Osceola County F0 Tornado of May 22, 2001

Tornado Picture

Description

Strong thunderstorm winds accompanied by an embedded weak tornado (F0) were responsible for some property damage in parts of north Osceola County.  The event occurred during the early evening on Tuesday (05/22/01) around 630 PM.  The damage consisted of several twisted awnings and screen enclosures, as well as a few downed trees and powerlines.  Damage also occurred to some parked vehicles.  The majority of damage was near the Buena Ventura Lake subdivision.  There were a few reports of funnel clouds and an eyewitness account of a brief tornado spin-up by British tourists.  The Damage Survey Team concluded that strong downburst winds around 45 to 50 mph produced much of the minor damage, with the F0 tornado (winds around 70 mph) being responsible for the more noteworthy damage.

Map of damage area in Kissimmee, Florida.
 

The approximate damage paths were derived from a National Weather Service ground survey.  Interestingly, this location was very close to that of the historical and devastating F3 tornado which occurred in February 1998.  Damage pictures are accessible on certain links below.
 

Products

SHORT TERM FORECAST
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MELBOURNE FL
547 PM EDT TUE MAY 22 2001

.NOW...THROUGH 8 PM...
A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WAS QUICKLY
DEVELOPING FROM DAYTONA BEACH TO DELTONA
AT 6 PM.  THE LINE WILL CONTINUE QUICK DEVELOPMENT
TO THE SOUTHWEST TOWARDS ORLANDO AND KISSIMMEE.
THIS LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL PRODUCE
FREQUENT DANGEROUS LIGHTNING STRIKES...HEAVY
RAINS...AND WINDS GUSTING TO 30 TO 40 MPH AT TIMES.
IN ADDITION...SOME STORMS WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING
SMALL HAIL.  OTHERWISE...SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL
CONTINUE TO MOVE NORTHEAST AT 10 TO 15 MPH ACROSS
OSCEOLA AND BREVARD COUNTIES.

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MELBOURNE FL
650 PM EDT TUE MAY 22 2001

BETWEEN 6 AND 645 PM...SEVERAL PUBLIC REPORTS OF
FUNNEL CLOUDS HAVE BEEN RECEIVED. THEY ARE
ASSOCIATED WITH A LINE OF STRONG STORMS
STRETCHING FROM KISSIMMEE TO ORLANDO...SANFORD
AND NEW SMYRNA BEACH.  A FEW OF THESE FUNNEL
CLOUDS MAY BRIEFLY TOUCHDOWN AND PRODUCE MINOR
DAMAGE...THEN LIFT BACK UP. THIS LINE OF STRONG
STORMS WILL PUSH EAST AND NORTHEAST AT 15 MPH
AND BEGIN TO WEAKEN. THUS...THE THREAT OF FUNNEL
CLOUDS...FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING AND
SMALL HAIL...WILL GRADUALLY DIMINISH AFTER 730 PM. 

LSRMLB
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MELBOURNE FL
100 PM EDT WED MAY 23 2001

TIME(EDT)     CITY LOCATION            STATE      EVENT/REMARKS...
                         COUNTY LOCATION

630 PM             3NE KISSIMMEE           FL              TORNADO
05/22/01           OSCEOLA

                                                                                     F0 TORNADO SPUN UP ALONG
                                                                                     A THUNDERSTORM OUTFLOW
                                                                                     BOUNDARY. THE COMBINATION
                                                                                     OF THE SMALL TORNADO AND
                                                                                     DOWNBURST WINDS PRODUCED
                                                                                     SOME MINOR DAMAGE, INCLUDING
                                                                                     SOME AWNINGS AND A FEW
                                                                                     SCREENED POOL ENCLOSURES.
                                                                                     ONE LARGE TREE WAS UPROOTED
                                                                                     AND POWERLINES WERE DOWNED.
                                                                                     DAMAGE OCCURED IN THE BUENA
                                                                                     VENTURA LAKE SUBDIVISION.
 

CRISTALDI 


Images


Damage Photos - along Mante Drive - marked on map above.

 Picture of home with back porch severely damaged.  

Back porch peeled back.

Picture of Home with pool screen cover destroyed.

Pool screen cover removed.

Picture of tree stump - left from uprooted tree.

Large tree uprooted.

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