Tornadoes and Hail in Florida, May 15, 1974

Name: Tornadoes and Hail in Florida, May 15, 1974
Start: 1974-05-15T11:30
End: 1974-05-15T17:10
Location: Florida

May 15, 1974 · 14 events in 9 counties and zones

5 hail, 5 tornado, 4 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

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The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 1
Property damage: $550,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 14

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

5 hail, 5 tornado, 4 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Brevard

When: May 15, 11:30 AM CST
Where: Brevard County
Measured: 1 in hail
Coordinates: 28.080, -80.700

Thunderstorm Wind, Brevard

When: May 15, 11:30 AM CST
Where: Brevard County
Coordinates: 27.880, -80.500

Thunderstorm Wind, Brevard

When: May 15, 11:30 AM CST
Where: Brevard County
Coordinates: 28.170, -80.600

Hail, Highlands

When: May 15, 11:36 AM CST
Where: Highlands County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 27.600, -81.520

Tornado, Hardee

When: May 15, 1:00 PM CST
Where: Hardee County
Rating: F0
Path length: 0.2 mi
Path width: 17 yd
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 27.550, -81.670

Hail, Martin

When: May 15, 1:00 PM CST
Where: Martin County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 27.250, -80.270

Tornado, Martin

When: May 15, 1:10 PM CST
Where: Martin County
Rating: F1
Path length: 1 mi
Path width: 333 yd
Injuries: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 27.170, -80.270

Tornado, Polk

When: May 15, 1:40 PM CST
Where: Polk County
Rating: F0
Path length: 0.1 mi
Path width: 10 yd
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 28.120, -82.020

Hail, Orange

When: May 15, 2:30 PM CST
Where: Orange County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 28.550, -81.370

Tornado, Lake

When: May 15, 2:41 PM CST
Where: Lake County
Rating: F1
Path length: 1 mi
Path width: 33 yd
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 28.800, -81.870

Tornado, Lake

When: May 15, 2:45 PM CST
Where: Lake County
Rating: F0
Path length: 0.1 mi
Path width: 10 yd
Coordinates: 28.780, -81.680

Hail, Hillsborough

When: May 15, 4:26 PM CST
Where: Hillsborough County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 28.050, -82.530

Thunderstorm Wind, Marion

When: May 15, 5:10 PM CST
Where: Marion County
Coordinates: 29.420, -82.300

Thunderstorm Wind, Marion

When: May 15, 5:10 PM CST
Where: Marion County
Coordinates: 29.220, -82.050

What these are

Hail: Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
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.
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.

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

Every storm in Florida in 1974 Every state in 1974 This day in weather history The tornado archive for Florida, 1974

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: 10001659, 10001660, 10001661, 10001662, 10001663, 10001664, 10001665, 10001666, 10001667, 10001668, 10001669, 10001670, 10001671, 10001672.