1964 Hurricane Isbell tornado outbreak

Hurricane Isbell spawned one of the most significant tornado outbreaks to strike the Miami metropolitan area on October 14, 1964. It produced at least nine confirmed, and possibly 13 or more, tornadoes, four of which were rated significant (F2) on the Fujita scale. Although there were no fatalities, 48 people were injured and losses totaled $560,250.

1964 Hurricane Isbell tornado outbreak
Map plotting the track and the intensity of Hurricane Isbell, according to the Saffir–Simpson scale.
TypeTornado outbreak
FormedOctober 14, 1964
Duration5 hours
Tornadoes confirmed9
Max. rating1F2 tornado
Damage$560,250 (1964 USD) [1]
Casualties48 injuries
Areas affectedSouth Florida

1Most severe tornado damage; see Fujita scale

Meteorological synopsis

At 22:00 UTC on October 14, 1964, Hurricane Isbell made landfall near Everglades City as a Category 2 with sustained winds between 100 and 110 mph (160 and 180 km/h), having weakened from its peak intensity as 125 mph (201 km/h) Category 3. It quickly crossed over South Florida and within five hours, it had moved off of land into the Atlantic Ocean.[2] Favorable conditions led to a small outbreak of short-lived, but damaging tornadoes as the storm crossed over the state.

Confirmed tornadoes
Confirmed tornadoes by Fujita rating
FU F0 F1 F2 F3 F4 F5 Total
0 0 5 4 0 0 0 9

October 14 event
List of confirmed tornadoes – Tuesday, October 14, 1964[nb 1][nb 2]
F# Location County / Parish State Start
coord.		 Time (UTC) Path length Max. width Summary Refs.
F1 Coral Gables Miami-Dade FL 25.75°N 80.25°W / 25.75; -80.25 (Coral Gables (October 14, F1)) 20:10–? 0.1 miles (0.16 km) 67 yards (61 m) Damages were estimated at $2,500 (1964 USD). [4][5]
F1 ENE of Dismal Key Collier FL 25.9°N 81.5°W / 25.9; -81.5 (Dismal Key (October 14, F1)) 20:15–? 0.1 miles (0.16 km) 10 yards (9.1 m) A utility shed disintegrated and portions of the roof and siding were carried 300 feet (91 m). A chickee was flattened as well, and a cabin cruiser was moved 150 ft (46 m) into the nearby Everglades. The tornado may have occurred near Wagon Wheel, between Carnestown and Ochopee. Damages were estimated at $250 (1964 USD). [6][7][8]
F1 Pearl City Palm Beach FL 26.35°N 80.08°W / 26.35; -80.08 (Pearl City (October 14, F1)) 21:00–? 0.1 miles (0.16 km) 10 yards (9.1 m) In the 3000 and 3100 blocks of NE 5th Avenue on the east side of Boca Raton, a brief tornado tore a screen enclosure from a home. Screens, windows, awnings, and shrubbery were damaged. Three people were injured and damages were estimated at $2,500 (1964 USD). [9][10][11]
F1 Eastern Boynton Beach Palm Beach FL 26.53°N 80.07°W / 26.53; -80.07 (Eastern Boynton Beach (October 14, F1)) 22:00–? 0.1 miles (0.16 km) 10 yards (9.1 m) Three people were injured and damages were estimated at $2,500 (1964 USD). [12][13]
F2 ESE of Hobe Sound Martin FL 27.05°N 80.12°W / 27.05; -80.12 (Hobe Sound (October 14, F2)) 22:00–? 0.1 miles (0.16 km) 10 yards (9.1 m) A citrus stand and a service station were damaged west-northwest of Harbor Island. Damages were estimated at $2,500 (1964 USD). Tornado researcher Thomas P. Grazulis did not classify the tornado as an F2 or stronger. [14][15][16]
[17]
F2 Delray Beach to Briny Breezes Palm Beach FL 26.47°N 80.07°W / 26.47; -80.07 (Delray Beach (October 14, F2)) 22:24–? 0.1 miles (0.16 km) 100 yards (91 m) A tornado destroyed 12 mobile homes in the Briny Breezes Mobile Home Park and unroofed four homes southeast of Boynton Beach, injuring 22 people and causing $250,000 (1964 USD) in damage. [18][19][17]
F1 Lake Worth Corridor to S of West Palm Beach Palm Beach FL 26.72°N 80.07°W / 26.72; -80.07 (West Palm Beach (October 14, F1)) 23:00–? 0.1 miles (0.16 km) 10 yards (9.1 m) A tornado first touched down in the 3900 block of Military Trail, near the intersection of that road and Lake Worth Road. A tavern was ruined, with windows broken and the liquor stock scattered. Nearby garage doors were blown out, semi-trucks were tipped onto their sides, and trees and power poles were downed. A fire station was also damaged. The tornado continued into Forest Hills Village and Monmouth Estates, doing mostly minor damage to homes. One home had its windows broken and its furniture strewn about, and another home had its ceiling damaged. A lawn mower was thrown into a field and an automobile was thrown into a nearby yard. The tornado continued intermittently to the fairgrounds on Southern Boulevard, where signs were blown down. Three people were injured and damages were estimated at $25,000 (1964 USD). [20][21][22]
F2 Eau Gallie Brevard FL 28.13°N 80.63°W / 28.13; -80.63 (Eau Gallie (October 14, F2)) 01:20–? 0.1 miles (0.16 km) 10 yards (9.1 m) A brief tornado destroyed 12 trailers and shifted a home 100 feet (30 m) in the Eau Gallie neighborhood of Northern Melbourne, injuring 17 people, and causing $250,000 (1964 USD) in damage. [17][23][24]
F2 Davie to Dania Beach Broward FL 26.07°N 80.2°W / 26.07; -80.2 (Davie (October 14, F2)) 03:50–? 0.1 miles (0.16 km) 10 yards (9.1 m) A tornado hit the Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International Airport, damaging six airplanes. A nearby clubhouse was unroofed as well and damages were estimated at $25,000 (1964 USD). [17][25][26]

