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This page documents every confirmed tornado documented in the U.S. state of Florida in 1972. Tornado statistics for older years like this often appear significantly lower than modern years due to fewer reports or confirmed tornadoes.

Events

Florida yearly total

Confirmed tornadoes by Fujita rating

FU	F0	F1	F2	F3	F4	F5	Total
0	18	27	30	2	0	0	77

March

March 28

FU	F0	F1	F2	F3	F4	F5
0	2	4	2	0	0	0

On March 28, the first of a series of pre-frontal squall lines preceded a cold front that passed through Florida on March 31. The squall lines lasted for two days and produced up to 20 tornadoes from March 28–31, including six F2 tornadoes. The first, F0 tornado on March 28 developed 20 miles (32 km) west-northwest of Panama City at 8:05 a.m. CDT. The thunderstorm that produced the tornado probably generated the next, F1 tornado near Altha at 8:45 a.m. CDT, damaging 12 homes plus a high school. Fifteen minutes later, a second F1 tornado damaged a fishing camp in Milton with one injury.

Within the hour severe weather moved east along the Interstate 10 corridor. At 10:30 a.m. EDT, the first of two F2 tornadoes to hit the Tallahassee area destroyed seven trailers with $40,000 in damages on the west side of the Florida capital. Just fifteen minutes later, the second F2 tornado struck 10 miles (16 km) west of Tallahassee, badly damaging a workshop and felling large trees alongside Florida State Road 20.

March 31

FU	F0	F1	F2	F3	F4	F5
0	2	4	4	0	0	0

The first tornado, an F0 tornado near Brooksville, downed some trees and power lines at 4:15 a.m. EDT. At 5:00 a.m. EDT, two F1 tornadoes occurred in the Orlando: one in Apopka that produced $50,000 in damage to a greenhouse, and another in Longwood that damaged six homes. A third, F0 tornado that damaged a trailer near Winter Springs at 5:15 a.m. EDT may have been related to the same thunderstorm which produced the Apopka tornado. By 6:00 a.m. EDT, 0.5-to-.75-inch (1.3 to 1.9 cm) hail occurred just 10 miles (16 km) west of downtown Orlando.

As the tornadoes and hail affected the Orlando area, more thunderstorms began hitting the Tampa Bay Area which first spawned a waterspout 33 miles (53 km) northwest of Tampa. Severe thunderstorm winds in Pinellas County blew off roof tiles and produced 50-mile-per-hour (80 km/h) wind gusts while damaging 95 homes with two injuries and $1 million in damages. Next, an F2 tornado touched down near MacDill Air Force Base in Hillsborough County at 6:14 a.m. EDT, destroying or damaging 20 mobile homes with $80,000 in losses. About an hour later, a second F2 tornado developed and struck the Brandon area with severe damage to four to six trailers and $20,000 in losses.

The severe weather spread to the east coast as a third F2 tornado hit Allenhurst in Brevard County at 6:30 a.m. EDT, causing $105,000 in losses to a poultry farm, orange groves, and a fishing camp. Six minutes later, a fourth and final F2 tornado struck the Kennedy Space Center, destroying three structures adjourning one of the rocket complexes. Peak wind gusts reached 58 miles per hour (93 km/h) nearby. The final tornado of the outbreak attained F1 intensity as it affected Loxahatchee in Palm Beach County at 3:00 p.m. EDT, overturning a trailer and slightly damaging trees.

In Central Florida, extremely large hail developed as the morning progressed, with public reports showing up to 1.75-inch (4.4 cm) hail near Lake Istokpoga in Highlands County at 11:42 a.m. EDT. Severe winds also injured two people near New Smyrna Beach and Pahokee. Isolated funnel clouds were also reported to have been observed.

See Also

• Tornadoes of 1972