Tornado, Okaloosa
- When
- December 1, 5:25 AM CST to 5:26 AM CST
- Where
- Okaloosa County, Seminole to 2 mi SSE of Seminole
- Rating
- F2
- Path length
- 0.4 mi
- Path width
- 75 yd
- Property damage
- $500,000
- Coordinates
- 30.470, -86.380
Tornado in Florida, December 1, 1996
A waterspout developed near Mid Bay Bridge along the north bank of Choctawhatchee Bay and moved ashore near exclusive Pippin Estates. The resulting tornado moved along Lake Drive for about 1/3 of a mile.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- $500,000
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 1
Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
What happened
The episode as NWS MOB wrote it up.
A waterspout developed near Mid Bay Bridge along the north bank of Choctawhatchee Bay and moved ashore near exclusive Pippin Estates. The resulting tornado moved along Lake Drive for about 1/3 of a mile. Ten homes suffered roof damage, four of which had major structural damage. Numerous fifty to one-hundred year old Live Oak and other trees were blown down. Some of the trees fell across vehicles and homes. Several boats were also blown ashore and damaged. The tornado cut a path of about seventy-five yards wide and was estimated to be a weak F2. There were no injuries.
The radar
The Eglin Afb radar (KEVX), 45 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 11:23 UTC.
Event by event
1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.
What these are
- Tornado
- A violently rotating column of air in contact with the ground and extending from a thunderstorm, filed with its path, width and Fujita or Enhanced Fujita rating from the damage survey.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Winter Storm in Utah, December 1 to 2, 1996
- Drought in Texas, December 1 to 31, 1996
- High Wind in New York, December 1, 1996
- Damaging Wind in Alabama, December 1, 1996
- High Wind in New York, December 1, 1996
- Tornado in Alabama, December 1, 1996
- Damaging Wind in Alabama, December 1, 1996
- Lightning Strike in Alabama, December 1, 1996
- Damaging Wind in Alabama, December 1, 1996
- High Wind in Vermont, December 1, 1996
- Damaging Wind in Alabama, December 1, 1996
- Heavy Rain in New Jersey, December 1 to 2, 1996
More
Every storm in Florida in 1996Every state in 1996This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Florida, 1996Warnings in Florida, December 1996
Sources
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5581664.