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Weather service releases new details of Tuesday's tornadoes

Photo courtesy of MIKE RYAN

Damage from a tornado that struck the Oak Ridge section off of Ridge Top Drive.

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By NEIL JOHNSON | The Tampa Tribune

Published: April 15, 2009

TAMPA - A pair of twisters hit Pasco County during Tuesday's onslaught of storms, one cutting a path more than two miles long, the other much shorter.

Each spent only minutes on the ground but the tornadoes damaged nearly 60 homes as well as shredding trees, smashing fences and knocking down power lines

A report from the National Weather Service says one tornado hit the sprawling Trinity area in southwest Pasco with winds of about 95 mph which would make it an EF-1 on the scale of 0 to 5.

That tornado actually touched down first in Pinellas County, traveling a tenth of a mile before reaching Pasco. At the time it touched down in Pinellas, the weather service estimated its winds were 80 mph.

It cut a path 50 yards wide, knocking down a barn, making a greenhouse vanish and damaging fencing and trees.

Another tornado struck the Wesley Chapel community with winds of about 80 mph, or an EF-0 on the scale.

The Trinity tornado reached Pasco County at 8:29 a.m. and spent four minutes on the ground, traveling 2.2 miles. Its path was about 75 yards wide and it damaged about 50 houses.

The second tornado touched down at 9 a.m. in Wesley Chapel and spent two minutes on the ground, covering a quarter mile. That twister's path was about 25 yards wide and damaged six houses.

Maps from the National Weather Service. Reporter Neil Johnson can be reached at (813) 259-7731.

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