Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in Florida, December 24, 1978

Name: Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in Florida, December 24, 1978
Start: 1978-12-24T04:10
End: 1978-12-24T14:30
Location: Florida

December 24, 1978 · NWS T · 12 events in 10 counties and zones

8 thunderstorm wind, 4 tornado, 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: 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

8 thunderstorm wind, 4 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Tornado, Gulf

When: December 24, 4:10 AM CST
Where: Gulf County
Rating: F1
Path length: 0.5 mi
Path width: 20 yd
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 29.820, -85.300

Thunderstorm Wind, Marion

When: December 24, 12:00 PM CST
Where: Marion County
Coordinates: 29.180, -82.130

Thunderstorm Wind, Alachua

When: December 24, 12:23 PM CST
Where: Alachua County
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Coordinates: 29.680, -82.270

Thunderstorm Wind, Citrus

When: December 24, 12:45 PM CST
Where: Citrus County
Coordinates: 28.920, -82.370

Thunderstorm Wind, Osceola

When: December 24, 1:00 PM CST
Where: Osceola County
Coordinates: 28.300, -81.400

Thunderstorm Wind, Orange

When: December 24, 1:00 PM CST
Where: Orange County
Coordinates: 28.730, -81.600

Thunderstorm Wind, Hillsborough

When: December 24, 1:30 PM CST
Where: Hillsborough County
Measured: 56 kt (64 mph)
Coordinates: 27.980, -82.470

Tornado, Sarasota

When: December 24, 1:45 PM CST
Where: Sarasota County
Rating: F1
Path length: 0.4 mi
Path width: 20 yd
Injuries: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 27.280, -82.530

Thunderstorm Wind, Volusia

When: December 24, 1:58 PM CST
Where: Volusia County
Measured: 51 kt (59 mph)
Coordinates: 29.220, -81.030

Tornado, Orange

When: December 24, 2:00 PM CST
Where: Orange County
Rating: F1
Path length: 0.3 mi
Path width: 20 yd
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 28.730, -81.600

Tornado, Orange

When: December 24, 2:15 PM CST
Where: Orange County
Rating: F1
Path length: 0.3 mi
Path width: 20 yd
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 28.670, -81.500

Thunderstorm Wind, Manatee

When: December 24, 2:30 PM CST
Where: Manatee County
Coordinates: 27.430, -82.680

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.

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: 10000107, 10000108, 10000109, 10000110, 10000111, 10000112, 10000113, 10000114, 10000115, 10000116, 10000117, 10000118.