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Public Information Statement
National Weather Service Tallahassee FL
1245 PM EDT Fri May 17 2024 /1145 AM CDT Fri May 17 2024/

...NWS Damage Survey for 05/10/24 Tornado Events...

Update...The EF-1 tornado in Madison County, Florida, has been assessed and added.

Overview...

On the morning of May 10, Leon County, Florida, was impacted by
a severe squall line which caused extensive damage across
Tallahassee and southern portions of the county. Two EF-2
tornadoes impacted the city of Tallahassee, with maximum winds
estimated at 115 mph. In addition, just south of the tornadoes, a
swath of intense damaging developed, with winds likely exceeding
100 mph. A third tornado, rated EF-1, crossed southern
Leon impacting Woodville and surrounding areas. Finally, a fourth tornado
would occur from the same storm beginning in Jefferson county before
tracking through Taylor and Madison counties as well. Preliminary
details for the tornadoes are below. The tracks will
continue to be refined as data continues to be gathered and
analyzed. There may be adjustments, given the complex interaction
of the two tornadoes in Tallahassee, and the damaging winds. A more detailed
estimate of the paths can be found using the NWS Damage Assessment
Toolkit at https://apps.dat.noaa.gov/StormDamage/DamageViewer

Earlier in the morning, the squall line produced a EF-0 tornado in
Houston County, Alabama.

..Central Houston County Tornado...

Rating:                 EF0
Estimated Peak Wind:    85 mph
Path Length /statute/:  4.45 miles
Path Width /maximum/:   125 yards
Fatalities:             0
Injuries:               0

Start Date:             05/10/2024
Start Time:             04:02 AM CDT
Start Location:         1 NNE Keytons / Houston County / AL
Start Lat/Lon:          31.1212 / -85.3588

End Date:               05/10/2024
End Time:               04:20 AM CDT
End Location:           2 SSW Lovetown / Houston County / AL
End Lat/Lon:            31.0887 / -85.2943

Survey Summary:
A tornado touched down along Hooper Cherry Road early on the
morning of May 10th. Initial damage was to trees. Additional
damage occurred along A.J. Register Road, where significant
damage to outbuildings was noted. The tornado continued
southeastward, crossing Cottonwood Road near County Road 33. Roof
damage to farm buildings was observer here. Additional tree and
roof damage was noted along Gene Terry Road south of Nobles Road.
The tornado dissipated shortly after this point. The damage was
consisted with an EF-0 rating and maximum winds of approximately
85mph.

.Tallahassee Northern...

Rating:                 EF2
Estimated Peak Wind:    115 mph
Path Length /statute/:  19.58 miles
Path Width /maximum/:   900 yards
Fatalities:             0
Injuries:               0

Start Date:             05/10/2024
Start Time:             06:38 AM EDT
Start Location:         3 S Greensboro / Gadsden County / FL
Start Lat/Lon:          30.522 / -84.5773

End Date:               05/10/2024
End Time:               07:03 AM EDT
End Location:           1 W Indian Head Acres / Leon County / FL
End Lat/Lon:            30.4271 / -84.2694

Survey Summary:
The tornado touched down at approximated 6:38AM ET near Spooner
Road in eastern Gadsden County, initially damaging an old barn or
farm building. The tornado track southeastward, snapping and
uprooting trees through the remainder of Gadsden County before
crossing the Ocholochnee River and entering western Leon County
just southwest of U.S. 90. Extensive tree damage was noted at a
mobile home park on Emily Loop where several homes were damaged
by falling trees. The tornado caused roof and siding damage to a
hotel and shopping center near the intersection of Capital Circle
Northwest and U.S. 90. The tornado appears to have intensified as
it moved southeast after crossing Capital Circle and approaching
Blountstown Highway. EF-2 damage was noted to an automotive
repair building along Blountstown Highway, along with intense
tree damage, with a swath of nearly every pine tree snapped at
approximately 75 feet above the ground. This level of damage
continue across Pat Thomas Boulevard. Significant tree damage was
noted on the campuses of Lively Technical College and Tallahassee
Community College before the tornado crossed Appleyard Drive.
Another area of intense tree damage was noted along Cactus Drive,
consistent with an EF-2 rating. Numerous homes were damaged by
falling trees.The tornado then moved through a densely populated
area of single family and multi-family homes, causing widespread
EF-1 tree damage. Numerous homes and businesses were damaged by
falling trees as the tornado crossed Pensacola Street and
approached the Florida State University Campus. Numerous trees
were downed on the southwestern part of the campus. In addition,
the tent housing the Florida State University Flying High Circus
was destroyed and the outfield fence at Dick Howser Stadium was
severely damaged. The tornado moved along Gaines Street, causing
damage to a few businesses, and causing a construction crane to
collapse. At Railroad Square, several warehouse buildings were
severely damaged, along with the roof of the railroad depot.
Snapped and uprooted trees were also noted in the downtown area,
just south of the State Capital Building near the state
Department of Education Building. At this point, the tornado
began to turn more southeastward as it began to interact with the
nearby tornado to its south. The tornado caused damage at
Cascades Park, and significant tree damage in Myers Park. The
tornado then moved through Country Club Estates and onto the
Capital City Country Club. At this time, the track converged with
that of the tornado to the south, with the tornado to the south
appearing to become the dominant feature moving forward. The peak
intensity EF-2 intensity of 115mph is estimated to have occurred
in a couple of spots between Blountstown Highway and Cactus
Street. The maximum width was approximately 900 yards.

