Hurricane Ivan Anniversary

PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) - On this date in 2004 NWFL was on the eastern side of landfalling Hurricane Ivan which made landfall after 1am on the 16th. Ivan would produce more tornadoes (120) than any other tropical cyclone (117 that was previously held by Hurricane Beulah). There were 12 confirmed tornadoes that hit NWFL. 6 people were killed. 1 on Panama City Beach seen on the (Tornado On The Ground Video), 4 in Calhoun County near Blountstown, and 1 in eastern Bay County near Allanton. Millions of dollars in damage was done before the event ended in NWFL.

From Wikipedia...

Bay County - 1 death – A strong F1 tornado touched down near the St. Andrews recreation area, where it damaged dozens of commercial structures. Traveling northward, the storm then moved through Grand Lagoon. There, one person was killed when a real estate office was destroyed and seven others were injured in a restaurant. The tornado came within 100 yards (91 m) of the WJHG-TV station before dissipating. Overall, damage from this event was estimated at $5 million.

Bay County - 1 death – Shortly after the previous tornado touched down, another formed near Allanton. This storm lofted a wood-frame home, with seven people inside, about 60 feet (18 m) into a field; one person was killed and another was injured. Several other homes were damaged before the tornado dissipated.[29

Calhoun County - 4 deaths – A strong F2 tornado touched down near Blountstown and tracked northwestward. After crossing Highway 69, it damaged dozens of homes and uprooted trees. Shortly thereafter, it moved through the Macedonia Community where three trailers were destroyed and 30 homes damaged. Within the community, four people were killed and five others were injured after their mobile homes were thrown into other structures. The tornado subsequently dissipated near Altha. Overall losses from the event reached $2.5 million.

You can read the complete report on Ivan from the National Weather Service - Mobile here...

Hurricane Ivan NWS Mobile Report

On Wikipedia you can read about the prolific tornado outbreak here...

Hurricane Ivan Tornado Outbreak

The National Hurricane Center report can be read here...

NHC Ivan Report

Copyright 2023 WJHG. All rights reserved.