Approximate surveyed damage path of the EF1 tornado just north of Crawfordville, Florida.
The National Weather Service in Tallahassee, Florida has conducted an on site survey of the damage that occured in northern Wakulla County on July 29, 2012. Based on this survey it has been determined that a tornado caused the damage. The estimated maximum intensity of the damage was rated EF1 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale (click here for more details on the EF-Scale) with peak winds estimated around 100 mph. The tornado likely began around 6:40 PM EDT on July 29, 2012 and ended about four minutes later at 6:44 PM EDT. The damage path length was about 2.1 miles with a maximum path width around 100 yards.
Here are a couple damage pictures.
It is safe to say that tornadoes are not very common in the Gulf Coast states at the height of summer in the month of July. Tornadoes in the summer months tend to result from waterspouts moving onshore, which are usually very weak, or from landfalling tropical cyclones. To find out more about how unusual this July tornado in Wakulla County is, read our 3-page PDF document linked below.
July Tornadoes in WFO Tallahassee Forecast Area (not originating from waterspouts or tropical cyclones)
In summary, we looked back at the tornado statistics for the Florida Panhandle - areas west of the Suwannee River in Florida - in the month of July. We feel confident in saying that this is the first July tornado in the Florida Panhandle not associated with a tropical cyclone or waterspout since the F0 tornado in Madison County, Florida on July 3, 1990. That is a span of approximately 22 years.