Polk County tornado history

171 tornadoes touched Polk County, Florida between 1950 and 2025 — about 2.3 a year. The strongest was rated F4 (Apr 4, 1966). Tornadoes here killed 12 and injured 620 people.

171tornadoes since 1950

F4strongest rating

12killed · 620 injured

135.8 milongest path · 1966

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

By rating

(E)F0108

(E)F145

(E)F216

(E)F30

(E)F42

(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
Apr 4, 1966	F4	135.8 mi	300 yd	530	11
Apr 15, 1958	F4	0.1 mi	300 yd	7	0
May 8, 1979	F2	4 mi	200 yd	40	1
Apr 4, 1966	F2	123.3 mi	150 yd	0	0
Oct 18, 2019	EF2	11.4 mi	525 yd	0	0
Mar 9, 1998	F2	10.4 mi	250 yd	4	0
Jun 24, 2012	EF2	6.2 mi	150 yd	0	0
Dec 27, 1997	F2	5.8 mi	150 yd	18	0
Feb 8, 1986	F2	2 mi	10 yd	0	0
Sep 10, 2017	EF2	0.6 mi	50 yd	0	0
Nov 29, 1971	F2	0.5 mi	50 yd	0	0
Mar 17, 1973	F2	0.3 mi	20 yd	0	0

Most recent tornadoes

Date	Rating	Path	Width	Injured
Sep 26, 2024	EF0	1.1 mi	25 yd	0
Aug 4, 2024	EF0	1.2 mi	25 yd	0
Aug 4, 2024	EF0	1.5 mi	25 yd	0
Jul 23, 2024	EF0	0.1 mi	25 yd	0
Apr 11, 2021	EF0	1.4 mi	50 yd	0
Dec 16, 2020	EF1	12.9 mi	250 yd	0
Oct 18, 2019	EF2	11.4 mi	525 yd	0
Dec 20, 2018	EF0	0.8 mi	75 yd	0
Dec 20, 2018	EF0	0.1 mi	30 yd	1
Sep 10, 2017	EF2	0.6 mi	50 yd	0
Jun 1, 2016	EF0	0.7 mi	30 yd	0
Jun 24, 2012	EF0	0.9 mi	25 yd	0

Deadliest: Apr 4, 1966, F4, 11 killed.

Nearby counties

Hardee County, FL24 Osceola County, FL44 Hillsborough County, FL152 Orange County, FL70 Highlands County, FL49 DeSoto County, FL35 Manatee County, FL95 Pasco County, FL96

Questions

How many tornadoes has Polk County, Florida had?

171 tornadoes touched Polk County, Florida between 1950 and 2025 in the NOAA Storm Prediction Center database — about 2.3 per year.

What was the strongest tornado in Polk County?

The strongest rating recorded was F4 on Apr 4, 1966, with a 135.8-mile path and 11 deaths.

When is tornado season in Polk County?

Most of its tornadoes happened in June (37 of 171). 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).