Moved NE at Millville, near Panama City. One home was destroyed and 11 more were damaged.
A waterspout moved NNE, coming inland 12m W of Panama City. A drugstore wqas unroofed, and a dozen cottages were unroofed or torn apart. Minimal F2.
Five small homes were destroyed and many others were damaged 20m NW of Panama City.
Skipped due S through Millville. This small tornado destroyed a concrete block cafe and a house trailer. It unroofed two homes and damaged 15 others. It was first seen aloft, 7m N of Millville.
Moved E from Bahama Beach to 3m NW of Panama City. Three homes were destroyed, and 35 others were damaged. Of those 35 homes, 22 were fully or partly unroofed. Only one of the destroyed homes was occupied during the winter.
A small home and a garage were destroyed at the east end of Panama City Beach. The one-room city hall was destroyed and a motel was unroofed.
Moved NW at Springfield, unroofing or damaging 25 homes. This was spawned by Hurricane Ethel.
Moved N from the "Capehart" housing area at Tyndall Air Force Base. One person was killed at Tyndall. The funnel crossed the bay, damaging homes at Parker, Callaway, and Springfield. Ten of the injuries were serious. About 39 homes were totally or partially destroyed at Tyndall, and 20 others were damaged. Up to 150 people may have had minor injuries.
A family of tornadoes skipped NE from the Gulf of Mexico, SW of Panama City, 170 or more miles to Turner County, Georgia. The first damage was on the west edge of Panama City. A baby was killed in Bay County, 12m N of Panama City.
A waterspout moved onshore at Panama City Beach and heavily damaged the roof of two motels causing $100,000 damage. Roofing material fell onto parked cars and did mostly superficial damage. The wall of an oil lubrication building collapsed destroying one car and damaging ten others. Numerous power lines were blown down.
A waterspout moved ashore at Laguna Beach causing damage to three residences. Most of the damage was minor structural but one roof was removed. A dog house and dog were blown two blocks down the street.
Waterspout moved ashore. Extensive roof damage to beach front hotel, sewage treatment plant, middle school and convenient store. One minor injury sustained from flying debris.
F1 tornado touched down on Florida Highway 22. A bread truck was lifted 15-20 feet into the air and thrown 100 feet into wooded area (driver seriously injured). A semitractor fuel tanker was overturned (driver sutained minor injuries).
A small F0 tornado was observed from Heritage Woods Road to the St. Andrew Marina. No damage reported.
Numerous public sightings of a small tornado moving through East Heritage subdivision near Hiland Park. Minor roof damage reported.
An F1 tornado struck the Bid-A-Wee subdivision west of Panama City. The tornado damaged 23 homes surrounding the Surfside Middle School.
An F1 tornado touched down in West Bay. The tornado damaged the West Bay Holiness Community Church off CR 388. The church's roof was lifted off and its steeple toppled. The tornado skipped northward across FL 79 and Vinson Rd, north of the Woodville subdivision where several large trees were uprooted. A woman was injured by flying glass when the tornado demolished the roof of her home and blew in a window and glass door.
A tornado initially struck at Panama City Beach damaging several homes and a few hotels within a four-block area surrounded by Sunset Ave-Thomas and Holiday Dr. The tornado again touched down two miles to the north at the Hathaway Bridge (U.S. Highway 98) where a six-car pileup injured seven. Finally, the tornado lifted over St. Andrews Bay and descended about a mile further north into a residential area surrounded by Big Daddy-Marina Dr. and Bay Circle where numerous homes and businesses were damaged. Scattered power outages affected several thousand customers in West Panama City and Panama City Beach.
A tornado briefly touched down about a half mile from the base runways. It propelled a minivan into an administrative building and also tore off portions of the roof. Nearly three dozen private and military vehicles were severely damaged. The tornado also destroyed a trailer and fence. Reported by the Tyndall Air Force Base Weather Command Post.
