THE NIGHT OF THE TORNADOES - Florida's Deadliest Tornado Outbreak

In the darkness of February 22nd 1998 a deadly cocktail of atmospheric conditions would unleash a devastating outbreak of tornadoes on the southeastern United States, hitting the state of Florida particularly hard. This outbreak of tornadoes would go on to make history as it claimed the lives of 42 and injured hundreds more. The twisters spawned in those dark hours in February would go on to be Florida’s deadliest in history. Officially referred to as the 1998 Kissimmee tornado outbreak, those who survived it remember it as: THE NIGHT OF THE TORNADOES

This outbreak would be Floridas deadliest in history with several strong to near violent tornadoes ranging in intensity from F0, F1, F2, F3, and even one that was initially rated an F4.

Fujita Scale Explanation
F0 - Light Damage (40-72mph)
F1 - Moderate Damage (73-112mph)
F2- Considerable Damage (113-157mph)
F3 - Severe Damage (158-206mph)
F4 - Devastating Damage (207-260mph)
F5 - Incredible Damage (260-318mph)

Sources:

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[CeltonHenderson]

Thanks for watching everyone! If you have any suggestions for future videos or weather events you'd like me to cover let me know in the comments!

[warrenmadden]

Well done. I was on the air on The Weather Channel that evening into the early morning hours. I recall seeing the intense storms rolling into the area, and feeling helpless, knowing that so many of the people in danger were already asleep and not watching. I took advantage of the fact that I had a national audience to advise people who had friends in the Kissimmee area to call them and warn them that a tornado was bearing down on them. I have no way of knowing whether anyone was able to take shelter as a result of this, but it was all I could do on that terrible night.

[Merely]

5:06 is a photo of my destroyed apartment complex, Country Garden, in Winter Garden. I was one of the 70 injured that night. The 25th anniversary is almost here. I now live in Massachusetts, but am here in the area for another day. The night was true terror. I was interviewed a year later by Channel 13 regarding the disaster. It does sound like a train heading straight for you. No place to run. I'll forever have PTSD when I hear about tornados. It all comes back. I sheltered my 5 year old son and took the punishment of flying glass into my skin and a beam cracking my skull. That same son died in 2016 and I grieve even more when I think of this time in our lives. Thank you for putting this together. I periodically search the web for anything to do with this night in 1998.

[time_for_toast]

Coming from somewhere that sees no tornadoes, and simultaneously knowing what makes them tick, hearing about deadly tornado outbreaks in the middle of winter is always such a mind-blowing thing to me.

[mikevoelker]

I remember that night fully. I lived in poinciana FL. About 10 miles south of Kissimmee Florida. U could hear a faint roaring in the distance when that F4 ripped through Kissimmee. But everything about that day was off. Very warm for a February afternoon. Gusty winds before the cold front was even close to crossing. Very vivid and very loud thunder as well. Definitely a scary night to say the least.

[bdnightshade]

The Kissimmee tornado missed by my house by a cul-de-sac. Absolutely terrifying night. I've refused to be without a weather radio; especially since Florida's worst tornadoes are during winter.

[CMDR_Nef]

I've always had a fascination with tornado documentaries, they have a unique style and feel compared to other disasters videos. I've spent my entire life in Florida. I really can't describe the feeling's I had watching this one, having lived through this event myself. Tornado's were always a distant event in my mind, even when they happened here in Florida they were nothing like the devastating twisters out west. I was 14 when this outbreak occurred. I remember being glued to the TV before the power went out then chatting with my mother and sister, nervously joking a bit about the weather and trying to pass the time before bed. We lived just south of Sanford, along the St. Johns river. That night was straight out of a movie, we heard the sound, that famous freight train sound and all three of us just stopped and stood in silence for a few seconds. If you live in the Midwest this scenario is as real to you as hurricanes are to us. But here? For us? Hearing that sound, knowing what it was and making ourselves believe what we were hearing was real...That was hard to reconcile. We ended up in our hallway since the bathroom was on an outer wall with a window. The F3 that killed 13 people passed within 3 miles of us. When we saw the path it took we were surprised that we had heard it so clearly. We suffered no damage but I will never ever forget that night, that sound nor the aftermath. For years after the tornado hit you could see houseboats that it capsized in the river from the bridge heading into/out of Sanford.

Thank you, so very much for this video. It feels like our night of terror is one of the more forgotten tornado events.

