Florida, 1979

Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in Florida, May 8, 1979

May 8, 1979 · NWS ATA · 22 events in 8 counties and zones

19 tornado, 3 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
1
Injuries
49
Property damage
$30 million
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
22

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

19 tornado, 3 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Pinellas

When
May 8, 2:30 AM CST
Where
Pinellas County
Coordinates
27.830, -82.720

Tornado, Pasco

When
May 8, 4:30 AM CST
Where
Pasco County
Rating
F0
Path length
0.1 mi
Path width
20 yd
Injuries
1 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$25,000
Coordinates
28.230, -82.320

Tornado, Hillsborough

When
May 8, 5:10 AM CST
Where
Hillsborough County
Rating
F1
Path length
0.3 mi
Path width
30 yd
Injuries
1 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$250,000
Coordinates
28.030, -82.450

Tornado, Hillsborough

When
May 8, 5:45 AM CST
Where
Hillsborough County
Rating
F0
Path length
0.1 mi
Path width
20 yd
Property damage
$250
Coordinates
28.080, -82.230

Tornado, Pinellas

When
May 8, 6:00 AM CST
Where
Pinellas County
Rating
F0
Path length
0.1 mi
Path width
20 yd
Property damage
$250,000
Coordinates
27.980, -82.700

Tornado, Volusia

When
May 8, 7:15 AM CST
Where
Volusia County
Rating
F1
Path length
6.9 mi
Path width
50 yd
Injuries
6 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$2.5 million
Coordinates
29.200, -81.020

Thunderstorm Wind, Hillsborough

When
May 8, 7:17 AM CST
Where
Hillsborough County
Measured
85 kt (98 mph)
Coordinates
27.980, -82.530

Tornado, Hillsborough

When
May 8, 7:20 AM CST
Where
Hillsborough County
Rating
F1
Path length
0.2 mi
Path width
20 yd
Property damage
$250,000
Coordinates
27.980, -82.530

Tornado, Hillsborough

When
May 8, 7:55 AM CST
Where
Hillsborough County
Rating
F0
Path length
0.1 mi
Path width
20 yd
Property damage
$250,000
Coordinates
29.070, -82.470

Tornado, Hillsborough

When
May 8, 8:00 AM CST
Where
Hillsborough County
Rating
F0
Path length
0.1 mi
Path width
20 yd
Property damage
$250,000
Coordinates
28.000, -82.530

Thunderstorm Wind, Pinellas

When
May 8, 9:07 AM CST
Where
Pinellas County
Measured
50 kt (58 mph)
Coordinates
27.770, -82.670

Tornado, Pinellas

When
May 8, 9:45 AM CST
Where
Pinellas County
Rating
F0
Path length
0.2 mi
Path width
20 yd
Property damage
$250,000
Coordinates
27.970, -82.800

Tornado, Hillsborough

When
May 8, 9:45 AM CST
Where
Hillsborough County
Rating
F0
Path length
0.2 mi
Path width
20 yd
Injuries
1 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$250,000
Coordinates
28.050, -82.380

Tornado, Hillsborough

When
May 8, 9:45 AM CST
Where
Hillsborough County
Rating
F0
Path length
0.1 mi
Path width
20 yd
Property damage
$250,000
Coordinates
27.930, -82.280

Tornado, Hillsborough

When
May 8, 9:45 AM CST
Where
Hillsborough County
Rating
F0
Path length
0.1 mi
Path width
20 yd
Property damage
$250,000
Coordinates
27.870, -82.380

Tornado, Pasco

When
May 8, 11:00 AM CST
Where
Pasco County
Rating
F0
Path length
0.2 mi
Path width
30 yd
Property damage
$25,000
Coordinates
28.230, -82.250

Tornado, Polk

When
May 8, 11:15 AM CST
Where
Polk County
Rating
F2
Path length
4 mi
Path width
200 yd
Deaths
1 direct, 0 indirect
Injuries
40 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$25 million
Coordinates
28.070, -81.680

Tornado, Citrus

When
May 8, 11:30 AM CST
Where
Citrus County
Rating
F0
Path length
0.1 mi
Path width
20 yd
Property damage
$30
Coordinates
28.830, -82.300

Tornado, Hillsborough

When
May 8, 11:50 AM CST
Where
Hillsborough County
Rating
F0
Path length
0.1 mi
Path width
20 yd
Property damage
$25,000
Coordinates
27.980, -82.470

Tornado, St. Lucie

When
May 8, 1:30 PM CST
Where
St. Lucie County
Rating
F0
Path length
4.6 mi
Path width
30 yd
Property damage
$250,000
Coordinates
27.380, -80.320

Tornado, Martin

When
May 8, 2:15 PM CST
Where
Martin County
Rating
F0
Path length
0.1 mi
Path width
30 yd
Property damage
$3,000
Coordinates
27.250, -80.250

Tornado, Hillsborough

When
May 8, 3:30 PM CST
Where
Hillsborough County
Rating
F0
Path length
0.1 mi
Path width
20 yd
Property damage
$30
Coordinates
27.930, -82.280

The people who died

As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.

EventDateAgeSexWhereKind
Tornado, Polk1979-05-08Direct

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.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Florida in 1979Every state in 1979This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Florida, 1979

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: 10000712, 10000713, 10000714, 10000715, 10000716, 10000717, 10000718, 10000719, 10000720, 10000721, 10000722, 10000723, 10000724, 10000725, 10000726, 10000727, 10000728, 10000729, 10000730, 10000731, 10000732, 10000733.