Tornadoes · United States · Florida

1968 tornadoes in Florida

57 tornadoes touched down in Florida in 1968, 15 percent above the average of the record for the state. They killed 4 people and injured 56.

1967 1969 The whole country in 1968

The rating scale

Tracks are drawn in the color of the rating. The Fujita scale rates the damage rather than measuring the wind: the speeds are what that damage is taken to imply.

  1. F040 to 72 mph

    Light damage. Surface peeled off some roofs, gutters and siding damaged, branches broken, shallow-rooted trees pushed over.

  2. F173 to 112 mph

    Moderate damage. Roofs badly stripped, mobile homes overturned or badly damaged, exterior doors lost, windows broken.

  3. F2113 to 157 mph

    Considerable damage. Roofs torn off well-built houses, frame homes shifted on their foundations, mobile homes destroyed, large trees snapped or uprooted, cars lifted off the ground.

  4. F3158 to 206 mph

    Severe damage. Whole stories of well-built houses destroyed, large buildings badly damaged, trains overturned, trees debarked, heavy cars lifted and thrown.

  5. F4207 to 260 mph

    Devastating damage. Well-built houses leveled, structures with weak foundations moved some distance, cars thrown and large missiles generated.

  6. F5261 to 318 mph

    Incredible damage. Strong frame houses swept off their foundations, car-sized missiles thrown more than 100 meters, steel-reinforced concrete badly damaged, high-rise buildings deformed.

  7. Unrated

    The survey recorded a tornado but could not put a number on it, most often because it crossed open country and damaged nothing a rating can be read from.

Every tornado in Florida in 1968

January 23 1 tornado

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
January 2310:10 PM GMT-5F1Pinellas0.150$5,000 to $50,000

January 24 1 tornado

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
January 241:30 AM GMT-5F0Polk0.110$500 to $5,000

February 19 2 tornadoes

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
February 194:00 AM GMT-6F25.710021$500,000 to $5 million
February 194:15 AM GMT-6F10.110$5,000 to $50,000

February 23 1 tornado

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
February 233:00 PM GMT-5F1Palm Beach0.110$50 to $500

March 12 1 tornado

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
March 1212:30 PM GMT-5F0Levy0.110

March 22 3 tornadoes

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
March 2210:40 AM GMT-6F1Okaloosa0.110$500 to $5,000
March 2211:00 AM GMT-6F1Holmes0.110$50 to $500
March 2212:30 PM GMT-6F1Jackson0.110$5,000 to $50,000

May 13 1 tornado

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
May 135:15 PM GMT-4F1Lee0.110$50 to $500

May 19 2 tornadoes

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
May 191:00 PM GMT-4F0Jefferson0.110under $50
May 193:10 PM GMT-4F1Pinellas0.1100$500 to $5,000

May 28 1 tornado

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
May 282:40 PM GMT-4F0Brevard0.110

May 29 1 tornado

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
May 298:02 PM GMT-4F0Palm Beach0.110

June 4 2 tornadoes

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
June 46:30 AM GMT-4F1Brevard0.310$500 to $5,000
June 410:10 AM GMT-4F0Brevard0.117

June 5 1 tornado

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
June 59:10 AM GMT-4F1Polk0.110$50 to $500

June 7 1 tornado

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
June 72:10 PM GMT-5F10.1101$50,000 to $500,000

June 12 1 tornado

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
June 124:30 PM GMT-4F1Gadsden4.117$50,000 to $500,000

June 19 1 tornado

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
June 191:45 PM GMT-4F1Brevard0.110$500 to $5,000

June 25 1 tornado

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
June 255:40 PM GMT-5F114.010under $50

July 2 1 tornado

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
July 24:00 PM GMT-4F1Citrus0.8400$500 to $5,000

July 7 1 tornado

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
July 74:00 PM GMT-4F0Hardee0.110under $50

July 9 1 tornado

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
July 93:30 PM GMT-4F1Brevard0.1101$5,000 to $50,000

July 11 1 tornado

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
July 114:10 PM GMT-4F0Martin0.110under $50

July 14 2 tornadoes

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
July 144:10 PM GMT-4F1Pinellas0.110$500 to $5,000
July 141:30 AM GMT-4F1Pinellas2.027$5,000 to $50,000

July 19 1 tornado

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
July 197:10 PM GMT-4F0Lee0.110

July 30 1 tornado

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
July 307:15 PM GMT-4F2Charlotte0.3272$5,000 to $50,000

August 9 1 tornado

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
August 93:20 PM GMT-4F0Charlotte0.110

August 13 1 tornado

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
August 135:30 PM GMT-4F1Pasco0.110$500 to $5,000

August 29 1 tornado

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
August 298:00 AM GMT-4F1Suwannee5.610$5,000 to $50,000

August 30 2 tornadoes

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
August 303:15 AM GMT-4F2Volusia2.0127$5,000 to $50,000
August 301:56 PM GMT-5F02.010

September 7 1 tornado

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
September 76:00 PM GMT-4F1Clay9.510$500 to $5,000

September 8 1 tornado

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
September 82:10 PM GMT-4F1Duval0.110$500 to $5,000

September 10 1 tornado

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
September 102:00 PM GMT-4F0Palm Beach0.310

September 12 2 tornadoes

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
September 121:00 PM GMT-5F042.810$50 to $500
September 124:57 PM GMT-4F2Brevard1.5101$5,000 to $50,000

October 4 1 tornado

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
October 41:30 PM GMT-5F011.5833

October 17 1 tornado

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
October 1712:00 PM GMT-4F1Palm Beach0.110$5,000 to $50,000

October 18 1 tornado

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
October 1810:00 PM GMT-4F2Manatee0.150$5,000 to $50,000

November 9 9 tornadoes

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
November 912:55 PM GMT-5F2Sarasota4.11002$50,000 to $500,000
November 91:10 PM GMT-5F1Sarasota12.3101$50,000 to $500,000
November 91:35 PM GMT-5F1Hillsborough69.3103$50,000 to $500,000
November 91:45 PM GMT-5F2Pasco29.61004$500,000 to $5 million
November 91:50 PM GMT-5F1Pinellas0.110$500 to $5,000
November 94:20 PM GMT-5F1Brevard0.3200$5,000 to $50,000
November 95:00 PM GMT-5F1Collier0.110$5,000 to $50,000
November 95:00 PM GMT-5F2Collier45.6100217$5,000 to $50,000
November 97:00 PM GMT-5F1Palm Beach10.0332$50,000 to $500,000

November 11 4 tornadoes

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
November 1111:15 AM GMT-5F1Pinellas57.210$50,000 to $500,000
November 1112:36 PM GMT-5F2Sarasota0.117$5,000 to $50,000
November 111:00 PM GMT-5F1Lake0.110$5,000 to $50,000
November 111:30 PM GMT-5F2Collier65.4173$50,000 to $500,000

December 1 1 tornado

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
December 19:28 AM GMT-6F2Escambia30.417$5,000 to $50,000

December 3 1 tornado

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
December 33:00 PM GMT-5F1Madison0.1200$500 to $5,000

Nearby

Every tornado in Florida since 1950Warnings in force in FloridaThe live radar over Florida

What this means

Ratings are the survey's, read off the damage rather than measured; the rating scale is above. Tornado counts rise through the record as reporting improved, so a year in the 1950s is not comparable with one today except for the strongest tornadoes, which were always noticed.

Sources

NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database, 1950-2025, the official record kept by NOAA's Storm Prediction Center.