000 in damages (NCEI lists damages as $250,000). The tornado is officially estimated to have been an F3 event. It remains the second of only three F3/EF3 tornadoes to affect Broward County since 1950; the others occurred on April 10, 1956, and March 1, 1980. However, tornado researcher Thomas P. Grazulis classified the tornado as an F2.[23]

Non-tornadic effects[]

In addition to tornadoes, severe thunderstorms produced strong wind gusts that damaged at least three homes near Lehigh Acres. Multiple funnel clouds occurred over at least two counties in southern Florida, and at least one waterspout touched down near West Palm Beach.[2]

Aftermath and recovery[]

See also[]

Notes[]

  1. ^ All losses are in 1965 USD unless otherwise noted.
  2. ^ An outbreak is generally defined as a group of at least six tornadoes with no more than a six-hour gap between individual tornadoes; however, the threshold varies slightly according to local climatology. On the Florida peninsula, an outbreak consists of at least four tornadoes occurring relatively synchronously—no more than four hours apart.[4][5][6][7][8]
  3. ^ The Fujita scale was devised under the aegis of scientist T. Theodore Fujita in the early 1970s. Prior to the advent of the scale in 1971, tornadoes in the United States were officially unrated.[9][10] While the Fujita scale has been superseded by the Enhanced Fujita scale in the U.S. since February 1, 2007,[11] Canada utilized the old scale until April 1, 2013;[12] nations elsewhere, like the United Kingdom, apply other classifications such as the TORRO scale.[13]
  4. ^ Historically, the number of tornadoes globally and in the United States was and is likely underrepresented: research by Grazulis on annual tornado activity suggests that, as of 2001, only 53% of yearly U.S. tornadoes were officially recorded. Documentation of tornadoes outside the United States was historically less exhaustive, owing to the lack of monitors in many nations and, in some cases, to internal political controls on public information.[14] Most countries only recorded tornadoes that produced severe damage or loss of life.[15] Significant low biases in U.S. tornado counts likely occurred through the early 1990s, when advanced NEXRAD was first installed and the National Weather Service began comprehensively verifying tornado occurrences.[16]
  5. ^ All dates are based on the local time zone where the tornado touched down; however, all times are in Coordinated Universal Time and dates are split at midnight CST/CDT for consistency.
  6. ^ Prior to 1994, only the average widths of tornado paths were officially listed.[17]

References[]

  1. ^ Storm Data Publication 1965, Events Reported
  2. ^ a b c d e Storm Data 1965, p. 8.
  3. ^ Storm Data Publication 1965, Events Reported
  4. ^ Hagemeyer 1997, p. 400.
  5. ^ Grazulis 2001a, p. 206.
  6. ^ Hagemeyer 1997, p. 401.
  7. ^ Hagemeyer, Bartlett C.; Spratt, Scott M. (2002). Written at Melbourne, Florida. Thirty Years After Hurricane Agnes: the Forgotten Florida Tornado Disaster (PDF). 25th Conference on Hurricanes and Tropical Meteorology. San Diego, California: American Meteorological Society. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 October 2008. Retrieved 24 November 2019.
  8. ^ Grazulis 2001a, p. 206.
  9. ^ Grazulis 1993, p. 141.
  10. ^ Grazulis 2001a, p. 131.
  11. ^ Edwards, Roger (5 March 2015). "Enhanced F Scale for Tornado Damage". The Online Tornado FAQ (by Roger Edwards, SPC). Storm Prediction Center. Retrieved 25 February 2016.
  12. ^ "Enhanced Fujita Scale (EF-Scale)". Environment and Climate Change Canada. Environment and Climate Change Canada. 6 June 2013. Archived from the original on 25 February 2016. Retrieved 25 February 2016.
  13. ^ "The International Tornado Intensity Scale". Tornado and Storm Research Organisation. Tornado and Storm Research Organisation. 2016. Archived from the original on 25 February 2016. Retrieved 25 February 2016.
  14. ^ Grazulis 2001a, pp. 251–4.
  15. ^ Edwards, Roger (5 March 2015). "The Online Tornado FAQ (by Roger Edwards, SPC)". Storm Prediction Center: Frequently Asked Questions about Tornadoes. Storm Prediction Center. Retrieved 25 February 2016.
  16. ^ Cook & Schaefer 2008, p. 3135.
  17. ^ Brooks 2004, p. 310.
  18. ^ Storm Data Publication 1965, #9988797
  19. ^ "Rain, Winds Lash City" (PDF). Boca Raton News. No. 28. Boca Raton, Florida: Boca Raton Historical Society and Museum. February 25, 1965. pp. 1A–2A. Retrieved 21 November 2021.
  20. ^ Storm Data Publication 1965, #9988799
  21. ^ Storm Data Publication 1965, #9988800
  22. ^ Grazulis 1993, p. 1060.
  23. ^ Multiple sources:

Sources[]

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