Tornadoes in Florida

Source: Charlotte County, Florida tornado | Sunburnt | Wunderground

Most of the tornadoes reported in Florida occur in the afternoon and early evening hours during the summer months. Summertime tornadoes tend to be weaker in strength but can still produce damage. In the late winter and spring, strong cold fronts move through the state and provide the necessary conditions for stronger and more devastating tornadoes to form. Tornadoes can happen at any time of the day, including overnight when people are asleep, which is when most of the tornado-related deaths happen in Florida. Waterspouts are tornadoes over water and many are generally both small and weak, although there have been some large and powerful exceptions. Since 1950, there have been over 3,000 tornadoes reported in in the Sunshine State and only three states have reported more tornadoes than Florida: Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas.