SUMTER COUNTY
Amateur Radio Emergency Services Association (ARES)

 Sumter County, Florida

The Villages: Ground Hog Day Tornado


 

At about 3 AM on Friday, February 2, 2007,  the first of an outbreak of tornadoes dropped to the ground near US 301 and began its eastward journey.  It traveled across The Villages damaging more than 1000 homes and causing about a dozen injuries.   Still the houses were site-built and there were no deaths.  The tornado continued through Lady Lake and across Lake County mobile home parks. 

Farther East, Rev. John Roszak awoke to hear his weather radio blaring the tornado warning.  The twister had blasted through Lady Lake 30 miles to the west, hop scotched over Lake Griffin and touched down near the homes in the community of Lake Mack bordering the Ocala National Forest.  "I immediately called people to spread the word to those who live in mobile home to head to the church, but it was too late for many residents, who were sleeping when the tornadoes packing winds that reached 165 mph struck  killing 13 in Lady Lake and 8 in Lake Mack with massive destruction.  The tornadoes continued their eastward travel across the remainder of the State.

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The 2007 Groundhog Day tornado outbreak was a localized but devastating tornado event that took place in central Florida early on February 2, 2007. Early morning temperatures had risen well above average for the season; combined with increased moisture and a powerful jet stream, this created enough instability and wind shear for thunderstorms to rotate and spawn tornadoes. Due to the conditions, a long-tracked supercell formed and produced three tornadoes over one hour and seventeen minutes. The supercell resulted in a 70-mile (110-kilometer) trail of damage.

Twenty-one people were killed and 76 others were injured in the outbreak. The first tornado damaged 1,145 homes and destroyed 200 others in Sumter County before hitting the Lady Lake area where it killed eight people. A total of 180 homes were damaged and 101 homes were destroyed in Lake County. The second tornado killed 13 people in the Lake Mack area and damaged or destroyed over 500 homes and other structures during its existence, including the 1500-foot (450-meter) tall transmission tower of WCFB FM. The final tornado damaged roofs, car ports and garage doors along its path through New Smyrna Beach

The outbreak was the second-deadliest on record for Florida, behind one that killed 42 people in February 1998 Kissimee tornado outbreak. Damages from the tornado outbreak totaled $218 million (2007 US$). Christopher Patton, spokesman for the Lake County emergency operations center, described the damage as "unlike even perhaps the hurricanes of 2004 when we had minor roof damage, screen damage, pool damage. This is way far more devastating." The tornadoes were the first to be rated on the Enhanced Fujita Scale, which replaced the original Fujita Scale.

U.S. President George W. Bush signed a declaration to designate Sumter, Lake, Volusia and Seminole counties as disaster areas. A state of emergency was declared by Governor Charlie Crist for the same counties. More than 400  American Red Cross volunteers from across several states went to help in central Florida. The Tampa Bay chapter of the American Red Cross sent six volunteers with emergency response vehicles to the main area of damage. The Walt Disney Company donated $50,000 to the American Red Cross to help aid victims and Feed The Children sent two truckloads of relief supplies to the central Florida area. The Salvation Army brought several mobile kitchens to offer relief to victims and Verizon Wireless helped by offering citizens the use of a wireless emergency communication center, in addition to cleaning and repairing cellular phones damaged by the storms.  A moment of silence was held before Super Bowl XLI, two days later, in Miami to honor the victims of the tornadoes.

 

 

 Last Update:  06/23/2018    © Copyright Sumter County ARES. All Rights Reserved.