The waterspout came ashore as a weak F0 tornado between Front Beach and Cobb Roads on the west end of Panama City Beach. Before it dissipated, it ripped a 9-ton steel-and-wood cement mold from the 16th floor of a condominium under construction. Reported by the Bay County EMA.
A strong F1 tornado touched down near the St Andrews recreation area. It damaged dozens of restaurants, stores and shops as it moved north along Thomas Drive. Seven persons were injured at a seafood restaurant near Grand Lagoon. An elderly man was killed when the tornado destroyed a real estate office. The tornado moved across St Andrews Bay near the Hathaway Bridge and then 100 yards south of the WJHG-TV station before dissipating. Reported by the Bay County EMA and WJHG-TV meteorologist. M84BU
A wood-frame house was lifted 60 feet off its foundation and thrown into a field. Of the seven family members inside, one was killed and another injured. Several other homes were damaged. Reported by a HAM radio operator. F77PH
A tornado touched down just southeast of Calloway and lifted just north of Panama City. It destroyed several homes in Calloway, Parker and Cedar Grove, and downed numerous trees and power lines. Reported by a HAM radio operator and the Bay County EMA.
A tornado toppled numerous trees and power lines along its path. Reported by a HAM radio operator.
A waterspout came ashore and caused minor structural damage at a construction site on U.S. Highway 98. Reported by the Bay County EMA.
A weak tornado briefly touched down off County Road 2301 in Bayou George. The majority of the damage was confined to uprooted trees. There was structural damage to a few sheds, signs and a fence on Wood Place, Kent and Kisser Roads. A bathtub was picked up and hurled 200 feet. Many homes lost power as trees fell onto utility poles. The damage survey was conducted by the NWS.
A waterspout came ashore near Phillips Inlet and U.S. Highway 98. The brief tornado flipped a large truck on its side in the Winn Dixie parking lot before lifting over Powell Lake. Reported by a SKYWARN storm spotter.
A waterspout formed over the Grand Lagoon and came ashore as a tornado in the Bay Point/Preserve subdivision. Windows and roofs of several homes were damaged, a chimney was blown off a roof, and several trees and power lines were toppled. The tornado reentered the bay and came ashore near the Port of Panama City. Before it dissipated, tt tore off the roof of a building at 23rd Street and Grant Avenue, and damaged a mobile home in the 2500 block of Grant Avenue.
The public reported a tornado near Highway 20 around Crystal Lake. The tornado dissipated as it crossed the highway. No known damage occurred. This tornado was associated with the outer feeder bands from the remnants of Tropical Storm Lee.
The public submitted pictures of a waterspout that moved inland from West Bay in the vicinity of Burnt Mill Creek very briefly as a tornado before quickly lifting. The tornado moved inland over a rural area and no damage was reported.
A tornadic debris signature was seen on dual-pol radar about 0.7 miles south of Laird. This is a rural and heavily forested area with no structural damage reported and poor road access.
Damage photos from Bay County Emergency Management indicate that a brief tornado touched down on the eastern portions of Tyndall Air Force Base . The tornado crossed Highway 98 causing damage to pine trees and utility lines. The full length of the path is uncertain given the limited access to the area. The tornado was rated EF0 with max winds near 80 mph and a width of 60 yards.
A brief EF0 tornado occurred in a rural, forested area of northern Bay county. There were no structures in its path. Damage consisted of trees down, which corresponded to a dual-pol tornadic debris signature from KEVX radar.
A brief, EF1 tornado with winds of 90 mph touched down on Tyndall Air Force Base. The tornado moved a car, broke car windows, tore a portion of a new roof off of barracks and flipped dumpsters and garbage cans on their sides . The tornado damage was surveyed by base personnel.
Tornado moved onshore in along Panama City Beach just west of Lower Grand Lagoon . Only minor damage was reported in Panama City Beach. The tornado cross St. Andrew Bay and impacted the area around the marina in downtown Panama City. Several unsecured construction trailers were destroyed along with a camper trailer. The tornado continued moving east through the Cove neighborhood before dissipating just east of the North Tyndall Parkway. Reports from Bay County EMA, along with media reports from WMBB and WJHG were used to analyze this tornado.
