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Tornado outbreak of April 15, 1958

On Tuesday, April 15, 1958, a tornado outbreak produced severe weather over peninsular Florida and part of neighboring Georgia. A total of five tornadoes occurred, a few of which produced F3-level damage; one of these, in Polk County, Florida, was officially assigned an F4 rating, becoming one of only two violent tornadoes recorded in the U.S. state of Florida, but this was disputed and retroactively revised by tornado researcher Thomas P. Grazulis. The only undisputed F4 tornado on record in Florida occurred on April 4, 1966, also in Polk County, near Gibsonia and Galloway. In total, 36 people were injured during the 1958 outbreak, but no deaths were directly related to the tornadoes. However, four airmen flying through a severe thunderstorm in the Tampa Bay area went missing following the crash of their jet and were presumed dead.[nb 1]

Tornado outbreak of April 15, 1958
Tornado outbreak
Tornadoes5
Maximum ratingF3 tornado
DurationApril 15, 1958
Overall effects
FatalitiesNone (+4 indirect)
Injuries36 (+1 indirect)
Damage≥ $316,500 ($3,340,000 in 2024 USD)
Part of the tornadoes and tornado outbreaks of 1958

Background

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Impact

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Confirmed tornadoes

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Confirmed tornadoes by Fujita rating
FU F0 F1 F2 F3 F4 F5 Total
0 0 2 1 2 0 0 5

Prior to 1990, there is a likely undercount of tornadoes, particularly E/F0–1, with reports of weaker tornadoes becoming more common as population increased. A sharp increase in the annual average E/F0–1 count by approximately 200 tornadoes was noted upon the implementation of NEXRAD Doppler weather radar in 1990–1991.[5][nb 2] 1974 marked the first year where significant tornado (E/F2+) counts became homogenous with contemporary values, attributed to the consistent implementation of Fujita scale assessments.[9][nb 3] Numerous discrepancies on the details of tornadoes in this outbreak exist between sources. The total count of tornadoes and ratings differs from various agencies accordingly. The list below documents information from the most contemporary official sources alongside assessments from tornado historian Thomas P. Grazulis.

Color/symbol key
Color / symbol Description
† Data from Grazulis 1990/1993/2001b
Data from newspapers
※ Data from the 1958 Climatological Data National Summary publication
‡ Data from the NCEI database
♯ Maximum width of tornado
± Tornado was rated below F2 intensity by Grazulis but a specific rating is unavailable.
List of confirmed tornadoes in the tornado outbreak of April 15, 1958
F# Location County / Parish State Start Coord.[nb 4] Time (UTC)[nb 5] Path length Width[nb 6] Damage[nb 7]
F1 Mullet Key to near Wimauma※ Pinellas¶, Manatee¶, Hillsborough Florida 27°42′N 82°30′W / 27.70°N 82.50°W / 27.70; -82.50 (Sun City (April 15, F1)) 17:20–? ≥0.5 mi (0.80 km) 33 yd (30 m) ≥$14,000
See section on this tornado
F3† N of Bareah to S of Frostproof Polk Florida 27°40′N 82°37′W / 27.67°N 82.62°W / 27.67; -82.62 (Bareah (April 15, F4)) 17:30–?¶ 5 mi (8.0 km)† 300 yd (270 m) Un­known
See section on this tornado
F2† Northwestern St. Augustine※ St. Johns Florida 29°52′N 81°18′W / 29.87°N 81.30°W / 29.87; -81.30 (St. Augustine Beach (April 15, F3)) 17:20–? 3 mi (4.8 km)※ 73 yd (67 m)‡ $250,000
This tornado destroyed half a dozen homes in Ponce de Leon Heights and Santa Rosa, a pair of subdivisions on the northern outskirts of St. Augustine. In addition, eight to 15 homes received damage, and up to 12 other structures were destroyed or damaged. Nine people were injured. The NCEI incorrectly list the path as being north-northwest of St. Augustine Beach.[19][20][21][22]
F3 Fort Pierce St. Lucie Florida 27°30′N 80°34′W / 27.50°N 80.57°W / 27.50; -80.57 (Fort Pierce (April 15, F3)) 18:09–? 13 mi (21 km)※ 100 yd (91 m)† $500,000
See section on this tornado
F1 Riddleville Washington Georgia 32°54′N 82°40′W / 32.90°N 82.67°W / 32.90; -82.67 (Riddleville (April 15, F1)) 21:30–? 0.8 mi (1.3 km) 200 yd (180 m) $2,500
This tornado leveled three homes, all of which were unoccupied, as well as a barn. It also damaged two additional homes.[23][21]

