The Villages 2007 Groundhog Day Tornado happened very fast and could happen again

This is a good time to be sure your weather radio is turned on and you know where your safe room is.  Even though Florida tornadoes can occur during any month, February tornadoes have a devastating history.

But it’s still winter you say. Exactly, and that’s why so many Floridians are caught off guard.  It’s all about the sun’s northward movement.  Ever since the winter solstice in December, the sun’s northerly movement creates springtime severe weather patterns along its northward trek.  Most people already know that these severe weather patterns reach peak intensity during late spring in the mid-west.  But before reaching tornado alley, very similar severe weather conditions pass through alligator alley in late winter — during February and March.    

The especially significant February storm threat can be clearly seen in these Florida Tornado bar charts.  

Florida’s worst tornado outbreak was in 1998 during Feb. 22-23, where seven tornadoes caused 42 deaths in a region roughly bounded by Port Orange, Orlando, and Cape Canaveral. 

Florida’s second worst tornado outbreak was called the Groundhog Day outbreak — and it devastated The Villages.  It all began around 3 a.m. on Feb. 2, 2007.  The outbreak produced three tornadoes.  The first tornado grazed Wildwood on its East-Northeast path toward The Villages. At 3:10 a.m. it touched down onto Bailey Trail as an EF-3 tornado, traveling at nearly 60 mph while producing 160 mph winds.

The tornado traveled across the entire mid-section of The Villages as it raced East-Northeastward and then exited five minutes later at 3:15 a.m.  

In those brief yet terrifying five minutes, the tornado damaged approximately 1,300 Villages homes.  Some homes only experienced light damage while others suffered massive destruction.  Even though most residents were sound asleep when the tornado hit, there were amazingly no fatalities, but there were many injuries.

After leaving The Villages, that first tornado entered Lake County and continued its destructive path into trailer courts and unprepared residents which resulted in several deaths. A second tornado hit Deland and a third tornado hit New Smyrna Beach.  The three Groundhog Day tornadoes caused 21 deaths, hundreds of injuries, and $218 million in damages. 

The Villages 2007 tornado happened very fast and it could happen again.  The first tornado warning was not issued until just 8 minutes before it hit, plus no one saw the funnel cloud because it was dark.  By the time residents were awakened by the train-like roaring sound and the violent battering of debris against the walls and windows, it was too late for many to get to their safe rooms. 

Within seconds, startled residents were pelted with shards of glass as windows imploded from the tornado’s violent winds.  While still in bed or running to safety, many people suffered cuts and other injuries from flying glass and storm debris, such as their neighbors’ lanai furniture and construction materials which entered through broken windows, collapsed walls, and missing roofs. Some were even forced to crawl on broken glass in the dark to find safety.   

While we all hope for the best, not all are prepare for the worst.  The biggest problem was lack of warning time.  The only folks who had sufficient time to find safety were those who were up late at night watching TV or the very few with weather radios.  For those of us who find it necessary to sleep every once in a while and don’t want to be caught off guard by severe weather, be sure you have a weather radio or some other reliable early warning system.

Villager John Shewchuk is a Certified Consulting Meteorologist.