No significant damage reported. Track based radar and video from social media (via WMBB). Video showed debris being lofted by tornado and power flashes from power lines. Tree damage was minimal, consisting of down limbs, mainly in the vicinity of the playground at Southport Elementary School.
A brief EF0 tornado came onshore just west of Pier Park shortly after 2pm CT on February 15th. Minor damage to structures near the beach was noted, along with damage to poles, bleachers, and fencing at Frank Brown Park before the tornado dissipated. The tornado is estimated to have had peak winds around 85 mph and less than 50 yards wide. Additional damage to the east of the path was likely due to damaging straight line winds from the rear flank downdraft of the parent supercell. Winds in this area may have been as high as 80 mph.
This tornado touched down just south of the Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport with most damage occurring on the airport property . A few small pine trees were snapped on Johnny Reeves Road and Venture Crossings Blvd . A ground-level metal sign was bent over 90 degrees at the intersection of Venture Crossings Blvd. and West Bay Parkway. At the Sheltair FBO, a Citation aircraft spun 90 degrees with the nose damaging an adjacent plane, which was spun 20 degrees. Other smaller planes were shifted further north on the property near an area of hangars. One hangar lost a small section of roof and had the door damaged. Wind entering the hangar did considerable damage to one of the antique cars being stored there. The metal door track punched a hole through the wall of the hangar. Another hangar also suffered minor roof damage . Finally, the KECP ASOS measured a gust to 82 mph as the tornado passed by. The tornado then tracked a couple of miles northeast of the airport property through uninhabited terrain before lifting. Damage along the path, and the measured gust, are consistent with high-end EF0 damage with max winds estimated at 85 mph.
The tornado touched down along the north shore of a small lake near S. Lake Joanna Dr. and Sweet Lane. The tornado travelled east-northeast across the lake, producing EF1 damage to a home at the northeast end of the lake in the 7300 block of S. Lake Joanna Dr, including removal of a back porch canopy roof and causing a sizable opening in the main roof of the home. Debris from this house peppered another nearby home, with two 2x4s puncturing its back porch awning. The tornado crossed east-northeast across Bayou George Dr. On the other side of Bayou George Dr. the tornado hit a PODS storage yard, where PODS were originally in 3-high stacks. Some of the PODS shifted, and one POD unit was tossed. The tornado then lifted. Tornado damage at the home at the east-northeast end of the lake in the 7300 block of S. Lake Joanna Drive is consistent with a tornado of EF1 strength with max winds around 95 mph.
A tornado came ashore near Laguna Beach and heavily damaged a convenience store and a home . This was where the heaviest damage occurred. The convenience store roof was completely torn off of the building and lofted into a nearby house . The concrete block exterior walls were also partially collapsed. It appeared that at least some effort had been made to strap the roof to the walls of the structure , making this damage reflective of an EF2 rating with maximum winds of 125 mph. Behind the convenience store, a house was heavily damaged with portions of the roof missing, but most of the damage to this home came from the roof of the store landing on it. A projectile piece of wood was observed lodged in the side of another nearby home . Several surrounding homes also had minor roof damage, glass breakage, and fencing damaged or torn down. Another home had a carport structure completely collapsed and a wooden shed blown over and rolled into a fence.
A weak tornado moved ashore and was captured on video . Patio chairs were observed being thrown in the video(s) of the tornado. No other damage occurred. This tornado was rated EF0 with max winds estimated at 60 mph.
Damage was widespread across Lynn Haven Parkway as a line of storms pushed through the area . Despite there being damage well south of the estimated path, much of this damage is estimated to come from straight line winds associated with the squall line. Roof damage to Haney Technical Center and a blown over semi on the Parkway were observed and consistent with these straight line winds. Damage just south of 14th street near the estimated path, including the greatest damage to Grease Pro Express, was found to be consistent with that of a strong EF1 tornado. At that location, the roof was lifted upwards and displaced/rotated about 30 degrees. Similar, but less intense damage, was found at homes near the Grease Pro Express. Outside of this location, minor roof damage was observed at many locations, but none of this damage was consistent with a tornado and the estimated duration of the tornado was very brief, 3 minutes at most. Maximum winds were estimated to be 105 mph.
