ORLANDO, Fla. — Most locations across the country have a springtime severe weather season, but in Florida, it tends to happen while it’s still winter.
As certified Meteorologist George Waldenberger explains, February is a big month for tornadoes in Florida.
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“February kind of starts our severe weather season, which will stretch all the way through almost to May.”
Mother Nature has been pretty loud this morning.
— Kassandra Crimi (@KCrimiWFTV) February 7, 2021
Lots of lightning storms moving across the area.
Central FL still under a Tornado Watch until 7am. pic.twitter.com/KHv0QQn7kn
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It often starts this time of year with strong winter cold fronts. As they move in, it’s common for a line of storms to develop near the front.
Low pressure developing along those fronts torque the low-level winds, adding spin to storms, in turn enhancing our tornado threat.
The national weather service analyzed tornado deaths in East Central Florida between 1950 and 2011...February had the most deaths by tornadoes of any month by far.
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They were all attributed to two tornado outbreaks. One in 1998 when a total of 12 tornadoes struck overnight with winds above 150 miles per hour.
In 2007, there was another overnight outbreak, demonstrating another trend: winter tornadoes are often our strongest.
Cox Media Group
