The chances of a tornado in the Florida Panhandle Friday are growing, and—similar to last weekend’s deadly twister in Central Florida—it could hit before dawn.
This month, three strong tornadoes have touched down in the state of Florida. Prior to that, only three had been recorded since 2008, a span of more than seven years.
Friday Tornado Risk
- West side of Florida panhandle (Pensacola to PCB): 1 a.m. to 5 a.m.
- Florida panhandle near Tallahassee: 4 a.m. to 7 a.m.
- Nature Coast: 6 a.m. to 10 a.m.
- Inland North Florida (along/east of I-75): 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- Sun Coast (Tampa to Sarasota): Noon to 4 p.m.
- Southwest and Southeast Florida (Ft. Myers, Melbourne, Ft. Pierce, Miami) 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.
An active jet stream, enhanced by the El Niño weather pattern, will send yet another strong cold front across the peninsula Friday. This will be the triggering mechanism for a line of thunderstorms that could race eastward at speeds up to 50 mph.
Not only is there a 60 percent increase in the number of tornadoes during El Niño years, there’s a good chance (32 percent) of their being an EF-2 or stronger, with winds over 100 mph!
The Florida Public Radio Emergency Network and WJCT will continue to monitor this situation overnight, providing updates on Twitter @WJCTJax, @FloridaStorms and via the mobile app, Florida Storms.
