Tornadoes · United States · Florida

1989 tornadoes in Florida

71 tornadoes touched down in Florida in 1989, 43 percent above the average of the record for the state. They killed 3 people and injured 8.

1988 1990 The whole country in 1989

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 1989

January 22 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
January 22	2:00 AM EST	F0	Brevard	0.5	30			$500 to $5,000

February 21 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
February 21	12:00 AM CST	F1	Okaloosa	0.5	50			$5,000 to $50,000

March 7 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
March 7	10:30 AM EST	F0	Monroe	0.3	50			$500 to $5,000

March 21 2 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
March 21	12:05 AM CST	F0	Okaloosa	0.2	23			$500 to $5,000
March 21	3:20 PM CST	F0	Okaloosa	0.5	50			$50 to $500

March 24 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
March 24	3:45 PM EST	F0	Broward	0.5	100			$5,000 to $50,000

March 31 2 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
March 31	10:40 AM EST	F0	Brevard	0.2	23
March 31	11:25 AM EST	F0	Brevard	0.2	23

April 4 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
April 4	4:00 PM EDT	F0	DeSoto	0.2	10			$500 to $5,000

April 5 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
April 5	2:00 PM CDT	F0		0.2	10

April 13 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
April 13	4:25 PM EDT	F0	Polk	0.2	10			$500 to $5,000

May 1 4 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Damage
May 1	4:58 AM CDT	F2	Okaloosa	2.0	100	$5 million to $50 million
May 1	5:15 AM CDT	F0	Santa Rosa	0.2	10	$5,000 to $50,000
May 1	6:30 AM CDT	F0	Walton	0.4	50	$500 to $5,000
May 1	3:00 PM EDT	F0	Brevard	0.2	10	$500,000 to $5 million

May 3 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
May 3	7:50 PM EDT	F0	Brevard	0.2	10

May 15 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
May 15	3:10 PM EDT	F0	Broward	0.2	10			$500 to $5,000

May 24 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
May 24	5:50 PM EDT	F0	Broward	0.2	10

May 29 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
May 29	6:25 PM EDT	F0	Sarasota	0.2	10			$5,000 to $50,000

May 30 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
May 30	4:55 PM EDT	F0	Pasco	0.5	100			$5,000 to $50,000

June 5 2 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
June 5	1:24 PM EDT	F0	Duval	0.2	10
June 5	6:30 PM EDT	F0	Hendry	0.2	10			$50 to $500

June 6 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
June 6	12:30 PM EDT	F1	Pasco	0.3	73			$50,000 to $500,000

June 7 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
June 7	8:45 PM CDT	F0	Okaloosa	0.2	10			$500 to $5,000

June 8 8 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
June 8	6:06 AM CDT	F0	Escambia	0.2	10			$50,000 to $500,000
June 8	7:46 AM CDT	F0	Bay	0.2	10
June 8	10:00 AM CDT	F1	Escambia	0.2	10		1	$5,000 to $50,000
June 8	2:00 PM CDT	F0	Okaloosa	0.2	10			$50,000 to $500,000
June 8	5:30 PM EDT	F0	Franklin	0.2	10
June 8	6:00 PM EDT	F2	Franklin	3.0	300	3	4	$500,000 to $5 million
June 8	6:05 PM EDT	F0	Franklin	0.2	10
June 8	7:30 PM EDT	F1	Wakulla	1.0	30		1	$5,000 to $50,000

June 9 4 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Damage
June 9	9:30 AM EDT	F0	Leon	0.2	10
June 9	9:55 AM EDT	F0	Leon	0.2	10
June 9	10:35 AM EDT	F0	Leon	0.2	10
June 9	6:30 PM EDT	F0	Glades	0.2	10	$5,000 to $50,000

June 10 5 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Damage
June 10	10:55 AM EDT	F0	Franklin	10.0	10
June 10	11:21 AM EDT	F0	Wakulla	0.2	10
June 10	11:21 AM EDT	F0	Wakulla	0.2	10
June 10	4:50 PM EDT	F0	Polk	0.2	10	$5,000 to $50,000
June 10	5:00 PM EDT	F0	Polk	0.2	10	$50 to $500

June 15 3 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Damage
June 15	6:03 PM EDT	F0	DeSoto	0.2	10	$5,000 to $50,000
June 15	8:28 PM EDT	F0	Marion	0.2	10	$5,000 to $50,000
June 15	8:34 PM EDT	F0	Putnam	0.2	10	$5,000 to $50,000

June 16 2 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
June 16	9:26 AM CDT	F0	Jackson	0.2	10
June 16	11:20 AM EDT	F1	Levy	1.0	50			$5,000 to $50,000

June 18 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
June 18	3:40 PM EDT	F0	Highlands	0.2	10

June 20 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
June 20	4:25 PM EDT	F0	Polk	0.2	10			$5,000 to $50,000

June 22 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
June 22	2:35 PM CDT	F0	Escambia	0.2	10

July 12 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
July 12	3:12 PM CDT	F1	Gulf	2.0	10			$5,000 to $50,000

July 14 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
July 14	2:30 PM EDT	F0	Palm Beach	0.2	10			$500 to $5,000

July 17 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
July 17	2:15 PM EDT	F0	Palm Beach	0.2	10			$500 to $5,000

July 19 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
July 19	5:29 PM EDT	F0	Brevard	0.2	10		1	$5,000 to $50,000

July 23 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
July 23	5:05 PM EDT	F2	Lee	1.0	300			$500,000 to $5 million

August 9 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
August 9	2:40 PM EDT	F0	Martin	0.2	10			$5,000 to $50,000

August 10 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
August 10	3:35 PM EDT	F0	Pinellas	0.2	10			$50,000 to $500,000

August 12 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
August 12	2:00 PM EDT	F0	Lee	0.2	10			$5,000 to $50,000

August 17 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
August 17	7:15 PM CDT	F0		0.2	10			$500 to $5,000

September 6 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
September 6	6:30 PM EDT	F0	Charlotte	0.2	10			$5,000 to $50,000

September 9 2 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
September 9	5:55 PM EDT	F0	Lee	0.2	50			$50,000 to $500,000
September 9	6:05 PM EDT	F0	Lee	0.2	10

September 12 2 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
September 12	5:48 PM EDT	F0	Hillsborough	0.2	10
September 12	7:00 PM EDT	F0	Lee	0.2	10			$500 to $5,000

September 18 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
September 18	1:30 PM EDT	F0	Nassau	0.2	10

October 1 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
October 1	6:00 AM CDT	F1	Jackson	0.2	10		1	$50,000 to $500,000

November 8 2 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
November 8	4:30 AM CST	F0	Washington	0.2	10			$5,000 to $50,000
November 8	6:00 AM CST	F0	Holmes	0.2	10			$5,000 to $50,000

November 9 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
November 9	8:00 AM EST	F0	Hernando	0.2	10			$5,000 to $50,000

December 12 3 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Damage
December 12	9:30 AM CST	F0	Walton	0.2	10	$5,000 to $50,000
December 12	9:30 AM CST	F0	Walton	0.2	10	$5,000 to $50,000
December 12	10:15 AM CST	F1	Washington	10.0	50	$50,000 to $500,000

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.