Tornadoes · United States · Florida · 2013

EF0 tornado, Wimauma to Sun City Center, Florida, June 6, 2013

From Wimauma to Sun City Center, this EF0 tornado ran 9.8 miles across Hillsborough County on June 6, 2013, touching down at 3:27 AM EDT and reaching 50 yards wide. It killed nobody, and did $36,000 of property damage.

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
June 6, 2013
Touchdown
3:27 AM EDT (07:27 UTC)
Lifted
3:50 AM EDT (07:50 UTC)
On the ground
23 minutes
Path length
9.8 miles (15.8 km)
Path width
50 yards (46 m)
Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$36,000
County
Hillsborough County
Touchdown point
27.598, -82.296
Lift-off point
27.737, -82.358
Record number
1306060127-01

What the Weather Service recorded

Tropical Storm Andrea developed in the Gulf of Mexico on the morning of the 5th and moved northeast, making landfall 10 miles south of Steinhatchee, FL early on the evening of the 6th. At it's peak, Tropical Storm Andrea had a minimum surface pressure of 992 MB. ||Tropical storm force winds were estimated by the National Hurricane Center Hurricane Research Division to extend along the coast as far south as Pinellas County, including extending several miles inland in Levy County. Additionally, several weather stations in Hillsborough County along the Tampa Bay measured frequent gusts and even sustained winds of 34 knots or greater. Sites farther south measuring only occasional wind gusts inside of thunderstorms. The highest sustained wind recorded was 41 knots at the ARPSWXNET mesonet site CW6730 on Davis Island in Hillsborough Bay. The highest wind gust recorded was 49 knots also at CW6730.||Rainfall totals across the area were as high as 6 inches for the 5th-7th, with the highest values over Nature Coast through Tampa Bay region. The highest single station storm total rainfall was at the CoCoRaHS site FL-LV-9 located 8.5 miles east northeast of Chiefland in Levy County, measuring the 6.17 inches. Minor street flooding was reported in Levy, Citrus, Sumter, Hernando, Pasco, Pinellas, Hillsborough, Manatee, Sarasota, De Soto, and Charlotte Counties. ||Storm surge was relatively minor, with sites from Tampa Bay to Cedar Key recording storm tides of up to 6 feet MLLW, and storm surge of 2-4 feet. South of Tampa Bay, storm surge and storm tide were both less than 3 feet. The highest storm tide recorded was 6.26 feet MLLW at the tide gauge at Cedar Key, with a storm surge of 4.08 feet MLLW calculated by subtracting the predicted tide from the storm tide.||In Levy County, tropical storm force winds were felt along and just inland of the coast during the afternoon of the 6th. The highest gust recorded was 44 knots at both the CKYF1 and CDRF1 weather stations in Cedar Key, with both sites also recording periods of sustained winds of 35 knots. Storm total precipitation ranged from 2 inches to just over 6 inches across the county, with the CoCoRaHS site FL-LV-9 located 8.5 miles east northeast of Chiefland measuring the highest total of 6.17 inches. Peak storm tide at the Cedar Key tide gauge reached 6.26 feet MLLW on the afternoon of the 6th. Subtracting the predicted astronomical tide, the calculated highest storm surge was 4.08 feet MLLW late in the afternoon of the 6th.||In Citrus County, tropical storm force winds were felt along the coast during the afternoon of the 6th. Storm total precipitation ranged from 2 inches to almost 6 inches across the county, with the CoCoRaHS site FL-CT-7 located 5.3 miles north-northeast of Crystal River measuring the highest total of 5.87 inches. Peak storm tide was estimated to be around 5 feet MLLW on the afternoon of the 6th. Subtracting the predicted astronomical tide, the highest storm surge was estimated to be around 3 to 4 feet MLLW late in the afternoon of the 6th.||In Hernando County, tropical storm force winds were felt along the coast during the afternoon of the 6th. Storm total precipitation ranged from around 2.5 inches to around 4.5 inches across the county, with the CoCoRaHS site FL-HN-8 located 3 miles north of Weeki Wachee measuring the highest total of 4.69 inches. Peak storm tide was estimated to be around 4 to 5 feet MLLW on the afternoon of the 6th. Subtracting the predicted astronomical tide, the highest storm surge was estimated to be around 3 to 4 feet MLLW late in the afternoon of the 6th.||In Pasco County, tropical storm force winds were felt along the coast during the afternoon of the 6th. Storm total precipitation across the county ranged from 2 inches to just over 6 inches, with the CoCoRaHS site FL-PS-43 located 1.5 miles south-southeast of Land O' Lakes measuring the highest total of 6.07 inches. Peak storm tide was estimated to be around 4 feet MLLW on the afternoon of the 6th. Subtracting the predicted astronomical tide, the highest storm surge was estimated to be around 3 feet MLLW late in the afternoon of the 6th.||In Pinellas County, tropical storm force winds were felt along the coast during the afternoon of the 6th. The highest gust recorded was 43 knots at both the NOW-NWLON station CWBF1 in Clearwater and the APRSWXNET site CW4299 on Treasure Island. Additionally, the CWBF1 weather station in Clearwater Beach measured sustained winds of 35 knots. Storm total precipitation ranged from 2.5 inches to over 5 inches across the county, with the CoCoRaHS site FL-PN-17 located 0.6 miles east of South Pasadena measuring the highest total of 5.37 inches. Peak storm tide at the Clearwater tide gauge on the Gulf Coast measured 4.49 feet MLLW on the afternoon of the 6th. At the Saint Petersburg tide gauge in Tampa Bay, the storm tide was 4.28 feet. Subtracting the predicted astronomical tide, the calculated highest storm surges for Clearwater and Saint Petersburg, respectively, were 2.92 and 2.47 feet MLLW late in the afternoon of the 6th.||In Hillsborough County, tropical storm force winds were felt along the coast during the afternoon of the 6th. The highest gust recorded was 49 knots at the ARPSWXNET mesonet site CW6730 on Davis Island in Hillsborough Bay. Additionally, the same site measured sustained winds of 41 knots. Storm total precipitation across the county ranged from 2 inches to over 5 inches, with the CoCoRaHS site FL-HB-37 located 2 miles east of Lutz measuring the highest total of 5.21 inches. Peak storm tide at the Old Port Tampa tide gauge measured 4.82 feet MLLW on the afternoon of the 6th. At the McKay Bay Entrance tide gauge, the storm tide was 5.05 feet. Subtracting the predicted astronomical tide, the calculated highest storm surges for Old Port Tampa and Mckay Bay Entrance, respectively, were 2.80 and 2.97 feet MLLW late in the afternoon of the 6th.

