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El Nino Will Bring Strong Winter Storms To Central Florida

El Nino's warmer waters dip the jet stream further south (right). Photo: National Weather Service
El Nino's warmer waters dip the jet stream further south (right). Photo: National Weather Service

Forecasters at the National Weather Service are calling for a rough winter storm season, including tornadoes. That’s thanks to a strong El Nino event this year.

Warm waters in the eastern pacific will move the jet stream farther south – bringing additional moisture, instability and wind shear to the atmosphere.

That sets the stage for strong tornados that could touch down in Florida. “These winter time tornadoes can be long lasting, in terms on time on the ground, and can be violent in terms of their wind speeds,” says National Weather Service Coordinator Scott Spratt.

Spratt says the National Weather Service can predict what days might be better for storm formations, but warnings of tornadoes will come with only minutes before a tornado touches down.

“So the one day, two day, three day advance notice we provide is something you need to listen for this winter, and check the forecast at least once a day to see if there’s something coming up,” says Spratt.

Forecasters predict the strongest storms will impact Central Florida this December. Mobile home residents are most vulnerable to tornados.

Brendan Byrne is WMFE's Assistant News Director, managing the day-to-day operations of the WMFE newsroom, editing daily news stories, and managing WMFE's internship program.

Byrne also hosts WMFE's weekly radio show and podcast "Are We There Yet?" which explores human space exploration.