Tornadoes · United States · Florida · 2008

EF0 tornado, Knabb, Florida, February 26, 2008

This EF0 tornado ran 0.3 miles across Baker County on February 26, 2008, touching down at 2:37 PM EST and reaching 30 yards wide. It killed nobody.

The rating scale

Tracks are drawn in the color of the rating. The Enhanced Fujita scale rates the damage rather than measuring the wind: the speeds are what that damage is taken to imply.

  1. EF065 to 85 mphthis tornado

    Light damage. Surface peeled off some roofs, gutters and siding damaged, branches broken, shallow-rooted trees pushed over.

  2. EF186 to 110 mph

    Moderate damage. Roofs badly stripped, mobile homes overturned or badly damaged, exterior doors lost, windows broken.

  3. EF2111 to 135 mph

    Considerable damage. Roofs torn off well-built houses, frame homes shifted on their foundations, mobile homes destroyed, large trees snapped or uprooted, cars lifted off the ground.

  4. EF3136 to 165 mph

    Severe damage. Whole stories of well-built houses destroyed, large buildings badly damaged, trains overturned, trees debarked, heavy cars lifted and thrown.

  5. EF4166 to 200 mph

    Devastating damage. Well-built houses leveled, structures with weak foundations moved some distance, cars thrown and large missiles generated.

  6. EF5over 200 mph

    Incredible damage. Strong frame houses swept off their foundations, car-sized missiles thrown more than 100 meters, steel-reinforced concrete badly damaged, high-rise buildings deformed.

  7. Unrated

    The survey recorded a tornado but could not put a number on it, most often because it crossed open country and damaged nothing a rating can be read from.

The record

Rating
EF0
Date
February 26, 2008
Touchdown
2:37 PM EST (19:37 UTC)
Path length
0.3 miles (0.4 km)
Path width
30 yards (27 m)
Deaths
0
Injuries
0
County
Baker County
Touchdown point
30.240, -82.200
Lift-off point
30.240, -82.200
Record number
0802261337-01

What the Weather Service recorded

A cold front and squall line transited north Florida on Tuesday, February 26th, 2008.

A report of roof damage to a home one half mile south of Interstate 10 on Bill Davis Road. A trampoline in the yard also damaged. Several trees on County Road 229 were damaged.

From NOAA NCEI's Storm Events Database, the narrative the local forecast office wrote for Storm Data.

The warnings

No tornado warning for this county appears in the archive as in force at the moment the tornado touched down.

The county was under a tornado watch, issued at 16:05 UTC and running to 22:48 UTC.

Issued (UTC)ExpiredProductOffice
15:00 UTC00:00 UTCLake Wind AdvisoryJAX
16:05 UTC22:48 UTCTornado WatchJAX
18:13 UTC19:00 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WarningJAX
19:20 UTC20:00 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WarningJAX
01:17 UTC23:00 UTCLake Wind AdvisoryJAX

Every warning and watch covering the touchdown point that day, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service products. Lead time is measured from the issue of the warning in force to the touchdown time in the database, both of which were recorded to the minute by different people.

The forecast that day

The Storm Prediction Center had this point in a Slight Risk, with a 0.05 chance of a tornado within 25 miles. The outlook in force was issued at 16:27 UTC.

SPC's Day 1 convective outlook as it stood when the tornado began, read at the touchdown point. The same archive is on the radar archive.

The air that afternoon

The radiosonde launches on either side of the tornado, from the nearest station that was launching then, drawn and analyzed the way Storm Lab does: the same diagram, the same parcel and shear definitions SPC's mesoanalysis uses.

Jacksonville, FL (KJAX), 12:00Z

7.6 hours before the tornado, 56 km from the path. February 26, 2008.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Jacksonville, FL at 12:00Z on 2008-02-26Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel lifted from the surface. Mixed-layer CAPE 20 joules per kilogram, CIN -266, lifted condensation level 699 meters above ground. Wind barbs in knots down the right edge.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed. The warm shading is its CAPE, the cool shading the inhibition it has to break through.
HodographHodograph, Jacksonville, FL at 12:00Z on 2008-02-26The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers as a curve, rings every 10 meters per second labeled in knots. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 170 square meters per square second, 0 to 6 km bulk shear 49 knots.19395878Sfc1 km3 km6 km9 kmRMLM
The wind turning with height, colored by layer: ground to 1 km, 1 to 3 km, 3 to 6 km, 6 to 10 km. RM and LM are the right and left moving storms Bunkers' method gives; the shaded area is the 0 to 1 km storm-relative helicity.
Mixed-layer CAPE
20 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-266 J/kg
Surface CAPE
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
699 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
49 kt
0-1 km bulk shear
27 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
170 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
126 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.5
0-3 km lapse rate
2.7 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