Mullet Key–Piney Point–Gulf City–Ruskin–Sun City–Wimauma, Florida

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Mullet Key–Piney Point–Gulf City–Ruskin–Sun City–Wimauma, Florida
F1 tornado
on the Fujita scale
Overall effects
Fatalities4 indirect
Injuries1 indirect
Damage≥ $14,000 ($150,000 in 2024 USD)

This tornado affected areas in and near Fort DeSoto, Piney Point, Gulf City, Ruskin, Sun City, and Wimauma. Winds of 83 mph (134 km/h) attended the tornado on Mullet Key, extensively damaging bathhouses and outbuildings. Half of one bathhouse was torn off, an airplane's wing was bent out of shape, a shed was wrecked, and the metal roof of a museum was blown away. At Piney Point nine pumphouses were pulled out of their concrete foundations and blown away. In and near this area, along the Manatee–Hillsborough county line, fragments of a shed were carried 1⁄2 mi (0.80 km), bits of tin were twisted around utility poles and lofted into treetops, and six mature oak trees were prostrated, a few of which fell onto a house, penetrating the roof and ceiling above the living room, and caused glass to shatter. Metal roofing slats were torn off a tractor shed as well. A newly-built barn in Ruskin was shifted 6 ft (2.0 yd) off its foundation, and a 14-year-old girl was injured while reacting to the approach of the tornado. Fencing, signage, and trees were felled. A 1⁄2-mile-long (0.80 km) swath of debris was noted just south of Sun City.

One B-47 bomber, departing from MacDill Air Force Base at around 9:30 a.m. local time, was destroyed when it encountered the parent thunderstorm. The plane unsuccessfully attempted to fly at lower altitudes and avoid it, but instead caught fire 800 ft (240 m) above the Sunshine Skyway Bridge and disintegrated. Its four crew members were not found and presumed dead; two of them had been ranked highly in examinations by the Strategic Air Command for navigation and bombing. Parts of the aircraft were found on the Sunshine Skyway Bridge; other parts, including most of the aircraft, landed in Tampa Bay. Eyewitnesses reported that the aircraft resembled "'a huge ball of fire, like a comet'".[24]

Bareah–Frostproof, Florida

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Bareah–Frostproof, Florida
F3 tornado
on the Fujita scale
Overall effects
Injuries7

Short-lived but intense, this tornado destroyed nine small, mostly frame homes, all but one of which were poorly constructed, along with a few barns. A prefabricated home was obliterated except for its slabbed foundation and an attached toilet. A filled, 2,500-US-gallon (9,500 L) water tank was thrown for almost 1 mi (1.6 km), a refrigerator was tossed 100 yd (300 ft), and an automobile was moved for several hundred feet. A horse was carried 125 yd (375 ft) and one of its legs broken. A dog was crushed to death as well. A barbed-wire fence was pulled out of the ground, a large truck tipped onto its side, and an automobile wrecked. A 3-mile-long (4.8 km) stretch consisted of tin roofing twisted around power poles and in trees. Farther along its path the tornado downed utility poles and trees before dissipating. Seven injuries occurred.[25]

Fort Pierce, Florida

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Fort Pierce, Florida
Meteorological history
FormedApril 15, 1958, 2:09 p.m. EDT (UTC−04:00)
F3 tornado
on the Fujita scale
Overall effects
Injuries20
Damage$1⁄2 million ($5,280,000 in 2024 USD)