Another short-track tornado touched down in Callaway, FL just east of North Star Avenue at the location of the Callaway Sheriff 's office and Fire Dept. The tornado blew out two windows at the sheriff's office and tumbled a large container several times before it eventually stopped across a small lagoon . A deputy reported his patrol car being shifted by the winds while he was in the car and parked at the SO. The tornado then lifted a substantial portion of a well-built garage or outbuilding tossing some into the yard and others into the adjoining apartment complex in the opposite direction. The apartment complex sustained relatively minor damage. One shed was slightly shifted, a lone tree snapped, and one hand railing for an exterior staircase. The most substantial damage occurred at a mobile home park east of the apartment complex and immediately east of Nelle St. Several single and double-wide manufactured homes were shifted off their cinder block foundation by a couple of feet . Many suffered substantial roof damage as well . One utility pole was snapped near its base. The tornado lifted after exiting the mobile home park before reaching Sukoshi Drive.
A tornado was captured on video moving onshore in the St Andrew 's area across W 15th Street. The tornado moved northeastward through numerous residential streets before lifting near Frankford Ave . Numerous structures were damaged along with trees and power lines. The most significant damage occurred from near W 18th Street northeastward to Clay Ave. Some residences had large sections of their roofs removed with most walls remaining standing. In addition, a house on Arthur Ave was moved four feet off its foundation . As a result, this tornado was rated EF2 with maximum estimated winds around 120 mph. A dual-pol tornadic debris signature (TDS) was evident on KEVX radar.
A tornado touched down in a rural, forested area of Bay county near the Panama City airport. The tornado narrowly missed the airport structures, and no other damage was reported. A well defined TDS was present on dual-pol radar due to tree damage.
The tornado likely first touched down against the tree line along the bay across from A .L. Kinsaul Park. The initial damage included some roof damage to a gazebo where the panels were blown off. It looks like at the strongest damage point it was estimated that the tornado was 75 yards in width. Just across from the park to the northeast, the roof of a house was nearly completely destroyed. There was a carport attached to the roof which was demolished, and the roof was then lifted off and carried across maybe 20 yards across the street and impacted another house. This second house had the cars in the driveway lifted and turned a few feet. The home suffered structural damage to the front wall with cracks spreading towards the back of the home . These two homes appeared to suffered the most direct damage . Turning north down the road, the neighborhood had similar damage to siding of the homes as most of the damage came from a southwest to northeast direction. Snapped trees, patio furniture tossed, and broken windows were the most common impacts. Near the end of the path, a large shed' s roof was lifted off and carried a few feet away . About 3/4 mile northeast of the start point, the tornado likely weakened as the damage becomes more minor consisting of roof siding damage and snapped twigs. On the northern sides of homes, hail damage was evident due to hail being driven onto the sides of homes on the north side of the tornado. This tornado was rated EF1 with max winds estimated at 110 mph. Total damage cost was estimated.
A tornado moved onshore Panama City Beach in the Lower Grand Lagoon area along Spyglass Drive . Significant damage occurred to several homes, including the complete destruction of one beachfront home. The damage at this location was determined to support an EF-3 rating with max winds estimated at 140 mph. Significant damage to homes and businesses continued as the tornado moved northeast across and along Thomas Drive where two apartment building were heavily damaged . EF-3 damage was again noted at a large boat storage facility which suffered significant structural failure. The tornado continued northeastward across Grand Lagoon and through the Bay Point Golf Club, causing additional damage to homes, before crossing Saint Andrew Bay. The damage in Panama City, after crossing the bay was more sporadic and less intense, supportive of EF-1 intensity. The tornado appears to have dissipated shortly after crossing West 23rd Street. Thanks to Bay County Emergency Management for assistance with the damage survey.