Jacksonville, FL (KJAX), 00:00Z

4.4 hours after it, 56 km from the path. February 27, 2008.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Jacksonville, FL at 00:00Z on 2008-02-27Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel lifted from the surface. Mixed-layer CAPE 0 joules per kilogram, CIN -61907, lifted condensation level 1664 meters above ground. Wind barbs in knots down the right edge.LCL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed. The warm shading is its CAPE, the cool shading the inhibition it has to break through.
HodographHodograph, Jacksonville, FL at 00:00Z on 2008-02-27The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers as a curve, rings every 10 meters per second labeled in knots. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 28 square meters per square second, 0 to 6 km bulk shear 63 knots.1939587897Sfc1 km3 km6 km9 kmRMLM
The wind turning with height, colored by layer: ground to 1 km, 1 to 3 km, 3 to 6 km, 6 to 10 km. RM and LM are the right and left moving storms Bunkers' method gives; the shaded area is the 0 to 1 km storm-relative helicity.
Mixed-layer CAPE
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-61907 J/kg
Surface CAPE
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1664 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
63 kt
0-1 km bulk shear
40 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
28 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
82 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0
0-3 km lapse rate
4.9 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The surface observations

Jacksonville - Cecil Field (VQQ), 31 km from the path, in the two hours either side.

Time (UTC)Temp (°F)Dew point (°F)WindGust (kt)Pressure (mb)Weather
18:50 UTC73.468200° 10 kt25.181006.8

From the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of airport observations.

The radar

The Jacksonville radar (KJAX), 55 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 19:37 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment, over the track

Reflectivity and velocity, decoded from the Level II archive in the browser. Volumes take a few seconds to open the first time.

What was reported nearby

Local storm reports within 60 km of the path, in the three hours either side.