..Southern Leon County...

Rating:                 EF1
Estimated Peak Wind:    110 mph
Path Length /statute/:  31.69 miles
Path Width /maximum/:   1100 yards
Fatalities:             0
Injuries:               0

Start Date:             05/10/2024
Start Time:             06:42 AM EDT
Start Location:         3 WNW Bloxham / Gadsden County / FL
Start Lat/Lon:          30.4058 / -84.6717

End Date:               05/10/2024
End Time:               07:13 AM EDT
End Location:           2 NNW Natural Bridge / Leon County / FL
End Lat/Lon:            30.3105 / -84.156

Survey Summary:
The tornado touched down near Lake Talquin Hwy, just west of Lake
Talquin, at approximately 6:50AM ET, promptly producing EF-0 tree
damage. It then crossed Lake Talquin a few minutes later before
moving ashore on the eastern shore of Lake Talquin where it
produced EF-1 damage with several snapped and uprooted trees,
some of which fell on two cars and a couple of houses. The
tornado would then continue heading generally east-southeast with
EF-1 damage across Blountstown Hwy and along and just south of
Bloxham Cutoff Road before heading more east across Apalachicola
National Forest, where downed and snapped trees were noted along
some of the National Forest Roads. The tornado then crossed
Springhill Road near the Trout Pond GF&A Trailhead, producing
high-end EF-1 damage as it did so. The tornado then continued
generally east-southeast towards US-319 near Oak Ridge Road W,
continuing to produce high-end EF-1 damage. The tornado continued
along Oak Ridge Road, producing EF-1 damage with several downed
and snapped trees noted along the road. Another cluster of high-
end EF-1 damage was noted on the west side of Woodville Hwy near
Oak Ridge Road E. The tornado passed just north of Woodville
Middle School, with numerous downed and snapped trees noted
between Oak Ridge Rd E and Natural Bridge Road. The tornado
crossed over Taff Road, where it continued to produce high-end EF-
1 damage before moving over forest and farmland that was
inaccessible to the survey team. Another cluster of snapped trees
were noted along Old Plank Road, where the tornado was likely
ongoing before lifting just east of Old Plank Road at
approximately 7:13AM EDT. The maximum width was around 1100 yards
along Celia Road, west of Woodville.

.Tallahassee Middle...

Rating:                 EF2
Estimated Peak Wind:    115 mph
Path Length /statute/:  27.22 miles
Path Width /maximum/:   1400 yards
Fatalities:             0
Injuries:               0

Start Date:             05/10/2024
Start Time:             06:50 AM EDT
Start Location:         2 NNE Fort Braden / Leon County / FL
Start Lat/Lon:          30.449 / -84.5217

End Date:               05/10/2024
End Time:               07:14 AM EDT
End Location:           3 E Chaires Crossroads / Jefferson County / FL
End Lat/Lon:            30.4115 / -84.0705

