El Niño could mean higher chance of tornadoes in Volusia, Flagler
A tornado outbreak is not something Central Florida residents see very often, which is why most remember the ones that tore through the area in the winter of 1998. Osceola, Orange, Seminole and Volusia counties saw F2 and F3 tornadoes that lead to a few dozen fatalities across the area in February of that year. One of those fatalities was recorded in Volusia County near DeLand. Part of the reason for that event was an unusually strong El Niño, putting Florida on the path of severe weather patterns that typically dodge the Sunshine State. With another strong El Niño forecast for this winter, is there a chance that Central Florida, including Volusia and Flagler counties, will see a similar event? 1998 tornadoes: Though uncommon, some Florida tornadoes have proven deadly. Here are a few. Here’s what meteorologists are saying. What is a strong El Niño and how does it change Florida’s winter weather? Florida’s dry season, which runs between November and April, results when the subtropical jet stream typically moves above the Sunshine State as it moves from west to east. “The jet stream is a fast-moving channel of air further aloft in the atmosphere, and that jet stream increases