Time (UTC)ReportWhereCountyRemark
18:25 UTCHAIL 0.253 N White SpringsHamilton, FLDIME SIZED HAIL ONGOING AT THIS TIME.
18:25 UTCHAIL 0.753 N White SpringsHamilton, FLDIME SIZED HAIL ONGOING AT THIS TIME.
18:30 UTCTORNADOWaldoAlachua, FLFIRE RESCUE/EMS SQUAD REPORTED WITNESSING A BRIEF TOUCHDOWN NEAR AN ACCIDENT SCENE WHICH DAMAGED SEVERAL STRUCTURES AND A ROOF. EVENT TIME WAS CORRECTED BASED ON FURTHER REPORT FROM ALACHUA COUNTY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT.
18:50 UTCTSTM WND DMG2 Ssw TaylorBaker, FLSEVERAL REPORTS OF TREES DOWN ACROSS THE OSCEOLA NATIONAL FOREST. TIME IS ESTIMATED AND BASED ON RADAR IMAGERY.
19:00 UTCTSTM WND DMG3 Se CallahanNassau, FLPORTION OF METAL OUT-BUILDING WHICH WAS UNDER CONSTRUCTION WAS BLOWN OVER AT 44204 MCKENDREE DRIVE.
19:20 UTCTSTM WND DMG3 E Lake CityColumbia, FLHOME DAMAGED BY FALLEN TREE AT KLONDIKE AND US-90 NEAR HOPKINS MOTORS. TIME ESTIMATED BY RADAR.
19:20 UTCTSTM WND DMG6 Ese ColumbiaColumbia, FL14 REPORTS OF POWERLINES AND/OR TREES DOWN FROM FORT WHITE TO JUST NORTH OF LAKE CITY. CENTER LOCATION APPROXIMATE. TIME ESTIMATED FROM RADAR.
19:31 UTCTORNADOWaldoAlachua, FLFIRE RESCUE/EMS SQUAD REPORTED WITNESSING A BRIEF TOUCHDOWN NEAR AN ACCIDENT SCENE WHICH DAMAGED SEVERAL STRUCTURES AND A ROOF.
19:33 UTCTSTM WND DMG2 Se HamptonBradford, FLPUBLIC REPORT OF TWO TREES DOWN 2 MILES SOUTHEAST OF THE TOWN OF HAMPTON. TIME HAS BEEN ADJUSTED BASED UPON RADAR DATA...NO STORM NEAR HAMPTON AT TIME OF INITIAL REPORT.
19:37 UTCTSTM WND DMG1 N RaifordUnion, FLTWO TREES WERE UPROOTED ON STATE ROAD 121 NORTH OF RAIFORD. DEBRIS IN ROAD ON STATE ROAD 238 NEAR RAIFORD.
19:37 UTCTORNADO3 Sw Glen St. MaryBaker, FLA REPORT OF ROOF DAMAGE TO A HOME 1/2 MILE SOUTH OF INTERSTATE 10 ON BILL DAVIS ROAD. A TRAMPOLINE IN THE YARD WASDAMAGED. TREES ON COUNTY ROAD 229 WERE DAMAGED.
20:02 UTCFUNNEL CLOUD3 Sw Glen St. MaryBaker, FLREPORT OF UNCONFIRMED FUNNEL CLOUD ON BILL DAVIS ROAD SOUTHWEST OF GLEN ST. MARY.
20:02 UTCFUNNEL CLOUD3 Sw Glen St. MaryBaker, FLUNCONFIRMED FUNNEL CLOUD REPORT ON BILL DAVIS ROAD SOUTHWEST OF GLEN ST. MARY.
20:02 UTCTSTM WND DMG1 N RaifordUnion, FLTWO TREES UPROOTED ON STATE ROAD 121 NORTH OF RAIFORD. DEBRIS IN ROAD ON STATE ROAD 238 NEAR RAIFORD.
20:05 UTCTSTM WND DMG1 N RaifordUnion, FLTWO TREES WERE UPROOTED ON STATE ROAD 121 NORTH OF RAIFORD. DEBRIS IN ROAD ON STATE ROAD 238 NEAR RAIFORD.
20:05 UTCTORNADO3 Sw Glen St. MaryBaker, FLA REPORT OF ROOF DAMAGE TO A HOME 1/2 MILE SOUTH OF INTERSTATE 10 ON BILL DAVIS ROAD. TRAMPOLINE IN YARD ALSO DAMAGED. TREES ON COUNTY ROAD 229 DAMAGED.
20:06 UTCHAIL 0.75Downtown JacksonvilleDuval, FLHAIL AND STRONG WINDS REPORTED IN DOWNTOWN JACKSONVILLE. ADDITIONALLY A WIRE IS DOWN ACROSS TIMUQUANA ROAD ON THE JACKSONVILLE WESTSIDE NEAR THE CEDAR RIVER BRIDGE.
20:11 UTCTSTM WND DMG1 S OrtegaDuval, FLNAVAL AIR STATION JACKSONVILLE REPORTED DAMAGE TO STREET SIGNS AND TREES ASSOCIATED WITH A WIND GUST MEASURED AT 58 MILES AN HOUR AT 311 PM. REPORT RELAYED BY NAS JAX WEATHER OFFICE.
20:11 UTCTSTM WND GST 582 N Orange ParkDuval, FLREPORT FROM NAVAL AIR STATION JACKSONVILLE ASOS. STATION ID IS KNIP.
20:20 UTCTSTM WND DMG2 Se HamptonBradford, FLPUBLIC REPORT OF TWO TREES DOWN 2 MILES SOUTHEAST OF THE TOWN OF HAMPTON.
20:20 UTCTSTM WND DMG2 Sse San MarcoDuval, FLLARGE LIMBS DOWN ON ROAD IN THE BOLLES SCHOOL AREA ON SAN JOSE BLVD.
20:24 UTCTSTM WND DMGMandarinDuval, FLPUBLIC REPORT OF A TREE RESTING ON A ROOF ON CLAIR BURROWS ROAD OFF SAN JOSE ROAD IN MANDARIN.
20:40 UTCTSTM WND DMG1 Ne MandarinDuval, FLWTEV CHIEF METEOROLOGIST REPORTS TWO TREES DOWN ON A BUILDING AT 2950 HALCYON LANE SOUTH OF INTERSTATE 295.

From the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service local storm reports.

This ground now

The live radar over the trackEvery 2008 tornado in FloridaEvery tornado in Florida since 1950Warnings in force in Florida nowThe forecast where you are

The other tornadoes of February 26, 2008

7 more were confirmed in the United States that day.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
February 263:42 AM CSTEF1Jefferson, AL2.85001$1.0 million
February 263:50 AM CSTEF1Shelby, AL0.5150$50,000
February 264:00 AM CSTEF1St. Clair, AL2.81,100$250,000
February 265:55 AM ESTEF3Carroll, GA7.21001$8.0 million
February 266:10 AM ESTEF1Carroll, GA2.01001$7.0 million
February 266:25 AM ESTEF0Cobb, GA0.120$5,000
February 261:30 PM ESTEF0Alachua, FL0.020

What this means

Ratings are the survey's, read off the damage rather than measured; the rating scale is above. Tornado counts rise through the record as reporting improved, so a year in the 1950s is not comparable with one today except for the strongest tornadoes, which were always noticed.

Sources

NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database, 1950-2025, the official record kept by NOAA's Storm Prediction Center.