A satellite vortex tornado of parent EF3 tornado just to the west made landfall at the western edge of St. Andrews State Park. Only very minor damage to a few tree limbs and an antenna were reported by park management. The tornado was confirmed via videos on social media. Damage was consistent with an EF0 tornado with max winds estimated at 70 mph.
The same supercell that spawned the Grand Lagoon tornado dropped another in Lynn Haven where some trees were snapped and one home had some minor roof damage. The tornado then traveled northeast across the eastern portion of North Bay before causing damage in the Resota Beach area on the west shore of Deer Point Lake, destroying one double-wide manufactured home and significantly damaging another. The most significant damage in this area was to a single family home on Joanna Lane where large sections of the roof were removed and the garage was destroyed. This was consistent with EF-2 damage. After crossing Deer Point Lake, the tornado tracked through the Bay Head neighborhood where it caused the most extensive damage. One manufactured home on Magnolia Avenue was ripped from its moorings and tossed against the tree line at the back of the property . Fortunately, the two people inside suffered only minor injuries. A single family home at the intersection of Magnolia and Seminole St . had a large portion of its roof removed. Similar damage occurred to a home on Palm Avenue where substantial tree damage also occurred . Four homes in the vicinity of Cherokee St. and Deerwood Avenue sustained similar damage. A brick home on Sunshine Drive not only had about half of its roof removed , but also saw collapse of walls on one corner of the house. All of these homes mentioned thus far in Bay Head suffered EF -2 damage, but this last one was the most severely damaged with winds estimated at 130 mph. As the tornado continued northeast, additional roof damage to homes occurred on Indian Bluff Drive , Indian Bluff Road, Piza Circle, and Miller Circle. On CR 2301 near Vickery Lane, one mobile home was shifted off its support blocks with a third of the structure destroyed . Damage northeast of this point became more sporadic and mainly to trees. The tornado appeared to lift as it crossed Mocassin Creek.
This tornado touched down in far northeast Bay county, travelled through far northwest Calhoun county, and ended in Jackson county. The Bay county portion of the tornado is rated EF0. The Calhoun and Jackson county portions of the tornado are rated EF1 with max winds estimated at 90 mph. The tornado began in northeastern Bay county where it touched down in a wooded area between US 231 and NW County road 274 snapping several trees. Multiple trees along NW County road 167 were snapped or uprooted. The track continued to the northeast into Jackson county where it crossed through forested land before crossing Freeman Road. The tornado continued through another wooded area before moving parallel with Grand Mesa Avenue where several trees were uprooted or snapped. The tornado then continued through another wooded area before crossing Varsey Lane where it damaged some small outbuilding sheds as well as snapped a few trees. The tornado continued to track parallel to Varsey Lane to the northeast before snapping tree tops along its path before lifting just beyond Celestial Lane in another wooded area. The tornado reached its maximum width of approximately 450 yards as well as its maximum intensity as it crossed NW county road 167 with the most widespread tree damage observed at this point.
A tornado touched down in Callaway near the intersection of South Tyndall Parkway and North Lakewood Drive . The roofs of two homes were heavily damaged in this location, consistent with an EF-2 tornado with max winds estimated at 115 mph. Damage was sporadic along the track as the tornado continued northeast until the roof of another home was removed along Chipewa Street. A manufactured home was also damaged along Chipewa Street . The tornado appears to have dissipated near Cherry Street, where debris from the damaged roof was scattered. Thanks to area media and Emergency Management for assistance with this survey.
G - Grazulis, T. P., 1993: Significant Tornadoes 1680-1991. A Chronology and Analysis of Events. Environmental Films, Tornado Project, St. Johsnbury, VT.
SD - National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 1950-2016: Storm Data. National Climatic Data Center, Asheville, NC.
SPC - Storm Prediction Center Database
