Start date April 15, 1958 | ||
The April 1958 Florida tornado outbreak was a severe weather event that primarily affected the Florida peninsula on April 15, 1958. A total of five tornadoes touched down in the state of Georgia between 12–5 p.m. EST. 80 percent of the tornadoes were recorded in Florida, while 75 percent of the Florida events attained F3 intensity or greater. The strongest tornado produced F4 damage on the Fujita scale in Polk County, Florida, becoming one of only two F4 tornadoes recorded in the U.S. state of Florida. The second F4 tornado occurred on April 4, 1966, in Polk County near Gibsonia and Galloway. In total, 65–72 people were injured during the 1958 outbreak, but no deaths were directly related to the tornadoes. In addition to confirmed tornadoes, an unconfirmed tornado was also reported near Wimauma, Florida.
Non-tornadic effects
One B-47 bomber departing from MacDill Air Force Base was destroyed when it encountered the parent thunderstorm. The plane unsuccessfully attempted to fly at lower altitudes and avoid it. The four crew members aboard were not found.