Mid February 1988 Florida Tornado Outbreak

The 1988 Superstorm was one of the worst 'superstorms' to ever hit, and is the #1 worst storm outbreak in any winter month. The storm was actually an entire line of at least 23 extropical cyclones, all of which produced at least 3 twisters each, and Storm U [or Storm 21, the one on 13 February] was among the worst of those extropical cyclones.

Areas Affected
All coastal states within the eastern/middle part [except for Texas, ironically enough] were affected by the extropical cyclones. The tornados lasted from 31 January to 16 February--a full 17 days straight! The storm, however, still took its toll on northern states after the tornados were officially done. It brough several torrential blizzards in areas like Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Ohio, Rhode Island, West Virginia, Virginia, Kentucky, New Hampshire, and especially Massachussetts. Other than twisters, this storm also brought torrential rain in areas like Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Kansas. The storm system then split into multiple storms after 15 February, but then, it still kept producing twisters. Multiple strong tornados were reported, especially the most damaging tornado in Florida in terms of damage as of 1988, and also the deadliest in the entire outbreak for that one too. That twister was known as the Myakka City 1988 Supertornado. Now, that tornado was seriously considered to be rated an F4 because of F4 damage to multiple strong structures, but further analysis revealed that most of the F4 and possible F5 damage was because of multiple debris pieces hitting it from a few hundred feet outside of that tornado, thus weakening the structure as a whole. But stronger tornados did happen on multiple other days, like the photogenic small but rather violent 300-metre rope F5 in Ocala on 4 February.

Cullman, Alabama Tornado
This rope F3 tornado tracked into Cullman, Alabama, and was one of the very first tornados of the outbreak that wasn't any lower than F2 rating. It was also the first tornado in the outbreak. The tornado formed 5 miles west of Cullman at 10:35 AM, and gained intensity as it plowed through ground at 20 miles an hour. Most of the farmland was entirely stripped of its crops it had originally grown, as at least 20 barns were completely shredded. It was also one of only 3 tornados F3 or above to achieve an anticyclonic title. It finally hit Cullman at 10:52 AM, slammed into multiple subdivisions, and left multiple vehicles totaled, several homes leveled. The tornado took a direct hit on the downtown area, and left a total of 16 businesses affected, and 62 other buildings completely leveled or collapsed. At least 30 industrial buildings were either entirely shredded apart, collapsed, or completely swept away altogether. It destroyed a Tractor Supply Inc along with $9 million of farm equipment, as all the merchandise in the store was disturbed and some of it got completely destroyed. The tornado died just 1 minute after hitting the store.

The result of the twister was at least 313 buildings damaged, 130 destroyed, as this was also the only tornado to claim more than one fatality in Alabama. It claimed three fatalities, all in a mobile home when it got completely swept away, as 74 people were injured in this tornado's 9-mile path, as $16 million in damages were reported, more than half of it on farm equipment.

Atlanta-Macon, Georgia Tornado
This was the longest-lasting tornado in any winter month and held that record for 27 years. The storm's speed significantly increased to 45 miles an hour, as the tornado formed as a small F0 rope in downtown Atlanta. It took a few minutes, but the twister reached F1 strength near the suburbs, as many homes were horribly damaged on the roof, as more than 500 vehicles were totaled. It reached F2 strength in Sandy Springs, Georgia, destroying 232 homes, leaving at least 1,300 damaged, and was still a 200-metre rope. The twister left Atlanta at 2:40 PM, but left 4 people dead so far, all in Sandy Springs, and left more than 300 people injured because of how populated the area is. The tornado remained over open fields for the next 120 minutes, remaining very consistent with F1 and F2 strength wind. It crossed a junction from I-75 and then slammed into I-475, throwing at least 100 vehicles and totaled 34. No fatalities occurred there, but at least 40 people were injured. The twister finally hit Macon at 4:50 PM, leaving many buildings with no roofing left at all. It tracked to Southfork Road Subdivision and left only 2 homes intact. 29 homes recieved F2 damage, as 40 recieved F0 to F1 damage. One 92-year-old man got killed in Macon when his house entirely collapsed on him. It finally died when it hit a forest. It left a swath 116.6 miles long, up to 250 metres wide, and lasted much longer than anyone predicted. Five people were killed, more than 400 others injured, along with nearly $120 million in damages along the entire path, $110 million in Atlanta alone.