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NOUS42 KMLB 061958 AAA
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PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT...UPDATED NUMBER OF FATALITIES
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MELBOURNE FL
845 AM EST FRI FEB 15 2007

...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DAMAGE SURVEYS WERE CONDUCTED ON
FEBRUARY 3 BY GROUND AND AIR AND RADAR DATA WERE REVIEWED FOR THE
TORNADO EVENT WHICH IMPACTED LAKE AND VOLUSIA COUNTIES EARLY ON
FEBRUARY 2 2007...

BELOW ARE PRELIMINARY ASSESSMENTS OF THE TORNADOES.

A SUPERCELL THUNDERSTORM MOVED EAST-NORTHEAST AT 50 TO 60 MPH ALONG
A 75+ MILE TRACK FROM SUMTER COUNTY TO OFFSHORE VOLUSIA COUNTY AND
PRODUCED THREE TORNADOES. THE FIRST TWO TORNADOES WERE VIOLENT AND
WERE RESPONSIBLE FOR A TOTAL OF 21 FATALITIES. THE THIRD TORNADO WAS
NOT AS STRONG...BUT STILL RESULTED IN SIGNIFICANT PROPERTY DAMAGE.

THE VILLAGES/LADY LAKE TORNADO...TORNADO NUMBER 1...WAS CLASSIFIED
AS A HIGH END EF-3 TORNADO WITH WINDS OF 155 TO 160 MPH. THIS
TORNADO INITIALLY TOUCHED DOWN AT 308 AM IN SUMTER COUNTY NEAR
WILDWOOD AND THE VILLAGES AND THEN CROSSED INTO LAKE COUNTY AND
STRUCK THE TOWN OF LADY LAKE AT 320 AM. THE TORNADO CAUSED DAMAGE TO
STRUCTURES WHERE MOST WALLS COLLAPSED EXCEPT FOR THEIR INTERIOR
ROOMS. LARGE TREES WERE DEBARKED...WITH ONLY THE STUBS OF THE
LARGEST BRANCHES REMAINING. MOBILE HOMES WERE COMPLETELY DESTROYED.
100 RESIDENCES WERE DAMAGED AND 36 WERE DESTROYED. THE TORNADO
LIFTED AT 325 AM EAST OF LADY LAKE...RESULTING IN A PATH LENGTH OF
16.5 MILES. THE TORNADO WAS ONE-QUARTER MILE WIDE DURING ITS MAXIMUM
EXTENT. EIGHT FATALITIES WERE ASSOCIATED WITH THIS TORNADO.

THE LAKE MACK/DELAND TORNADO...TORNADO NUMBER 2...WAS ALSO
CLASSIFIED AS A HIGH END EF-3 WITH WINDS OF 160 TO 165 MPH. THE
TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN AT 337 AM EAST OF HIGHWAY 439 AND WEST OF LAKE
NORRIS IN RURAL LAKE COUNTY AND REACHED LAKE MACK AT 348 AM WITH
PEAK WINDS NEAR 165 MPH...RESULTING IN 10 FATALITIES. COMPLETE
DESTRUCTION OF MOBILE HOMES OCCURRED AND LARGE TREES WERE DEBARKED.
73 RESIDENCES WERE DAMAGED AND 33 WERE DESTROYED. THE TORNADO THEN
REACHED FOREST DRIVE AND STATE ROAD 44 WITH WINDS OF 150 TO 155
MPH...RESULTING IN 3 ADDITIONAL FATALITIES. THE TORNADO CROSSED FROM
LAKE COUNTY TO VOLUSIA COUNTY NEAR HONTOON ISLAND...AND STRUCK
DELAND AT 402 AM AS A EF-3 TORNADO WITH WINDS NEAR 150 MPH. THE
TORNADO LIFTED AT 410 AM NEAR THE VOLUSIA COUNTY FAIRGROUNDS EAST OF
INTERSTATE 4. OVER 250 MOBILE HOMES AND 27 SINGLE FAMILY HOMES WERE
DESTROYED IN DELAND AND UNINCORPORATED WEST VOLUSIA COUNTY. THE PATH
LENGTH WAS 26 MILES. THE MAXIMUM TORNADO WIDTH WAS ONE-THIRD OF A
MILE. A TOTAL OF 13 FATALITIES OCCURRED WITH THIS DEADLY TORNADO.

THE NEW SMYRNA BEACH/PONCE INLET TORNADO...TORNADO NUMBER 3...WAS
CLASSIFIED AS AN EF-1 TORNADO WITH WINDS OF 100 TO 105 MPH. THE
TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN EAST OF INTERSTATE 95 AND NORTH OF HIGHWAY 44
IN NEW SMYRNA BEACH AT 422 AM AND LIFTED NEAR THE INTRACOASTAL
WATERWAY WEST OF PONCE INLET AT 425 AM. THE TORNADO UPLIFTED ROOFS
ON MANY STRUCTURES...CAUSING A SIGNIFICANT LOSS OF ROOFING
MATERIAL...COLLAPSE OF CHIMNEYS...AND COLLAPSE OF GARAGE DOORS.
ADDITIONAL DAMAGE OCCURRED TO PORCHES AND CARPORTS. 25 SINGLE FAMILY
HOMES WERE DESTROYED IN NEW SMYRNA BEACH AND UNINCORPORATED
SOUTHEAST VOLUSIA COUNTY. THE PATH LENGTH WAS ABOUT 3 MILES AND THE
MAXIMUM WIDTH WAS ONE EIGHTH OF A MILE.

NOTE: THE NEW ENHANCED FUJITA (EF) TORNADO SCALE REPLACED THE
PREVIOUS FUJITA (F) SCALE ON FEBRUARY 1 2007. THE EF SCALE WAS
DEVELOPED TO BETTER ASSESS WIND SPEEDS ASSOCIATED WITH A WIDE
VARIETY OF STRUCTURAL DAMAGE...FROM SINGLE-WIDE MOBILE HOMES TO
INDUSTRIAL BUILDINGS TO FRAMED ONE OR TWO FAMILY HOMES...AND MANY
MORE. FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE NEW EF-SCALE...PLEASE SEE THE FOLLOWING
WEBSITE:  HTTP://WWW.SPC.NOAA.GOV/FSCALE

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON THIS TORNADO EVENT IS AVAILABLE ON THE NWS
MELBOURNE WEBSITE AT:
HTTP://WWW.SRH.NOAA.GOV/MLB/SURVEYS/020207/INDEX.HTML

$$

STAFF/NWS MELBOURNE FL