Florida, 1998

Tornadoes and Hail in Florida, March 7 to 8, 1998

March 7 to 8, 1998 · NWS TAE · 6 events in 4 counties and zones

3 hail, 2 tornado, 1 thunderstorm wind, as filed by the National Weather Service.

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

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$60,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
6

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 Eglin Afb radar (KEVX), 102 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 19:04 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

3 hail, 2 tornado, 1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Tornado, Gulf

When
March 7, 2:02 PM EST to 2:10 PM EST
Where
Gulf County, Port St Joe
Rating
F0
Path length
0.7 mi
Path width
0.25 yd
Property damage
$35,000
Coordinates
29.820, -85.300

Waterspout came ashore two miles east of Port St. Joe Beach. Condo roof lifted off on beach side of Highway 98. Two neighboring houses and two vehicles sustained damage from flying debris. Numerous homes reported water damage in the Port St. Joe Beach, Port St. Joe, and Highland View areas.

Hail, Gulf

When
March 7, 2:25 PM EST to 2:31 PM EST
Where
Gulf County, Port St Joe
Measured
1.75 in hail
Coordinates
29.820, -85.300

Golfball sized hail observed at beach just west of Port St. Joe.

Hail, Bay

When
March 7, 3:00 PM EST to 3:05 PM EST
Where
Bay County, Mexico Beach
Measured
1 in hail
Coordinates
29.950, -85.420

Pebble to quarter sized hail observed in Mexico Beach and along the Bay-Gulf County line.

Tornado, Gulf

When
March 8, 4:00 PM EST to 4:05 PM EST
Where
Gulf County, Beacon Hill
Rating
F0
Path length
0.5 mi
Path width
0.25 yd
Property damage
$25,000
Coordinates
29.920, -85.380

Waterspout came ashore at Sun Ray Court in Beacon Hill. A carport was destroyed and numerous roofs were damaged.

Thunderstorm Wind, Wakulla

When
March 8, 5:14 PM EST
Where
Wakulla County, Shell Pt
Measured
63 kt (72 mph)
Coordinates
30.050, -84.300

72 mph wind gust recorded at the Shell Point Sailboard Club.

Hail, Gadsden

When
March 8, 6:30 PM EST
Where
Gadsden County, Chattahoochee
Measured
1 in hail
Coordinates
30.700, -84.830

Quarter sized hail in Chattahoochee.

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.
Hail
Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
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.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Florida in 1998Every state in 1998This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Florida, 1998Warnings in Florida, March 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: 5632152, 5632151, 5632154, 5632153, 5632149, 5632150.