Tornadoes · United States · Florida

1974 tornadoes in Florida

54 tornadoes touched down in Florida in 1974, 9 percent above the average of the record for the state. They killed 1 people and injured 71.

1973 1975 The whole country in 1974

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.

F040 to 72 mph
Light damage. Surface peeled off some roofs, gutters and siding damaged, branches broken, shallow-rooted trees pushed over.
F173 to 112 mph
Moderate damage. Roofs badly stripped, mobile homes overturned or badly damaged, exterior doors lost, windows broken.
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.
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.
F4207 to 260 mph
Devastating damage. Well-built houses leveled, structures with weak foundations moved some distance, cars thrown and large missiles generated.
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.
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 1974

January 30 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
January 30	2:01 AM EDT	F2	Gadsden	3.3	100	1	4	$50,000 to $500,000

February 15 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
February 15	10:20 PM CDT	F1	Walton	1.0	17		1	$5,000 to $50,000

February 19 3 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Injuries	Damage
February 19	7:30 AM CDT	F1	Walton	0.5	17		$5,000 to $50,000
February 19	10:30 AM EDT	F0	Franklin	2.0	10		$500 to $5,000
February 19	5:30 PM EDT	F1	Pinellas	45.9	167	55	$500,000 to $5 million

March 21 2 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
March 21	11:25 AM EDT	F1	Wakulla	4.3	33			$50,000 to $500,000
March 21	1:30 PM EDT	F2	Columbia	3.6	200		1	$5,000 to $50,000

April 16 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
April 16	6:00 PM EDT	F0	Polk	0.5	10		2	$5,000 to $50,000

May 4 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
May 4	4:38 PM EDT	F1	Suwannee	2.0	20			$500,000 to $5 million

May 6 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
May 6	9:50 AM EDT	F1	Polk	2.0	20			$500 to $5,000

May 11 6 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Injuries	Damage
May 11	2:15 PM CDT	F1	Bay	0.1	20	1	$500 to $5,000
May 11	2:15 PM CDT	F1	Bay	0.1	20		$500 to $5,000
May 11	3:45 PM CDT	F1	Jackson	0.5	20		$500 to $5,000
May 11	5:00 PM EDT	F1	Gadsden	0.5	20		$5,000 to $50,000
May 11	6:20 PM EDT	F1	Franklin	0.1	20		$5,000 to $50,000
May 11	9:00 PM EDT	F1	Franklin	0.1	20		$5,000 to $50,000

May 12 9 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Injuries	Damage
May 12	3:30 AM EDT	F1	Taylor	4.9	20	3	$5,000 to $50,000
May 12	6:30 AM EDT	F2	Baker	17.5	33	1	$50,000 to $500,000
May 12	8:00 AM EDT	F2	Duval	4.3	100	2	$50,000 to $500,000
May 12	8:00 AM EDT	F1	Duval	0.5	67		$500,000 to $5 million
May 12	8:00 AM EDT	F1	Saint Johns	2.0	50		$500 to $5,000
May 12	8:30 AM EDT	F1	Levy	8.9	50		$5,000 to $50,000
May 12	10:30 AM EDT	F0	Lake	2.0	33		$5,000 to $50,000
May 12	10:35 AM EDT	F1	Marion	20.2	100		$50,000 to $500,000
May 12	11:00 AM EDT	F1	Citrus	25.2	100		$5,000 to $50,000

May 15 5 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Injuries	Damage
May 15	3:00 PM EDT	F0	Hardee	0.2	17		$50,000 to $500,000
May 15	3:10 PM EDT	F1	Martin	1.0	333	1	$50,000 to $500,000
May 15	3:40 PM EDT	F0	Polk	0.1	10		$5,000 to $50,000
May 15	4:41 PM EDT	F1	Lake	1.0	33		$5,000 to $50,000
May 15	4:45 PM EDT	F0	Lake	0.1	10

May 16 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
May 16	5:18 PM EDT	F1	Pasco	0.5	17			$5,000 to $50,000

May 27 2 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
May 27	10:10 AM EDT	F0	Pasco	0.5	10			$500 to $5,000
May 27	7:35 PM EDT	F0	Pasco	0.5	10			$500 to $5,000

June 10 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
June 10	4:45 PM EDT	F0	Hillsborough	0.1	10			$500 to $5,000

June 14 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
June 14	6:40 PM EDT	F0	Lee	1.0	10			$500 to $5,000

June 18 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
June 18	6:30 PM EDT	F1	Polk	0.2	10			$50,000 to $500,000

June 26 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
June 26	7:35 PM EDT	F0	Sarasota	0.5	10			$5,000 to $50,000

July 19 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
July 19	5:50 PM EDT	F0	Lee	0.1	10			$50 to $500

July 20 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
July 20	4:30 PM EDT	F0	Suwannee	0.1	10			$500 to $5,000

July 22 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
July 22	4:20 PM EDT	F0	Martin	0.1	10			$5,000 to $50,000

July 25 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
July 25	1:15 PM EDT	F0	Pinellas	0.1	10			$5,000 to $50,000

August 1 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
August 1	3:50 PM CDT	F0	Santa Rosa	0.1	10			$500 to $5,000

August 2 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
August 2	4:30 PM EDT	F0	Lee	0.1	10			$5,000 to $50,000

August 6 3 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Damage
August 6	4:45 PM EDT	F0	Lee	0.1	10	$5,000 to $50,000
August 6	5:20 PM EDT	F1	Lake	0.5	500	$50,000 to $500,000
August 6	8:30 PM EDT	F1	Marion	0.3	20	$5,000 to $50,000

August 19 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
August 19	4:30 PM EDT	F0	Broward	0.1	10			$5,000 to $50,000

August 26 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
August 26	7:30 PM EDT	F0	Hillsborough	0.1	10			$500 to $5,000

August 27 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
August 27	6:15 PM EDT	F0	Manatee	0.2	50			$5,000 to $50,000

September 7 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
September 7	12:30 AM CDT	F1	Santa Rosa	0.1	20			$5,000 to $50,000

December 7 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
December 7	8:25 AM CST	F2	Okaloosa	5.2	100			$50 to $500

December 16 3 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Damage
December 16	2:10 PM EST	F0	Sarasota	0.1	10	$50 to $500
December 16	2:45 PM EST	F0	Charlotte	0.1	10	$500 to $5,000
December 16	5:42 PM EST	F0	Palm Beach	0.1	10

Nearby

Every tornado in Florida since 1950 Warnings in force in Florida The 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.