Milton spawned Florida’s strongest tornado from a tropical system in more than a half-century
The EF3 tornado that hit Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, on Wednesday was the most powerful tornado from a tropical system in the state in over 50 years, according to CNN’s analysis of NOAA data.
The last comparable tornadoes were two F3 tornadoes spawned by Hurricane Agnes on June 19, 1972, with maximum winds between 158 and 206 mph, which align with today’s EF3 or stronger rating. In 2007, the F (Fujita) scale was replaced by the EF (Enhanced Fujita) scale for rating tornadoes.
Upcoming damage surveys by the National Weather Service may reveal additional strong tornadoes, although most tornadoes from tropical systems tend to be short-lived and weaker.
Data from the Storm Prediction Center shows that more than 93% of the over 1,700 tornadoes produced by tropical systems between 1995 and 2023 were rated as EF0 or EF1. Only five EF3 or equivalent tornadoes from tropical systems were recorded in the U.S. during that period.
However, hurricanes Beryl, Debby, Helene, and Milton have each produced at least one EF3 tornado in the U.S. this year. According to the Storm Prediction Center, an EF4 or EF5 tornado from a tropical system has not occurred in the U.S. in decades.
Two of the strongest tropical tornadoes on record took place in the 1960s. Hurricane Carla produced an F4 tornado in Texas in 1961, and Hurricane Hilda generated an F4 tornado in Louisiana in 1964—both equivalent to an EF5 today.
