National Weather Service United States Department of Commerce
Broward and Palm Beach County Tornadoes
 
January 27th and 28th 2016
 
Synoptic Setup

A weak area of low pressure developed over the far southeastern Gulf of Mexico during the early morning hours of January 27th, 2016. This lifted a weak warm front through South Florida where it stalled out across Central Florida during the day on the 27th. The boundary remained stalled through the early afternoon hours on January 28th before a stronger upper level system lifted the area of low pressure across the state and brought a cold front through South Florida.


January 27th: Coconut Creek - Pompano Beach Tornado

A line of severe storms moved onto the Gulf coast along this boundary after 5am that morning, prompting the issuance of several special weather statements, severe thunderstorm warnings, and tornado warnings as it crossed the south Central peninsula. A strong cyclic mesocyclone that moved onshore during the early morning hours tracked across the peninsula, where it re-intensified over north Central Broward county and produced an EF-1 tornado that moved across Coconut Creek and Pompano Beach.

12Z Analysis
January 27th 12Z (7 AM EST) Surface Analysis



 

Tornado Warning Issued For Broward County
 
TorGraphic
TorText
 
Approximate Tornado Track from Survey
 
Coconut Creek Damage

Public Information Statement From Damage Survey

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIAMI FL
540 PM EST WED JAN 27 2016

...NWS DAMAGE SURVEY FOR 01/27/16 TORNADO EVENT...

...EF-1 TORNADO CUTS ACROSS PARTS OF COCONUT CREEK AND POMPANO BEACH...

RATING: EF-1
ESTIMATED PEAK WIND: 90-100 MPH
PATH LENGTH /STATUTE/: 2.35 MILES
PATH WIDTH /MAXIMUM/: 35 YARDS
FATALITIES: 0
INJURIES: 2

START DATE: JAN 27 2016
START TIME: 930 AM EST
START LOCATION: 3 SSE COCONUT CREEK / BROWARD / FL
START LAT/LON: 26.2349 / -80.1809

END DATE: JAN 27 2016
END TIME: 936 AM EST
END LOCATION: 2 ESE COCONUT CREEK / BROWARD/ FL
END_LAT/LON: 26.2601 / -80.1568

SURVEY_SUMMARY: NWS STORM SURVEY CONDUCTED WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON
DETERMINED THAT AN EF-1 TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN JUST TO THE NORTHWEST
OF THE INTERSECTION OF THE FLORIDA TURNPIKE AND ATLANTIC AVE AND
LIFTED JUST TO THE EAST OF THE FLORIDA TURNPIKE ALONG COPANS ROAD.

DETAILS OF THE DAMAGE INVESTIGATED DURING THE SURVEY INCLUDE:

THE TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN NEAR THE INTERSECTION OF NW 2ND COURT AND
NW 43RD AVE AND TRAVELED NORTHEAST LEADING TO SEVERAL SNAPPED AND
UPROOTED HARDWOOD TREES AND DAMAGE TO FENCES ACROSS NW
42ND...PALMETTO DRIVE...AND COCONUT CREEK BOULEVARD.

DISCONTINUOUS DAMAGE TO TREES AND POWER LINES WAS REPORTED ACROSS
THE BROWARD COLLEGE-NORTH CAMPUS...BEFORE THE TORNADO
STRENGTHENED AND TOSSED SEVERAL CARS IN THE NORTH PARKING LOT NEAR
THE HEALTH SCIENCES BUILDING.

