Florida, 1998

Tornado in Florida, September 3, 1998

September 3, 1998 · NWS TBW · 1 event in 1 county or zone

1 tornado, 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
2
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.

The radar

The Tampa radar (KTBW), 141 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 10:04 UTC.

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Event by event

1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Tornado, Citrus

When
September 3, 5:05 AM EST to 5:11 AM EST
Where
Citrus County, Crystal River to 6 mi NE of Crystal River
Rating
F2
Path length
4.5 mi
Path width
50 yd
Injuries
2 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$500,000
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
28.970, -82.500

A tornado (F2), associated with an outer band of Hurricane Earl, touched down along N. Fairport Avenue, east of the intersection of County Road 495 and West Dunklin Road, six miles northeast of Crystal River. The tornado moved northeast, sporadically touched down along a narrow path, and destroyed a two story family structure, seven mobile homes and caused minor damage to an additional eight single family and sixteen mobile homes. Several large trees, sheds and power lines were downed by the tornado before it lifted and dissipated near County Road 488 and N. Circle M Avenue.Of note, a homeowner on W. Wheatfield Lane in Citrus Springs was alerted to the impending tornado by his four dogs who stubbornly refused to venture outdoors nearly ten minutes prior to the touchdown. The homeowner on W. Wheatfield Lane described the sound of the tornado similar to that of a roaring train as it passed over and damaged his home and downed nearby trees.Two injuries occurred to the occupants of the two story home that was destroyed by the tornado before it lifted and dissipated.

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

More

Every storm in Florida in 1998Every state in 1998This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Florida, 1998Warnings in Florida, September 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: 5668442.