The fourth tornado became the most destructive event of the outbreak, touching down near US 441 west of Fort Pierce in Saint Lucie County. It moved east through the city's business district and moved offshore over the Atlantic Ocean. A total of 28 homes were demolished or received damage in the Fort Pierce area, while 200 additional buildings were destroyed or damaged as well. In addition, nine small residences were destroyed outside the city. Initial estimates placed damages near $5,000,000 (1958 USD), but these estimates were deemed too high by the General Adjustments Bureau. Final estimates placed damages near "over half million" or $0.5 million. Martial law was declared after the tornado struck the city, but it was lifted on April 16. Grapefruit was tossed from the trees, but growers salvaged the majority of the fruit from the ground. Most of the 20 injuries were inflicted by flying glass in the city's downtown business district.[26]

Aftermath and recovery

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See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ 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.[1][2][3][4][2]
  2. ^ 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.[6] Most countries only recorded tornadoes that produced severe damage or loss of life.[7] 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.[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.[10][11] Tornado ratings were retroactively applied to events prior to the formal adoption of the F-scale by the National Weather Service.[12] While the Fujita scale has been superseded by the Enhanced Fujita scale in the U.S. since February 1, 2007,[13] Canada used the old scale until April 1, 2013;[14] nations elsewhere, like the United Kingdom, apply other classifications such as the TORRO scale.[15]
  4. ^ All starting coordinates are based on the NCEI database and may not reflect contemporary analyses
  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. ^ The listed width values are primarily the average/mean width of the tornadoes, with those having known maximum widths denoted by ♯. From 1952 to 1994, reports largely list mean width whereas contemporary years list maximum width.[16] Values provided by Grazulis are the average width, with estimates being rounded down (i.e. 0.5 mi (0.80 km) is rounded down from 880 yards to 800 yards.[17][18]
  7. ^ The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Storm Data publication does not list exact damage totals for every event, instead giving damage categories. As such, damage for individual tornadoes is not comprehensive.

References

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  1. ^ Hagemeyer 1997, p. 400.
  2. ^ a b Grazulis 2001a, p. 206.
  3. ^ Hagemeyer 1997, p. 401.
  4. ^ 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 October 16, 2008. Retrieved November 24, 2019.
  5. ^ Agee and Childs 2014, p. 1496.
  6. ^ Grazulis 2001a, pp. 251–4.
  7. ^ Edwards, Roger (March 5, 2015). "The Online Tornado FAQ (by Roger Edwards, SPC)". Storm Prediction Center: Frequently Asked Questions about Tornadoes. Storm Prediction Center. Retrieved February 25, 2016.
  8. ^ Cook & Schaefer 2008, p. 3135.
  9. ^ Agee and Childs 2014, pp. 1497, 1503.
  10. ^ Grazulis 1993, p. 141.
  11. ^ Grazulis 2001a, p. 131.
  12. ^ Edwards et al. 2013, p. 641–642.
  13. ^ Edwards, Roger (March 5, 2015). "Enhanced F Scale for Tornado Damage". The Online Tornado FAQ (by Roger Edwards, SPC). Storm Prediction Center. Retrieved February 25, 2016.
  14. ^ "Enhanced Fujita Scale (EF-Scale)". Environment and Climate Change Canada. Environment and Climate Change Canada. June 6, 2013. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved February 25, 2016.
  15. ^ "The International Tornado Intensity Scale". Tornado and Storm Research Organisation. Tornado and Storm Research Organisation. 2016. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved February 25, 2016.
  16. ^ Agee and Childs 2014, p. 1494.
  17. ^ Brooks 2004, p. 310.
  18. ^ Grazulis 1990, p. ix.
  19. ^ Grazulis 1993, p. 1014.
  20. ^ Storm Data Publication 1958, #9988333
  21. ^ a b USWB 1958, p. 116.
  22. ^ Written at Fort Pierce, Florida. "Tornadoes Wreck Homes, Injure 60 In Florida". Tucson Daily Citizen. Vol. 86, no. 91. Tucson, Arizona. Associated Press. April 16, 1958. p. 1. Retrieved September 14, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.  
  23. ^ Storm Data Publication 1958, #9994304
  24. ^ Multiple sources:
  25. ^ Multiple sources:
  26. ^ Multiple sources:

Sources

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