ON THE NORTH SIDE OF CAMPUS...A COCONUT CREEK COMMUNITY BUS WAS
FLIPPED AS THE TORNADO CROSSED COCONUT CREEK PARKWAY TO THE WEST
OF THE FLORIDA TURNPIKE LEADING TO ONE INJURY. THE TORNADO THEN
INTENSIFIED AS IT MOVED NORTH INTO THE WYNMOOR VILLAGE CONDO
COMPLEX WHERE THE MOST SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE WAS REPORTED. NUMEROUS
LARGE TREES WERE UPROOTED AND SEVERAL LIGHT POLES WERE SNAPPED.
ADDITIONAL DAMAGE WAS DONE TO FENCES ALONG THE PROPERTY. SEVERAL
MID-LEVEL CONDO BUILDINGS SUSTAINED MODERATE ROOF DAMAGE
CONSISTING OF ROOFING MATERIAL AND PORTIONS OF THE CONCRETE BLOCK
BEING PEELED OFF AND THROWN SEVERAL YARDS. THIS MATERIAL DAMAGED
NUMEROUS CARS IN THE PARKING LOT. ADDITIONAL TREE DAMAGE WAS ALSO
REPORTED ON THE NORTHEAST SIDE OF THE COMPLEX...INCLUDING PALM
TREES THAT WERE SNAPPED IN HALF AND DEBARKED.

THE TORNADO THEN CROSSED THE FLORIDA`S TURNPIKE NEAR THE MILE
MARKER 67 ENTRANCE AND EXIT RAMPS. SEVERAL CARS WERE TOSSED AND
DAMAGED ALONG THE TURNPIKE. ONE CAR TRAVELING SOUTHBOUND ON THE
TURNPIKE WAS FLIPPED INTO THE NORTHBOUND LANE RESULTING IN ONE
MINOR INJURY. A TRACTOR TRAILER WAS ALSO FLIPPED ON THE SOUTHBOUND
OFF RAMP.

THE TORNADO THEN WEAKENED AS IT MOVED TO THE EAST SIDE OF THE
TURNPIKE WHERE LARGE LIMBS WHERE BROKEN OFF SEVERAL TREES ALONG
WITH SMALLER TREES UPROOTED AND POWER LINES KNOCKED DOWN ALONG
BLOUNT ROAD. MINOR ROOF DAMAGE OCCURRED TO THE NORTH HOMELESS
ASSISTANCE CENTER IN THIS AREA.

A TRACTOR TRAILER WAS FLIPPED AT THE WHOLE FOODS WAREHOUSE ALONG
NW 19TH STREET AND BLOUT ROAD...BEFORE THE TORNADO THEN TRAVELED
FURTHER NORTHEAST CAUSING MODERATE TREE DAMAGE ALONG NW 25TH AVE.
THE TORNADO LIFTED NEAR COPANS ROAD AND NW 25TH STREET.

EF SCALE: THE ENHANCED FUJITA SCALE CLASSIFIES
TORNADOES INTO THE FOLLOWING CATEGORIES.

EF0...65 TO 85 MPH
EF1...86 TO 110 MPH
EF2...111 TO 135 MPH
EF3...136 TO 165 MPH
EF4...166 TO 200 MPH
EF5...>200 MPH

NOTE:
THE INFORMATION IN THIS STATEMENT IS PRELIMINARY AND SUBJECT TO
CHANGE PENDING FINAL REVIEW OF THE EVENT AND PUBLICATION IN
NWS STORM DATA. NWS MIAMI WOULD LIKE TO THANK LOCAL AND COUNTY
OFFICIALS AND THE GENERAL PUBLIC FOR THEIR HELP IN THIS SURVEY.

$$

NWS MIAMI SURVEY TEAM: SANTOS/KONARIK/DELLINGER/MOSES/MOLLEDA

 

Damage Photos From Pompano Beach and Coconut Creek
 (
Click for Larger Image)
 
damage1 damage2 damage3
damage4 ddamage8 damage9
damage5 damage6 damage 8





January 28th: Delray Beach - Boynton Beach Tornado

Similar to the 27th, a line of strong storms moved onto the Gulf coast just after 5 am and moved across the South Central Florida peninsula. A small area of rotation quickly developed
at the northern end of the line as it approached the Palm Beach county coast. A brief EF-0 tornado touched down in Delray Beach and Boynton Beach.
 