Survey Summary:
The tornado touched down at approximately 6:50AM ET in Lake
Talquin State Park at Williams Landing, promptly producing EF-
1 damage snapping numerous softwood and hardwood trees. The
tornado would then continue trekking east-southeast before making
a hard right and traveling due east as  it passed the
intersection of Blountstown Highway and Ft. Braden Trail Road,
producing damage consistent with an EF-1 rating by snapping
numerous hardwood and softwood trees along the way. The tornado
would then continue east, paralleling Blountstown Highway as it
then impacted Lake Talquin State Recreational Area where it would
continue producing EF-1 damage by snapping trees. The tornado
would then shift its trajectory to east-southeast once again,
impacting many subdivisions in the Norfleet neighborhood south of
Blountstown Highway snapping numerous trees across the area. It
would then continue on its east-southeast path before traveling
east once again as it reached just north of the intersection of
Capital Circle SW and Orange Ave W in Tallahassee. It would then
go on to impact the neighborhoods of Seminole Manor and Mabry
Manor snapping many trees along the way and causing damage to
Sabal Palm Elementary School. The tornado would then continue its
eastern track impacting Florida A&M University (FAMU) producing
EF-1 damage by snapping numerous trees along the way. This
included roof damage to at least two university buildings. EF-
0 damage was observed a handful of times to eve`s on homes and
businesses as well as occasional shingle damage. The tornado
would continue moving east toward Capital City Country Club Golf
Course producing EF-1 damage by snapping numerous trees along the
way and across the golf course. The tracks of both tornadoes
moving through Tallahassee at this time converged at Capital City
Country Club, with this tornado seemingly becoming the dominant
circulation moving forward. As the tornado exited the golf
course, very intense tree damage consistent with an EF-2 rating
was observed as numerous trees were snapped at a height of around
75 feet. This most intense tree damage occurred from Country Club
Dr. through the Indian Head Acres subdivisions. This is where the
maximum estimated winds of 115mph most likely occurred. EF-
1 damage would be observed through the remainder of its eastern
trajectory as the tornado impacted Old St. Augustine Rd. It would
go on producing EF-1 tree damage within the subdivision of
Paradise Village East, Old Friends Rd, and areas along Southwood
Plantation Rd before moving on to mostly forested areas north of
Old St. Augustine Rd. The last concentrated area of EF-1 damage
would be observed in neighborhoods along Louvinia Drive and WW
Kelley Road. The tornado would then continue east before
uprooting a few trees along U.S. 27 as it crossed into Jefferson
county, FL before dissipating around 7:14AM ET. The tornado
reached its maximum width of 1400yds as it crossed Monroe St. in
downtown Tallahassee and entered into the Capital City Country
Club Golf Course.

.Madison County Tornado...

Rating:                 EF1
Estimated Peak Wind:    100 mph
Path Length /statute/:  38.19 miles
Path Width /maximum/:   1300 yards
Fatalities:             0
Injuries:               0

Start Date:             05/10/2024
Start Time:             07:31 AM EDT
Start Location:         2 SSW Lamont / Jefferson County / FL
Start Lat/Lon:          30.3468 / -83.8326

End Date:               05/10/2024
End Time:               08:02 AM EDT
End Location:           5 SSW Suwannee River Station / Madison County / FL
End Lat/Lon:            30.3492 / -83.2126

Survey Summary:
The tornado initially touched down in Jefferson county at 7:31 AM
ET just north of the intersection of Hall Rd. and S. Salt Rd.
where it twisted, uprooted, and snapped many young pine trees on
the side of the road as it moved southeast. The tornado would
first reach EF-1 intensity as it crossed SW Mount Olive Church
Rd. in Madison County where numerous trees were uprooted and a
trailer was damaged. The tornado would then begin a more easterly
trajectory following a brief dip into Taylor county where trees
were snapped in multiple spots along SW Raymond Sheffield Dr.
before moving back into Madison county. It would continue east-
northeast through Madison county mostly through rural areas
producing concentrated areas of EF-1 damage to pine and oak trees
throughout the duration. The tornado would continue its path over
farmland just south of state route 8, tipping and twisting many
irrigation spickets as well as snapping and uprooting adjacent
trees. The tornado would dissipate at 8:02 AM ET over a field just
west of the Madison-Suwannee county border. This tornado would
reach EF-1 status with maximum winds of 100mph and a maximum
width of 1300yds.

&&

EF Scale: The Enhanced Fujita Scale classifies tornadoes into the
following categories:

EF0.....65 to 85 mph
EF1.....86 to 110 mph
EF2.....111 to 135 mph
EF3.....136 to 165 mph
EF4.....166 to 200 mph
EF5.....>200 mph

NOTE:
The information in this statement is preliminary and subject to
change pending final review of the events and publication in
NWS Storm Data.


$$