Meteorological history of Hurricane Andrew
In 2002, the "Atlantic Basin Hurricane Database Reanalysis Project" examined Hurricane Andrew and this corridor of extreme winds embedded within Andrew's northern eyewall. The project concluded that Category 5 conditions on land occurred only in a small region of southern Dade (now Miami-Dade) County, specifically close to the coast in Cutler Ridge. The remaining areas affected by Andrew's initial landfall in Florida likely experienced sustained Category 4 and 3 hurricane conditions. Andrew was officially re-classified as a Category 5 storm in 2004, and the reanalysis provided a more comprehensive and detailed examination of Andrew's wind field structure upon landfall than originally assessed in 1992.
Hurricane Agnes tornado outbreak
On June 18, a tornado touched down around 4:13 p.m. (EDT) near Fort Denaud, which is located near LaBelle in Hendry County. The tornado, killing one person, destroyed a truck and a trailer. The funnel also prostrated citrus trees and caused six injuries near LaBelle. Ten mobile homes were destroyed in two mobile home parks. In all, the tornado affected three mobile home parks and inflicted $200,000 (1972 USD) in property damage. Another tornado, occurring around 10:55 p.m. (EDT), destroyed 50 mobile homes and one fish camp near Okeechobee. This event killed six people and caused damage along a path that reached a width of 100 yards (0.05 mi). These tornadoes were operationally classified as "windstorms" in the official National Weather Service database, which indicated severe thunderstorm winds were responsible for the seven deaths. However, newspaper reports did cite the Okeechobee event as a tornado. Subsequently, an independent case study of the Hurricane Agnes outbreak in 1998 unveiled evidence that the events were two strong (F2–F3) tornadoes. However, the official database still lists the original number of tornadoes.
There were two unconfirmed tornadoes in Collier County. A brief tornado reportedly damaged a roof and two planes in the town of Immokalee. Power lines were downed in the area. Another possible tornado affected Everglades City, where trees were prostrated and portions of a home were transported for 0.25 mile (0.4 km). Lee County was affected by three F2 tornadoes, while an F1 tornado touched down in Seminole County. In all, the tornadoes in Lee, Seminole, and Brevard counties produced damages in excess of $100,000 (1972 USD).
Agnes produced a total of 8–11 strong (F2–F3) tornadoes in Florida. The accuracy of the ratings for many strong tornadoes in the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s has been questioned by some authorities. Thomas P. Grazulis states that his criteria yielded fewer strong tornadoes than the official records. The author cites only four strong tornadoes for the Hurricane Agnes tornado outbreak. Only one F3 tornado is listed, while three F2 tornadoes are included in the analysis. The official database lists six F2 events and two F3 events.