See also

Notes
  1. All dates are based on the local time zone where the tornado touched down; however, all times are in Coordinated Universal Time for consistency.
  2. Prior to 1994, only the average widths of tornado paths were officially listed.[3]

    References
    1. "Tornado Summaries". Tornado History Projects. National Climatic Data Center. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
    2. Hurricane Research Division (February 2008). "Chronological List of All Hurricanes which Affected the Continental United States: 1851-2007". National Hurricane Center. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Archived from the original (.TXT) on September 21, 2008. Retrieved June 18, 2014.
    3. Brooks, Harold E. (April 2004). "On the Relationship of Tornado Path Length and Width to Intensity". Weather and Forecasting. Boston: American Meteorological Society. 19 (2): 310. Bibcode:2004WtFor..19..310B. doi:10.1175/1520-0434(2004)019<0310:OTROTP>2.0.CO;2. Retrieved 11 September 2019.
    4. "Florida F1". Tornado History Projects. Storm Predicition Center. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
    5. "Florida Event Report: F1 Tornado". NCDC. National Climatic Data Center. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
    6. "Florida F1". Tornado History Projects. Storm Predicition Center. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
    7. "Florida Event Report: F1 Tornado". NCDC. National Climatic Data Center. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
    8. Winter, Fred G. (16 October 1964). Written at Naples, Florida. "Hurricane Isbell Damage Runs Half-Million in Collier County". Fort Myers News-Press. Fort Myers, Florida. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
    9. "Florida F1". Tornado History Projects. Storm Predicition Center. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
    10. "Florida Event Report: F1 Tornado". NCDC. National Climatic Data Center. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
    11. "Isbell Ploughs Through Glades West of City". Boca Raton News. Boca Raton, Florida. October 15, 1964.
    12. "Florida F1". Tornado History Projects. Storm Predicition Center. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
    13. "Florida Event Report: F1 Tornado". NCDC. National Climatic Data Center. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
    14. "Florida F2". Tornado History Projects. Storm Predicition Center. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
    15. "Florida Event Report: F2 Tornado". NCDC. National Climatic Data Center. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
    16. "Storm Damage Slight, Coastal Areas Report". Palm Beach Post. West Palm Beach, Florida. October 16, 1964.
    17. Grazulis, Thomas P. (July 1993). Significant Tornadoes 1680–1991: A Chronology and Analysis of Events. St. Johnsbury, Vermont: The Tornado Project of Environmental Films. p. 1057. ISBN 1-879362-03-1.
    18. "Florida F2". Tornado History Projects. Storm Predicition Center. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
    19. "Florida Event Report: F2 Tornado". NCDC. National Climatic Data Center. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
    20. "Florida F1". Tornado History Projects. Storm Predicition Center. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
    21. "Florida Event Report: F1 Tornado". NCDC. National Climatic Data Center. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
    22. "Storm Hits Hardest In Briny Breezes". Palm Beach Post. West Palm Beach, Florida. October 15, 1964.
    23. "Florida F2". Tornado History Projects. Storm Predicition Center. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
    24. "Florida Event Report: F2 Tornado". NCDC. National Climatic Data Center. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
    25. "Florida F2". Tornado History Projects. Storm Predicition Center. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
    26. "Florida Event Report: F2 Tornado". NCDC. National Climatic Data Center. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
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