Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in Florida, March 3, 1971

Name: Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in Florida, March 3, 1971
Start: 1971-03-03T13:20
End: 1971-03-03T16:40
Location: Florida

March 3, 1971 · 12 events in 8 counties and zones

7 tornado, 5 thunderstorm wind, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $35,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 12

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

Event by event

7 tornado, 5 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Tornado, Sarasota

When: March 3, 1:20 PM CST
Where: Sarasota County
Rating: F1
Path length: 0.5 mi
Path width: 33 yd
Coordinates: 27.300, -82.500

Tornado, Pasco

When: March 3, 1:31 PM CST
Where: Pasco County
Rating: F1
Path length: 0.3 mi
Path width: 10 yd
Property damage: $3,000
Coordinates: 28.370, -82.720

Thunderstorm Wind, Citrus

When: March 3, 1:50 PM CST
Where: Citrus County
Coordinates: 28.780, -82.400

Thunderstorm Wind, Pinellas

When: March 3, 2:00 PM CST
Where: Pinellas County
Coordinates: 28.000, -82.780

Thunderstorm Wind, Marion

When: March 3, 2:15 PM CST
Where: Marion County
Coordinates: 29.200, -82.080

Tornado, Hillsborough

When: March 3, 2:20 PM CST
Where: Hillsborough County
Rating: F0
Path length: 0.3 mi
Path width: 10 yd
Property damage: $3,000
Coordinates: 27.950, -82.480

Thunderstorm Wind, Hillsborough

When: March 3, 2:38 PM CST
Where: Hillsborough County
Coordinates: 28.000, -82.280

Tornado, Hillsborough

When: March 3, 2:40 PM CST
Where: Hillsborough County
Rating: F0
Path length: 0.1 mi
Path width: 3 yd
Coordinates: 27.970, -82.470

Thunderstorm Wind, Polk

When: March 3, 2:52 PM CST
Where: Polk County
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph)
Coordinates: 28.000, -81.900

Tornado, Polk

When: March 3, 3:00 PM CST
Where: Polk County
Rating: F1
Path length: 0.5 mi
Path width: 50 yd
Property damage: $3,000
Coordinates: 28.080, -81.980

Tornado, Sarasota

When: March 3, 3:20 PM CST
Where: Sarasota County
Rating: F1
Path length: 1 mi
Path width: 17 yd
Property damage: $3,000
Coordinates: 27.300, -82.500

Tornado, Lee

When: March 3, 4:40 PM CST
Where: Lee County
Rating: F2
Path length: 0.3 mi
Path width: 20 yd
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 26.500, -82.000

What these are

Tornado: A violently rotating column of air in contact with the ground and extending from a thunderstorm, filed with its path, width and Fujita or Enhanced Fujita rating from the damage survey.
Thunderstorm Wind: Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Florida in 1971 Every state in 1971 This day in weather history The tornado archive for Florida, 1971

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 9999830, 9999831, 9999832, 9999833, 9999834, 9999835, 9999836, 9999837, 9999838, 9999839, 9999840, 9999841.