Hi everybody! I hope everybody remembered to turn your clocks ahead one hour this past Sunday. In my house, there is a certain ritual I follow when this time of year arrives. Since we have so many timepieces, it takes about 30 minutes to get every clock, electronic device and weather station changed to the correct time. Since I like to wake up in the morning with all the clocks at the correct time, I start changing them the night before leaving only one at the current time. This is great for me but my wife gets totally confused and can’t tell whether it is 8:00 pm, 7:00 pm or 9:00 pm. I guess I have been doing this for so many years that it is just second nature for me. Spring is here, let the confusion begin!!
With the spring thunderstorm season upon us, next to tornados and lightning, hailstones can be a real menace. Although large hail is not a common occurrence in our area, it can happen. Hailstones can come in all shapes and sizes from tiny pea-sized stones all the way up to baseball size and beyond. The largest hailstone ever recorded fell at Coffeyville, Kansas in 1970. The stone measured just less than seven inches in diameter. Imagine a baseball-sized chunk of ice dropped from 30,000 feet in the air down to the ground reaching speeds of 120 mph in a freefall. Wow, I don’t think I would want my car in its path. A hailstorm can keep the local body shops busy for months.
Often times, you will find hail go hand in hand with tornadic thunderstorms. If you are caught in a hailstorm, a tornado may not be far away. You should try to find a safe place to ride out the storm preferably in a strong building. Hail is one severe weather entity that we often overlook but should be included in your overall disaster planning.
For all of the latest local weather reports and warnings, you can go to my new Treasure Coast weather page. Go to JOESDISCOWEATHERCENTRAL.COM and click on Treasure Coast weather.
Now on to the Time capsule….
April 11, 1955 -- Lake Co., Leesburg -- Lightning killed one person in a boat on Lake Griffin.
April 11, l975 -- north and central Florida -- Flash Floods and Tornadoes - Heavy rain of four to 6" in a few hours caused local flash flooding in Jacksonville and Marion and Lake Counties. Tornadoes were reported in Putnam, Marion, Volusia (2), Lake, Brevard, Escambia, Walton, and Polk Counties between 1030 and 1830 causing primarily roof, tree and car damage. The only one minor injury occurred from a tornado at Merritt Island, Brevard Co.
April 12, l96l - Night - Escambia Co., Pensacola -- Strong thunderstorm winds greatly damaged a pile driver, barge, fishing boats, and many homes on Santa Rosa Island.
April 13, l9l7 -- Dade Co., Miami -- Tornado blew a school apart; it was not in session. Homes and businesses lost roofs and walls. The grandsta.d at the ballpark was unroofed.
April 13, l978 -- Escambia Co., Pensacola -- Thunderstorms accompanied by 56-mph winds and 4" rain blew off the roof of four townhouses and a racquet club.
April 14, l975 -- afternoon -- Escambia Co., Pensacola -- A Tornado moved into the western portion of Pensacola collapsing a 200-foot section of a furniture store wall, tearing the roof off a house, and damaging several other homes. Several small tornadoes were also reported in Walton, Polk, and Volusia Counties causing only minor damage.
April 15, l958 -- Early Afternoon -- Central Florida -- Severe weather Outbreak -- Violent squall with winds near 80mph hit Mullet Key and moved across Tampa Bay to Sun City, Ruskin, and Wimauma leaving destruction and debris not unlike a tornado. A B-47 bomber exploded and crashed into Tampa Bay just before the heaviest part of the storm hit, killing all four crew members. Polk Co., Bereah -- Tornado leveled nine small homes. A 2,500-gallon water tank was found a mile away. Seven injuries. -- St. Johns Co., St. Augustine -- Tornado destroyed six homes injuring 8. -- St. Lucie Co., Ft. Pierce -- Tornado destroyed/damaged 28 homes and about 200 other buildings. Most of the destruction was in downtown business area where more than 50 people were injured by flying glass.
April 15, l987 -- Sumter Co., Bushnell -- Tornado destroyed four homes and damaged 10. -- Lake Co., Mt. Dora -- Tornado killed a 68-year old woman in her trailer home. Forty trailers, l2 houses and l8 businesses were destroyed. Seven injuries.
April 15, 1995 -- St. Johns Co., Crescent Beach -- A 20-year-old male student from Dade County drowned in a rip current.
April 16-17, 1942 -- south Florida -- Extremely heavy rain caused extensive damage to vegetable crops. 19.32" of rain on 16th and 17th at Miami Airport reported as caused by "Tropical Storm" in official documents, but appears to be a result of slow moving frontal system approaching from west and low pressure center developing in the Caribbean on an old front.
April 16, l954 -- Bay Co., Millville -- Tornado destroyed a concrete block cafe and house trailer. Unroofed two houses and damaged l5 others. Three people injured.
April 17, l99l --Brevard Co., Satellite Beach -- Florida Highway Patrol observed A waterspout. It dissipated before moving on shore.
April 18, l945 -- Volusia County -- A tornado was accompanied by hail as large as guinea eggs.
April 18, l978 -- Volusia Co., Ormond Beach -- A tornado rolled a large mobile home 200 ft and destroyed it. Several homes had roof damage.
April 18, 1996 -- Okaloosa Co., Mary Esther -- Eleven military personnel were working on an aircraft when lightning struck either the aircraft or near the aircraft. One of the airmen was killed and ten others were injured. The personnel had been ordered inside due to thunderstorms around the area earlier in the morning. The airmen were allowed back on the field at 8:29 am and lightning hit at 8:38 am. It was likely the strike that hit the airmen was the first strike out of a developing thunderstorm.
Here are some national past weather events…
April 16, 1951 -- The famous "Lighthouse
Storm" raged near Boston Harbor. Whole gales and gigantic waves destroyed
Minot Light with its two keepers still inside. The storm resulted in great
shipping losses and coastal erosion.