FLORIDA, USA — Before Hurricane Milton even made landfall, it spawned an outbreak that caused widespread damage throughout Florida.
Numerous tornadoes across the state were caught on camera, including a massive twister that crossed Alligator Alley on Interstate 75. Despite the high-profile nature of the storm, meteorologists won't have an exact tornado touchdown total until after the storm has passed.
The National Weather Service is the only agency that can confirm whether a tornado touchdown took place, let alone multiple. Radars and electronics can only tell NWS meteorologists so much. To figure out whether a tornado actually happened, the service has to head out into the field.
The agency's usual protocol for tornado confirmation is to deploy survey crews to the scene of damage less than 24 hours after storms hit. That becomes a lot more complicated if the site is in the path of a hurricane, has extensive damage, and isn't accessible for days after the storm.
"If the same area that was impacted by the tornado also experiences hurricane-force winds that produce damage, NWS Meteorologists can distinguish tornadic damage from hurricane damage by sending out survey teams and/or reviewing different types of aerial imagery," the NWS told 10 Tampa Bay.
Tornado damage can often be confused with damage from a microburst, so meteorologists look at the type of damage rather than how much damage occurred. Damage from a tornado often looks chaotic and leaves large trees uprooted and often crossing each other on the ground, the service said. Smaller snapped branches or trees aren't usually helpful, since those don't convey the true severity of winds.
"They will look for patterns in the damage; mainly, if the damage and debris is more uniform and blown in the same direction, it was likely due to the hurricane-force winds. If the damage is concentrated and convergent along a line and associated with a tornadic signature on radar, then the damage was likely due to a tornado. Of course, this analysis can become difficult if damage is catastrophic, and survey efforts can be hindered by widespread damage and flooding."