[beepboop]

I lived in winter garden during this outbreak. My mom said that night she felt off and could feel the pressure change in her belly as she was heavily pregnant with my brother. The news warned of the tornado and I remember my mom grabbing me out of bed(we lived in a trailer at the time, I was in kindergarten) and driving across highway 50 to take shelter at my grandmothers house (Easy street and S orange avenue on the map by the RV resort) The weather was insane and no sooner than we ran through the doors, debris and wind started wiping at the roof. She said There was a fatality at the trailer park one street over. During highschool, years after the fact, I was talking to other kids who lived locally at the time about our various experiences with it and feeling so strange at the thought of what everyone went through with it.

I checked the maps and compared it to a current map of the town and IF the mobile home park across the street is the one that I remember driving by during my childhood (reports don’t specify)is the one that was hit, It missed us by one street.
(Edited: just called my mom for a better recounting of the night)

[missylouise]

I remember this happening as an 8-year-old child. We lived in Clermont, FL before it was developed. It was basically cow pastures and a Publix. I heard the thunder and a sound outside (it was VERY late at night...) and saw what was likely a funnel cloud. I pulled my curtains and had the sense to sleep with a pillow over my head. My aunt was visiting and stayed up watching the storms. I'm not sure if my parents were sleeping or monitoring the situation. Anyways, my mother took me to school the next day in Orlando and we ended up being late. She stopped at a gas station to call my dad to tell him about all the damage we saw. It was a SCARY night I remember to this day!!!

[TheBlicketsDANIE]

Being from Kissimmee but born after this. I have always had an eye out for videos like this. Thank you so much as this "Night of Tornados" is not talked about so much anymore. This is so underated!

[fungillooo]

as a resident in central Florida, its strange how this is never talked about unless your in the weather community. thanks for making this video!

[royaleevangeline]

I was attending UCF at this time. I vividly remember that day. We had a hailstorm around UCF on the afternoon before the tornadoes hit. For those of you familiar with Florida, you know that hailstorms with stones bigger than a pea are very rare occurrences that far south. I remember the air having a strange oppressive feel that day before the tornadoes hit. It was very oppressive and peculiar type of warmth and humidity, especially for February in Florida.

[SteelPenny]

I have been waiting for years for someone to make a good documentary on this set of storms. I lived in the path of the Kissimmee tornado and remember it like it was yesterday. Literally the most vivid memory I have and I was only 5 years old. It lit the flame for my fascination of meteorology.

[BarryMcCochiner]

Great video. Another interesting February tornado event in Florida is the Pensacola, FL EF-3 tornado on February 23, 2016. That tornado occurred during another El Nino period and went right through my aunt's neighborhood. I remember seeing the radar signature and watching the livestream from the local news and calling her to tell her to take shelter. According to her the tornado hit 30 seconds after she hung up. Thankfully she wasn't injured and only suffered damage to a fence, but just down the street there were homes destroyed and an apartment complex which had the second floor swept away. Besides my personal connection what I find interesting is that this was only the second F-3/EF-3 in the county's recorded history. The first occurred the week before.

[YummyYammie]

I grew up and was living in Deltona, across the lake from Sanford. This storm was absolutely devastating. The worst part was, most of us didn't believe big tornadoes happened in Florida, so a lot of people went to bed just expecting a bad thunderstorm. The noise that night was unreal, and I remember thinking to myself that it was one hell of a storm. When I woke up the next morning and heard the stories of what had happened, I was horrified. I wonder how many others laid in their beds listening to that storm without realizing what was out there.

REALLY well done video--thanks for spot-lighting a storm that's often overlooked!

[Metalhead]

Feb 2 1998 a small f1 tornado went through the back of my property in Davie FL. I remember watching the weather Channel and tornadoes were spotted all over the state. We received quite a bit of damage. Something I will never forget

[UnbarablePain]

The point about warnings is why I still keep a weather radio as redundancy.

When you've been hit and nearly hit by tornadoes before the $30 is worth the peace of mind.

[someuser]

Finally a Proper Video about This Outbreak. Thank you for the Work and effort you put into this 💪

[jcfins]

1998 was a very strange weather year in Florida. Lots of severe weather in the first few months, with this system being the most severe. Then, an incredibly dry summer that left the state covered in wildfires. It wasn’t until hurricane Georges hit in late September that we got any relief. Thankfully, there hasn’t been another year like that since.

[lesjoe]

This night was terrifying. As a Police Dispatcher in Orlando, the sound of the Emergency
Alert, all night, agencies giving updates to other agencies to keep folks safe, knowing it's the middle of the night before Cell phones. So sad and scary. I will never ever forget and the morning after, Osceola asking for help because of the tragic ending in one of the neighborhoods. No one who lived this night will ever forget.