Highlands County tornado history

49 tornadoes touched Highlands County, Florida between 1950 and 2025 — about 0.6 a year. The strongest was rated F2 (Feb 2, 1983). Tornadoes here killed 2 and injured 19 people.

49tornadoes since 1950

F2strongest rating

2killed · 19 injured

17 milongest path · 2000

(E)F0(E)F1(E)F2(E)F3(E)F4(E)F5· dots = start point only

By rating

(E)F026

(E)F119

(E)F24

(E)F30

(E)F40

(E)F50

By month

JFMAMJJASOND

Peak month: June.

By decade

’50’60’70’80’90’00’10’20

Strongest tornadoes

Date	Rating	Path	Width	Injured	Killed
Feb 2, 1983	F2	1 mi	40 yd	6	1
Oct 9, 2024	EF2	2.9 mi	300 yd	1	0
Jun 18, 1971	F2	1 mi	20 yd	0	0
Jun 17, 1982	F2	1 mi	200 yd	9	0
Mar 9, 1998	F1	15.5 mi	200 yd	0	0
Oct 9, 2024	EF1	6.8 mi	500 yd	0	0
Jun 24, 2012	EF1	5.3 mi	100 yd	0	0
Nov 9, 1990	F1	5 mi	40 yd	1	0
Aug 13, 1969	F1	3.6 mi	10 yd	0	0
Mar 6, 1982	F1	1 mi	100 yd	0	0
Mar 12, 2022	EF1	0.7 mi	50 yd	0	0
Oct 9, 2024	EF1	0.6 mi	100 yd	0	0

Most recent tornadoes

Date	Rating	Path	Width	Injured	Killed
Oct 9, 2024	EF1	6.8 mi	500 yd	0	0
Oct 9, 2024	EF2	2.9 mi	300 yd	1	0
Oct 9, 2024	EF1	0.6 mi	100 yd	0	0
Oct 9, 2024	EF1	0.5 mi	50 yd	0	0
Oct 9, 2024	EF0	0.6 mi	75 yd	0	0
Mar 12, 2022	EF1	0.7 mi	50 yd	0	0
Jun 26, 2012	EF0	1.1 mi	40 yd	0	0
Jun 24, 2012	EF0	3.5 mi	150 yd	0	1
Jun 24, 2012	EF1	5.3 mi	100 yd	0	0
Jan 25, 2011	EF0	0.9 mi	30 yd	0	0
Jul 1, 2008	EF0	0.4 mi	10 yd	0	0
Oct 24, 2005	F0	1 mi	50 yd	0	0

Deadliest: Feb 2, 1983, F2, 1 killed.

Nearby counties

Okeechobee County, FL25 Glades County, FL25 DeSoto County, FL35 Hardee County, FL24 Polk County, FL171 Charlotte County, FL66 Osceola County, FL44 Indian River County, FL35

Questions

How many tornadoes has Highlands County, Florida had?

49 tornadoes touched Highlands County, Florida between 1950 and 2025 in the NOAA Storm Prediction Center database — about 0.6 per year.

What was the strongest tornado in Highlands County?

The strongest rating recorded was F2 on Feb 2, 1983, with a 1-mile path and 1 deaths.

When is tornado season in Highlands County?

Most of its tornadoes happened in June (15 of 49). Tornadoes can occur in any month, so keep alerts on year-round.

Right now: live tornado warnings map · alerts for your location. Dates link to that day’s full storm reports where available (2004 onward).