Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in Florida, May 4, 1978

Name: Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in Florida, May 4, 1978
Start: 1978-05-04T01:10
End: 1978-05-04T14:35
Location: Florida

May 4, 1978 · 20 events in 14 counties and zones

11 tornado, 9 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: 3
Injuries: 101
Property damage: $7.6 million
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 20

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

11 tornado, 9 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Tornado, Bradford

When: May 4, 1:10 AM CST
Where: Bradford County
Rating: F0
Path length: 0.1 mi
Path width: 13 yd
Coordinates: 30.070, -82.170

Tornado, Dixie

When: May 4, 3:30 AM CST
Where: Dixie County
Rating: F0
Path length: 0.1 mi
Path width: 13 yd
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 29.330, -83.150

Tornado, Alachua

When: May 4, 4:30 AM CST
Where: Alachua County
Rating: F2
Path length: 12.8 mi
Path width: 300 yd
Injuries: 4 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $2.5 million
Coordinates: 29.570, -82.450

Thunderstorm Wind, Alachua

When: May 4, 4:50 AM CST
Where: Alachua County
Coordinates: 29.680, -82.380

Thunderstorm Wind, Duval

When: May 4, 6:05 AM CST
Where: Duval County
Coordinates: 30.250, -81.780

Tornado, St. Johns

When: May 4, 7:00 AM CST
Where: St. Johns County
Rating: F0
Path length: 0.1 mi
Path width: 13 yd
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 29.970, -81.320

Tornado, St. Johns

When: May 4, 9:00 AM CST
Where: St. Johns County
Rating: F0
Path length: 0.2 mi
Path width: 10 yd
Property damage: $3,000
Coordinates: 30.030, -81.330

Tornado, Pasco

When: May 4, 9:45 AM CST
Where: Pasco County
Rating: F0
Path length: 0.1 mi
Path width: 13 yd
Property damage: $3,000
Coordinates: 28.330, -82.270

Tornado, Pinellas

When: May 4, 9:47 AM CST
Where: Pinellas County
Rating: F3
Path length: 1.5 mi
Path width: 200 yd
Deaths: 3 direct, 0 indirect
Injuries: 94 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $2.5 million
Coordinates: 27.920, -82.700

Thunderstorm Wind, Pasco

When: May 4, 10:20 AM CST
Where: Pasco County
Coordinates: 28.500, -82.180

Tornado, Putnam

When: May 4, 11:55 AM CST
Where: Putnam County
Rating: F0
Path length: 0.1 mi
Path width: 13 yd
Property damage: $3,000
Coordinates: 29.430, -81.520

Thunderstorm Wind, Sarasota

When: May 4, 12:00 PM CST
Where: Sarasota County
Coordinates: 27.330, -82.530

Thunderstorm Wind, Hardee

When: May 4, 12:30 PM CST
Where: Hardee County
Coordinates: 27.430, -81.970

Thunderstorm Wind, Manatee

When: May 4, 12:30 PM CST
Where: Manatee County
Coordinates: 27.350, -82.170

Tornado, Highlands

When: May 4, 1:20 PM CST
Where: Highlands County
Rating: F1
Path length: 0.5 mi
Path width: 50 yd
Injuries: 2 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $2.5 million
Coordinates: 27.450, -81.330

Thunderstorm Wind, Osceola

When: May 4, 1:45 PM CST
Where: Osceola County
Coordinates: 28.300, -81.400

Tornado, Osceola

When: May 4, 1:50 PM CST
Where: Osceola County
Rating: F0
Path length: 0.1 mi
Path width: 13 yd
Injuries: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 27.980, -80.980

Tornado, Highlands

When: May 4, 2:00 PM CST
Where: Highlands County
Rating: F0
Path length: 0.1 mi
Path width: 20 yd
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 27.450, -81.400

Thunderstorm Wind, Sarasota

When: May 4, 2:00 PM CST
Where: Sarasota County
Coordinates: 27.100, -82.450

Thunderstorm Wind, Indian River

When: May 4, 2:35 PM CST
Where: Indian River County
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Coordinates: 27.650, -80.420

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 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: 9998963, 9998964, 9998965, 9998966, 9998967, 9998968, 9998969, 9998970, 9998971, 9998972, 9998973, 9998974, 9998975, 9998976, 9998977, 9998978, 9998979, 9998980, 9998981, 9998982.