Event narrative (NOAA)
An F2 tornado touched down at 0550 EST about one mile north of Pedro in Marion County and moved east about 12 miles before lifting about three-quarters miles north of Weirsdale. A man received fatal head injuries while sitting in his car outside a mobile home when the car was rolled four times. Another 20 persons, mostly those in mobile homes, were injured. The tornado destroyed or heavily damaged 66 mobile homes with less extensive damage to another 85 dwellings, mostly mobile homes. The hardest hit communities were Lake Weir Harbor Estates and Bird Island. (M53A)
Other notable tornado events in Florida
Source: NOAA/NCEI Storm Events Database. Deaths and injuries are those NOAA classifies as direct. Damage is the reporting office's estimate at the time and is not inflation-adjusted. This is a catalogue record, not a forecast.