Tornado and Damaging Winds in Florida, February 2, 1998

Name: Tornado and Damaging Winds in Florida, February 2, 1998
Start: 1998-02-02T00:01
End: 1998-02-02T23:30
Location: Florida

February 2, 1998 · NWS MLB · 5 events in 5 counties and zones

3 thunderstorm wind, 1 high wind, 1 tornado, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 1 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. 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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $125,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 5

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.

The radar

The Melbourne radar (KMLB), 116 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 03:22 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

3 thunderstorm wind, 1 high wind, 1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Volusia

When: February 2, 12:01 AM EST to 1:00 AM EST
Where: Volusia forecast zone
Measured: 55 kt (63 mph)
Property damage: $50,000
Coordinates: 29.063, -81.149 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Strong sustained surface wind knocked down trees over much of Volusia County and damaged a gas station pump shelter in Daytona Beach.

Thunderstorm Wind, Okeechobee

When: February 2, 10:20 PM EST
Where: Okeechobee County, Okeechobee
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Property damage: $5,000
Coordinates: 27.250, -80.830

Thunderstorm winds blew down power lines in the town of Okeechobee.

Thunderstorm Wind, Indian River

When: February 2, 11:00 PM EST
Where: Indian River County, Vero Beach
Measured: 55 kt (63 mph)
Property damage: $40,000
Coordinates: 27.630, -80.400

Downburst wind from a thunderstorm swept over a mobile home community in Vero Beach producing minor exterior damage to eight mobile homes. Most of the damage was to awnings and carports.

Thunderstorm Wind, Martin

When: February 2, 11:05 PM EST
Where: Martin County, Stuart
Measured: 53 kt (61 mph)
Coordinates: 27.200, -80.250

A Skywarn spotter measured winds of 51 knots in Stuart.

Tornado, St. Lucie

When: February 2, 11:30 PM EST
Where: St. Lucie County, 10 mi S of Ft Pierce
Rating: F0
Path length: 0.4 mi
Path width: 50 yd
Property damage: $30,000
Coordinates: 27.300, -80.330

A small F-0 tornado touched down briefly on Hutchinson Island blowing down trees and blowing windows out of a condominium.

What these are

High Wind: Sustained non-thunderstorm winds of 40 mph or more for an hour, or gusts of 58 mph or more.
Thunderstorm Wind: Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.
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

Every storm in Florida in 1998 Every state in 1998 This day in weather history The tornado archive for Florida, 1998 Warnings in Florida, February 1998

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: 5643647, 5643648, 5643649, 5643650, 5643651.