Florida Tornados Wreak Havoc; 14 Dead

Last night, a monstrous thunderstorm with at least one and more suspected tornadoes struck the area of central Florida, leaving a number of victims in its wake. Currently, officials have discovered fourteen fatalities. The wreckage is still being sorted through.

Four counties, Lake, Seminole, Sumter, and Volusia, have all been given declarations of states of emergency by Governor Charlie Crist. He is quoted as having said the state's priority for the time being is search and rescue.

The devastation in the area has been described as being beyond words. In the areas which received the worst destruction, onlookers are unable to recognize even the slightest hint of former civilization.

Thunderstorms are not uncommon for central Florida. In fact, on average, the area experiences one hundred thunderstorms each year. There are two different tornado seasons in Florida. These seasons occur from February until April, and then again between June and September.

The most deadly tornadoes occur during the Deadly Spring Season (February - April). The storms characterized in this season can reach speeds between 30 and 50 mph, due to the location of the jet stream directly over the area at this time.

One of the dangers of tornado strikes is that they can occur any time. Even at night, as experienced in this most recent case. Citizens of the area are urged to purchase an NOAA Weather Radio in order to fully alert themselves of the weather situations at any given time.

The deadliest springtime tornado outbreak occurred between the 22^nd and 23^rd of February, 1998. Seven tornadoes killed 42 people in an area much similar to that affected by yesterday's storm.

Because of the storm, 20,000 people were without electricity due to strong winds knocking trees onto power lines or knocking the power lines themselves down. At least 6,000 citizens are currently still without power.

The strong winds also managed to blow four tractor trailers off an Interstate in Volusia County. Moreover, the highway was closed for about four hours while officials worked to clear away the remains of five vehicle crashes.

Those in the area are still sorting through the piles of wreckage. They haven't ruled out the possibility of the death toll rising to above fourteen, but everyone certainly hopes it doesn't.

For more information on Florida thunderstorms and tornadoes, visit FloridaDisaster.org, which offers statistics and tips for the area and its storm history.

The following were used as sources in the writing of this article:

CNN: http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/02/02/florida.storm/index.html

Canada.com: http://www.canada.com/topics/news/world/story.html?id=14992c14-72fd-4ee6-a5d0-b881aa48191a&k=97830