Max rating Casualties None | Damage Unknown | |
Formed May 5, 1961 at 5:15 p.m. EST (UTC−22:15) Areas affected Northern portions of St. Petersburg, Pinellas County, Florida, USA | ||
The 1961 St. Petersburg, Florida tornado was an F2 tornado that impacted the city of St. Petersburg, Florida, on May 5, 1961. The tornado, which only touched down briefly, struck the Northeast High School and the nearby Meadowlawn neighborhood in the extreme north part of St. Petersburg. The parent thunderstorm that spawned the tornado was also attended by hail up to .75 inches (1.9 cm) in diameter. The tornado traveled 0.5 miles (0.80 km) through the north side of St. Petersburg and produced a path 50 yards (46 m) wide.
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Meteorological synopsis
On Friday, May 5, 1961, weather forecasters and surface weather maps indicated that a warm front was to lift northward over the Florida peninsula. As the front moved north, a warm, moist air mass expanded over the southern two-thirds of the state. Forecasters predicted that afternoon high temperatures over Central Florida would reach well into the 80s° F. By early afternoon, temperatures exceeded expectations, reaching a high of 93 °F in the St. Petersburg area, creating atmospheric instability conducive to thunderstorm development. At 5:00 p.m. local time, severe storms developed over the Tampa Bay Area, producing widespread hail throughout the city of St. Petersburg. Hail was reported everywhere except in the Greater Pinellas Point and Jungle Terrace sections.
Impact and aftermath
Shortly after 5:00 p.m., a tornado touched down at 1155 53rd Avenue North in north St. Petersburg. There, the tornado unroofed a home, bending a TV antenna and dropping it on an automobile. Next, the tornado moved northwest to 5445 16th Street North, where it unroofed a second home. After striking the two homes, the tornado hit the campus of Northeast High School. According to then school principal John Sexton, the tornado unroofed a triangular portion of the tar paper roof that covered the north wing of the school, exposing three rooms to rain. Up to 2 inches (51 mm) of water covered the floor inside, and school supplies which had been prepared over seven years were ruined. However, because school had ended for the day, no students were inside, and no injuries were reported. Nearby observers reported garbage cans and beach balls flying through the air.
The tornado apparently dissipated after hitting the school, as no further damage was noted, though power in the nearby Meadowlawn neighborhood was out at 5:30 p.m. In addition to the tornado, severe thunderstorm winds unroofed a home at 245 78th Avenue North, near Fossil Park.