Tornadoes and Hail in Florida, April 19, 1978

Name: Tornadoes and Hail in Florida, April 19, 1978
Start: 1978-04-19T02:30
End: 1978-04-19T12:50
Location: Florida

April 19, 1978 · NWS RY · 8 events in 6 counties and zones

4 thunderstorm wind, 3 tornado, 1 hail, 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: 20
Property damage: $3.0 million
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 8

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

4 thunderstorm wind, 3 tornado, 1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Alachua

When: April 19, 2:30 AM CST
Where: Alachua County
Coordinates: 29.780, -82.500

Tornado, Alachua

When: April 19, 6:40 AM CST
Where: Alachua County
Rating: F2
Path length: 1 mi
Path width: 50 yd
Injuries: 6 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 29.850, -82.400

Hail, Clay

When: April 19, 7:10 AM CST
Where: Clay County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 29.880, -81.880

Thunderstorm Wind, Marion

When: April 19, 8:50 AM CST
Where: Marion County
Coordinates: 29.550, -81.950

Tornado, Marion

When: April 19, 9:03 AM CST
Where: Marion County
Rating: F2
Path length: 5.6 mi
Path width: 100 yd
Injuries: 14 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $2.5 million
Coordinates: 29.070, -82.050

Tornado, Lake

When: April 19, 10:07 AM CST
Where: Lake County
Rating: F1
Path length: 1 mi
Path width: 50 yd
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 29.080, -81.580

Thunderstorm Wind, Volusia

When: April 19, 11:20 AM CST
Where: Volusia County
Coordinates: 28.850, -80.850

Thunderstorm Wind, Polk

When: April 19, 12:50 PM CST
Where: Polk County
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Coordinates: 27.950, -81.780

What these are

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

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Florida in 1978 Every state in 1978 This day in weather history The tornado archive for Florida, 1978

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: 9999645, 9999646, 9999647, 9999648, 9999649, 9999650, 9998739, 9998740.