Tornadoes · United States · Florida

1996 tornadoes in Florida

66 tornadoes touched down in Florida in 1996, 33 percent above the average of the record for the state. They killed 3 people and injured 37.

1995 1997 The whole country in 1996

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 1996

January 1 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
January 1	12:25 PM EST	F0	Brevard	0.5	35			$40,000

January 3 2 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
January 3	7:07 AM CST	F1		7.0	40		9	$1.2 million
January 3	8:40 AM EST	F0	Broward	0.4	10			$100,000

February 2 4 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Damage
February 2	5:58 PM EST	F0	Alachua	6.0	15		$20,000
February 2	6:15 PM EST	F0	Putnam	6.5	10	1	$20,000
February 2	6:49 PM EST	F2	Duval	6.0	80		$2.8 million
February 2	7:00 PM EST	F0	Saint Johns	3.0	10		$10,000

March 6 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
March 6	2:05 PM CST	F1	Jackson	7.0	100			$500,000

March 7 2 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
March 7	7:29 AM CST	F0	Bay	0.1	50
March 7	11:00 AM CST	F0	Gulf	0.1	25			$2,000

March 30 5 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Injuries	Damage
March 30	3:35 PM EST	F0	Polk	2.5	10
March 30	4:25 PM EST	F0	Hernando	7.5	10		$20,000
March 30	5:15 PM EST	F0	Sumter	1.0	10		$4,000
March 30	5:52 PM EST	F0	Lake	1.0	20
March 30	8:46 PM EST	F1	Brevard	7.0	40	18	$500,000

March 31 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
March 31	8:44 PM EST	F0	Indian River	0.1	30

April 30 3 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Damage
April 30	7:56 AM EDT	F0	Saint Johns	0.5	10	$30,000
April 30	8:48 AM EDT	F0	Polk	11.0	15	$10,000
April 30	11:15 AM EDT	F0	Osceola	2.0	30	$1.0 million

May 12 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
May 12	10:10 PM EDT	F0	Okeechobee	0.1	20	1		$50,000

May 26 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
May 26	6:50 AM EDT	F0	Monroe	0.1	10

May 29 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
May 29	4:15 PM EDT	F1	Broward	0.1	10			$100,000

June 9 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
June 9	6:00 PM EDT	F0	Broward	0.1	10

June 14 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
June 14	5:00 PM EDT	F0	Putnam	0.1	10			$10,000

June 17 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
June 17	2:40 PM CDT	F0		0.1	10

June 21 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
June 21	4:30 PM EDT	F1	Broward	1.5	10

July 6 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
July 6	3:30 PM EDT	F1	Marion	1.0	50			$50,000

July 10 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
July 10	5:22 PM EDT	F0	Lee	0.4	10

July 15 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
July 15	4:19 PM EDT	F0	Lee	3.0	10		2	$250,000

July 30 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
July 30	4:45 PM EDT	F0	Collier	0.1	10

July 31 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
July 31	11:30 AM CDT	F0	Okaloosa	0.1	20

August 6 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
August 6	3:44 PM EDT	F0	Manatee	0.3	10			$50,000

August 8 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
August 8	12:30 PM CDT	F0		0.1	10

August 13 2 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
August 13	5:35 PM EDT	F0	Brevard	0.2	50			$100,000
August 13	5:50 PM EDT	F0	Brevard	0.2	20			$10,000

August 14 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
August 14	4:33 PM EDT	F0	Brevard	0.1	20

August 23 2 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
August 23	4:54 PM EDT	F0	Sarasota	0.2	10
August 23	5:30 PM EDT	F0	Manatee	0.8	10			$30,000

September 8 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
September 8	6:24 PM EDT	F0	Lee	0.3	10			$70,000

September 17 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
September 17	2:17 PM CDT	F0	Walton	0.1	10

September 20 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
September 20	6:15 PM EDT	F0	Pinellas	1.0	10			$30,000

September 22 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
September 22	10:00 AM EDT	F0	Pasco	0.1	10			$10,000

October 1 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
October 1	2:55 PM EDT	F1	Franklin	0.1	30		1	$10,000

October 7 18 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Damage
October 7	8:55 AM EDT	F0	Volusia	0.1	30
October 7	9:45 AM EDT	F0	Volusia	0.1	30	$10,000
October 7	11:30 AM EDT	F0	DeSoto	52.0	10	$3,000
October 7	12:58 PM EDT	F0	Hillsborough	20.0	10	$10,000
October 7	2:00 PM EDT	F0	Hernando	0.3	10	$2,000
October 7	2:45 PM EDT	F0	Hillsborough	11.0	10
October 7	3:00 PM EDT	F0	Hillsborough	0.3	10	$1,000
October 7	3:04 PM EDT	F0	Hillsborough	6.0	10	$2,000
October 7	3:15 PM EDT	F0	Marion	0.2	20	$60,000
October 7	4:04 PM EDT	F0	Lake	0.1	20
October 7	4:45 PM EDT	F0	Lake	0.1	30
October 7	4:50 PM EDT	F0	Marion	15.0	30	$4,000
October 7	4:52 PM EDT	F0	Lake	0.1	20
October 7	5:14 PM EDT	F0	Putnam	8.0	45	$70,000
October 7	5:20 PM EDT	F2	Volusia	6.0	400	$2.4 million
October 7	5:20 PM EDT	F0	Volusia	0.1	20
October 7	6:10 PM EDT	F0	Saint Johns	0.1	10	$2,000
October 7	10:35 PM EDT	F0	Hillsborough	0.3	10	$10,000

November 8 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
November 8	12:55 PM EST	F0	Pinellas	0.1	10			$10,000

November 30 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
November 30	5:45 PM CST	F2	Santa Rosa	0.4	90		7	$70,000

December 1 1 tornado

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
December 1	5:25 AM CST	F2	Okaloosa	0.4	75			$500,000

December 7 2 tornadoes

Date	Time	Rating	Where	Path (mi)	Width (yd)	Deaths	Injuries	Damage
December 7	2:58 PM EST	F2	Hillsborough	2.0	83	1		$100,000
December 7	6:20 PM EST	F0	Charlotte	0.6	10			$10,000

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.