28Jan 12Z Analysis
January 28th 12Z (7 AM EST) Surface Analysis


Radar Loop From Palm Beach Terminal Doppler Radar (TPBI)
 
radarloop
TPBI radar loop showing Storm Relative Velocity (SRM)


Tornado Warning Issued For Palm Beach County
 
TorGraphic
TorText

Approximate Tornado Track
 
Delray Beach Tornado
Delray Beach Tornado 2
Delray Beach Tornado 3
Public Information Statement From Damage Survey
 
PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIAMI FL
348 PM EST THU JAN 28 2016

...EF-0 TORNADO CAUSED DAMAGE ACROSS DELRAY AND BOYNTON BEACH...

NUMEROUS REPORTS RECEIVED FROM LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT
OFFICIALS...SOCIAL MEDIA...AND MEDIA SHOW THAT AN EF-0 TORNADO
MOVED THROUGH PORTIONS OF DELRAY BEACH AND BOYNTON BEACH THIS
MORNING.

THE TORNADO INITIALLY TOUCHED DOWN NEAR THE INTERSECTION OF SW
3RD STREET AND SW 27TH AVENUE IN DELRAY BEACH AROUND 1032 AM.

THE TORNADO THEN TRAVELED NORTHEAST...CAUSING MINOR ROOF DAMAGE
TO A CHURCH AT THE CORNER OF HOMEWOOD AVENUE AND ATLANTIC AVENUE.
SNAPPED TREES AND BROKEN LARGE BRANCHES WERE REPORTED ACROSS THE
DELRAY SHORES AREA NEAR NORTH CONGRESS AVENUE AND JUST WEST OF
I-95. ADDITIONAL DOWNED LARGE TREES WERE REPORTED AT THE DELRAY
PARK OF COMMERCE COMPLEX BETWEEN NORTH CONGRESS AVENUE AND NW 17TH
AVENUE. IT THEN CROSSED I-95 NEAR LAKE IDA AND LAKE IDA PARK.
ADDITIONAL TREE AND FENCE DAMAGE WAS REPORTED IN THE LAKE IDA
NEIGHBORHOOD ALONG THE EAST SIDE OF THE LAKE.

THE TORNADO THEN LIFTED...AND TOUCHED DOWN AGAIN JUST WEST OF OR
ALONG US-1 TO THE NORTH OF EAST WOOLBRIGHT ROAD IN BOYNTON BEACH
WHERE ADDITIONAL TREE DAMAGE WAS REPORTED NEAR SEVERAL BUSINESSES
ALONG US-1. ADDITIONAL DAMAGE WAS REPORTED IN THE STERLING VILLAGE
CONDOMINIUMS BEFORE THE TORNADO CROSSED THE INTRACOASTAL WATERWAY.
THE TORNADO MOVED OFFSHORE AROUND 1043 AM NEAR BOYNTON INLET.

EF SCALE: THE ENHANCED FUJITA SCALE CLASSIFIES
TORNADOES INTO THE FOLLOWING CATEGORIES.

EF0...65 TO 85 MPH
EF1...86 TO 110 MPH
EF2...111 TO 135 MPH
EF3...136 TO 165 MPH
EF4...166 TO 200 MPH
EF5...>200 MPH

NOTE:
THE INFORMATION IN THIS STATEMENT IS PRELIMINARY AND SUBJECT TO
CHANGE PENDING FINAL REVIEW OF THE EVENT AND PUBLICATION IN
NWS STORM DATA. NWS MIAMI WOULD LIKE TO THANK LOCAL AND COUNTY
OFFICIALS...THE MEDIA...AND THE GENERAL PUBLIC FOR THEIR HELP
GATHERING INFORMATION ON THIS EVENT.
Damage Photos from Delray Beach and Boynton Beach
(Click for Larger Image)

 
delray1 delray2
delray3 delray4