A National Weather Service survey found a narrow path of damage cut through the heart of Sun City Center several blocks west of State Highway 301. The damage path was south to north and included downed trees, damage to lanais and facia, and minor shingle damage. The worst damage was near Cherry Hill Drive and North Pebble Beach Blvd, where shingles were stripped off homes. Hillsborough County Department of Emergency Management estimated the damage at $36,000.

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

The warnings

14 minutes of warning. NWS TBW issued a tornado warning for this county at 07:13 UTC, 14 minutes before the tornado touched down, in force until 07:45 UTC.

Issued (UTC)ExpiredProductOffice
18:00 UTC00:24 UTCHigh Surf AdvisoryTBW
22:00 UTC03:00 UTCTropical Storm WarningNHC
22:40 UTC03:10 UTCTropical Storm WarningTBW
00:00 UTC00:24 UTCCoastal Flood AdvisoryTBW
06:49 UTC07:15 UTCTornado WarningTBW
07:13 UTC07:45 UTCTornado WarningTBW
07:42 UTC14:44 UTCTornado WatchTBW
14:44 UTC23:05 UTCTornado WatchTBW
15:34 UTC16:00 UTCTornado WarningTBW
15:38 UTC16:15 UTCTornado WarningTBW
16:40 UTC17:15 UTCTornado WarningTBW
16:42 UTC17:30 UTCTornado WarningTBW
17:06 UTC21:00 UTCFlood AdvisoryTBW

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 06:28 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.

Tampa Bay, FL (KTBW), 00:00Z

7.5 hours before the tornado, 8 km from the path. June 6, 2013.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Tampa Bay, FL at 00:00Z on 2013-06-06Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel lifted from the surface. Mixed-layer CAPE 277 joules per kilogram, CIN -30, lifted condensation level 918 meters above ground. Wind barbs in knots down the right edge.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°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, Tampa Bay, FL at 00:00Z on 2013-06-06The 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 88 square meters per square second, 0 to 6 km bulk shear 7 knots.193958Sfc1 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
277 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-30 J/kg
Surface CAPE
721 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
918 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
7 kt
0-1 km bulk shear
26 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
88 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
262 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0
0-3 km lapse rate
6.3 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

Tampa Bay, FL (KTBW), 12:00Z

4.5 hours after it, 8 km from the path. June 6, 2013.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Tampa Bay, FL at 12:00Z on 2013-06-06Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel lifted from the surface. Mixed-layer CAPE 398 joules per kilogram, CIN -31, lifted condensation level 558 meters above ground. Wind barbs in knots down the right edge.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°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, Tampa Bay, FL at 12:00Z on 2013-06-06The 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 301 square meters per square second, 0 to 6 km bulk shear 24 knots.193958Sfc1 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
398 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-31 J/kg
Surface CAPE
514 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
558 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
24 kt
0-1 km bulk shear
39 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
301 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
512 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
5.0
0-3 km lapse rate
5.1 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The radar

The Tampa radar (KTBW), 8 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 07:27 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
06:53 UTCTORNADOMyakka CityManatee, FLBUILDING IN ROADWAY...POSSIBLY A SHED. POWERLINES DOWN NEAR SINGLETARY RD AND STATE RD 70.
06:59 UTCTORNADOMyakka CityManatee, FLDAMAGE TO A HOUSE. POOL CAGE TORN DOWN
07:48 UTCTORNADO1 Nnw Sun City CenterHillsborough, FLPORCH BLOWN DOWN AND LANDED ON NEIHGBORS HOUSE AND ADJACENT ROAD.
07:50 UTCTSTM WND DMGSun City CenterHillsborough, FLSMALL TREE LIMBS DOWN AND LAWN FURNITURE BLOWN AROUND. TIME ESTIMATED BY RADAR.
07:50 UTCTORNADOS Sun City CenterHillsborough, FLPOWER LINES DOWN ALONG SUN CITY BLVD. TIME ESTIMATED BY RADAR.

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

This ground now

The live radar over the trackEvery 2013 tornado in FloridaEvery tornado in Florida since 1950Warnings in force in Florida nowThe forecast where you are

The other tornadoes of June 6, 2013

9 more were confirmed in the United States that day.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
June 62:47 AM EDTEF0Manatee, FL1.550$50,000
June 63:18 AM EDTEF0Palm Beach, FL0.625
June 66:45 AM EDTEF1Palm Beach, FL2.01001
June 67:57 AM EDTEF0Broward, FL20.725
June 610:03 AM EDTEF0Pinellas, FL1.950$20,000
June 611:13 AM EDTEF0Sarasota, FL1.650$10,000
June 62:05 PM EDTEF0Lee, FL0.330
June 64:48 PM EDTEF1Duval, FL18.9704
June 61:22 AM EDTEF0Brunswick, NC0.120$10,000

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.