Tornadoes and Hail in Florida, March 24, 1983

Name: Tornadoes and Hail in Florida, March 24, 1983
Start: 1983-03-24T03:30
End: 1983-03-24T12:35
Location: Florida

March 24, 1983 · NWS AT · 22 events in 14 counties and zones

9 hail, 8 thunderstorm wind, 5 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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 2
Property damage: $51 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

9 hail, 8 thunderstorm wind, 5 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Citrus

When: March 24, 3:30 AM CST
Where: Citrus County
Measured: 1 in hail
Coordinates: 28.850, -82.480

Hail, Hardee

When: March 24, 3:30 AM CST
Where: Hardee County
Measured: 1 in hail
Coordinates: 27.470, -81.830

Hail, Hernando

When: March 24, 3:30 AM CST
Where: Hernando County
Measured: 1 in hail
Coordinates: 28.550, -82.430

Hail, Pasco

When: March 24, 3:30 AM CST
Where: Pasco County
Measured: 1 in hail
Coordinates: 28.300, -82.420

Hail, Hillsborough

When: March 24, 3:30 AM CST
Where: Hillsborough County
Measured: 1 in hail
Coordinates: 27.920, -82.350

Hail, Pinellas

When: March 24, 3:30 AM CST
Where: Pinellas County
Measured: 1 in hail
Coordinates: 27.950, -82.750

Hail, Pinellas

When: March 24, 3:40 AM CST
Where: Pinellas County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 27.770, -82.670

Tornado, Polk

When: March 24, 4:15 AM CST
Where: Polk County
Rating: F1
Path length: 0.8 mi
Path width: 80 yd
Injuries: 2 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 28.020, -81.720

Thunderstorm Wind, Sarasota

When: March 24, 4:45 AM CST
Where: Sarasota County
Coordinates: 27.280, -82.530

Thunderstorm Wind, Manatee

When: March 24, 4:45 AM CST
Where: Manatee County
Coordinates: 27.450, -82.330

Thunderstorm Wind, Sarasota

When: March 24, 4:45 AM CST
Where: Sarasota County
Coordinates: 27.150, -82.320

Tornado, Osceola

When: March 24, 5:10 AM CST
Where: Osceola County
Rating: F2
Path length: 10 mi
Path width: 90 yd
Property damage: $25 million
Coordinates: 28.250, -81.030

Tornado, Brevard

When: March 24, 5:30 AM CST
Where: Brevard County
Rating: F2
Path length: 8 mi
Path width: 90 yd
Property damage: $25 million
Coordinates: 28.300, -80.850

Thunderstorm Wind, Brevard

When: March 24, 5:49 AM CST
Where: Brevard County
Measured: 70 kt (81 mph)
Coordinates: 28.080, -80.600

Tornado, Osceola

When: March 24, 5:50 AM CST
Where: Osceola County
Rating: F1
Path length: 7 mi
Path width: 80 yd
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 28.000, -81.000

Hail, Brevard

When: March 24, 5:55 AM CST
Where: Brevard County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 28.350, -80.730

Tornado, Brevard

When: March 24, 6:00 AM CST
Where: Brevard County
Rating: F1
Path length: 14 mi
Path width: 80 yd
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 28.030, -80.870

Thunderstorm Wind, Broward

When: March 24, 9:20 AM CST
Where: Broward County
Coordinates: 26.130, -80.530

Thunderstorm Wind, Broward

When: March 24, 9:45 AM CST
Where: Broward County
Coordinates: 26.130, -80.530

Thunderstorm Wind, Miami-Dade

When: March 24, 9:53 AM CST
Where: Miami-Dade County
Measured: 58 kt (67 mph)
Coordinates: 25.750, -80.250

Thunderstorm Wind, Miami-Dade

When: March 24, 10:05 AM CST
Where: Miami-Dade County
Coordinates: 25.750, -80.250

Hail, Duval

When: March 24, 12:35 PM CST
Where: Duval County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 30.220, -81.420

What these are

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

Damaging Winds in South Carolina, March 24, 198350 kt wind · 2 events

Every storm in Florida in 1983 Every state in 1983 This day in weather history The tornado archive for Florida, 1983

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: 10000908, 10000909, 10000910, 10000911, 10000912, 10000913, 10001752, 10001753, 10001965, 10001966, 10001967, 10001968, 10001969, 10001970, 10001971, 10001972, 10001973, 10001974, 10001975, 10001976, 10001977, 10001978.