Tornadoes · United States · Florida

Tornadoes in Alachua County, Florida

45 tornadoes have crossed Alachua County since 1950, 31st of the 67 counties in Florida with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.7 years. They have killed 1 person and injured 23. None was rated F4 or above.

The rating scale

Tracks are drawn in the color of the rating. The United States rated tornadoes on Ted Fujita’s F scale until 31 January 2007 and on the Enhanced Fujita scale after it. Both run from 0 to 5, and both rate the damage rather than measure the wind: the speeds are what that damage is taken to imply.

  1. F0 / EF040 to 72 mph on the F scale, 65 to 85 mph on the EF scale

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

  2. F1 / EF173 to 112 mph on the F scale, 86 to 110 mph on the EF scale

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

  3. F2 / EF2113 to 157 mph on the F scale, 111 to 135 mph on the EF scale

    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. F3 / EF3158 to 206 mph on the F scale, 136 to 165 mph on the EF scale

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

  5. F4 / EF4207 to 260 mph on the F scale, 166 to 200 mph on the EF scale

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

  6. F5 / EF5261 to 318 mph on the F scale, over 200 mph on the EF scale

    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.

Now

Tornadoes
45
Deaths
1
Injuries
23
F4 and above
0
Worst on record
F2, March 14, 1986

The deadliest in Alachua County

  1. F1, Alachua County, FloridaMarch 12, 19931 killed, 4 injured

The strongest

  1. F2, Alachua, Putnam and Saint Johns counties, FloridaApril 4, 1973F2, 39.0 mi (63 km)
  2. F2, Alachua County, FloridaMay 4, 1978F2, 12.8 mi (21 km)
  3. F2, Alachua County, FloridaMarch 14, 1986F2, 2.0 mi (3 km)
  4. F2, Alachua County, FloridaApril 19, 1978F2, 1.0 mi (2 km)
  5. F2, Alachua County, FloridaSeptember 28, 1966F2, 0.5 mi (1 km)
  6. F2, Alachua County, FloridaFebruary 2, 1983F2, 0.3 mi (0 km)
  7. F2, Alachua County, FloridaFebruary 3, 1970F2, 0.1 mi (0 km)
  8. F2, Alachua County, FloridaJune 8, 1957F2, 0.1 mi (0 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 34 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Alachua County. Each year links to every tornado in Florida that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20211EF0
20191EF0
20161EF0
20121EF0
20081EF0
20071EF1
20051F0
20041F0
20032F0
20021F0
19961F0
19951F0
19942F0
1993314F1
199211F0
19902F0
19871F0
19861F2
19851F1
198324F2
19811F0
19803F1
19791F1
1978310F2
19771F1
19761F1
19751F0
197314F2
19711F1
19701F2
19691F1
19662F2
19641F0
19571F2

Every tornado that crossed Alachua County

45 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
September 18, 20216:24 PM EDTEF0Alachua0.120
December 14, 20193:53 AM ESTEF0Alachua0.245
May 20, 201612:25 PM EDTEF0Alachua0.720
March 24, 20122:40 PM EDTEF0Alachua4.650$8,000
February 26, 20081:30 PM ESTEF0Alachua0.020
December 16, 20072:45 AM ESTEF1Alachua0.8200
August 3, 20056:42 PM EDTF0Alachua0.10
September 5, 20047:00 PM EDTF0Alachua5.075
April 25, 20033:05 PM EDTF0Alachua0.110
April 25, 20032:40 PM EDTF0Alachua0.110
July 20, 20025:00 PM EDTF0Alachua0.00$10,000
February 2, 19965:58 PM ESTF0Alachua6.015$20,000
April 8, 19957:34 PM EDTF0Alachua2.010$500 to $5,000
October 30, 199411:00 AM ESTF0Alachua5.020
January 3, 19944:05 PM ESTF0Alachua0.110$500 to $5,000
October 30, 19939:50 AM EDTF0Alachua0.110
October 30, 19939:39 AM EDTF0Alachua0.110
March 12, 199312:20 AM ESTF1Alachua0.86014$500,000 to $5 million
June 13, 199212:35 PM EDTF0Alachua0.4401$50,000 to $500,000
September 28, 19902:45 PM EDTF0Alachua0.210
August 8, 19902:05 PM EDTF0Alachua0.210$500 to $5,000
July 9, 19874:29 PM EDTF0Alachua0.210
March 14, 19865:17 AM ESTF2Alachua2.010$500,000 to $5 million
June 30, 198510:30 AM EDTF1Alachua1.010$50,000 to $500,000
June 21, 198312:00 PM EDTF1Alachua4.040$5,000 to $50,000
February 2, 19835:40 AM ESTF2Alachua0.3204$50,000 to $500,000
March 22, 198110:45 AM ESTF0Alachua0.310$500 to $5,000
October 28, 198012:30 PM ESTF1Alachua1.030$5,000 to $50,000
July 6, 19809:00 PM EDTF1Alachua0.120
May 25, 19804:00 PM EDTF1Alachua1.030$500 to $5,000
June 21, 19799:08 PM EDTF1Alachua0.130$5,000 to $50,000
May 4, 19786:30 AM EDTF2Alachua12.83004$500,000 to $5 million
May 1, 19787:30 PM EDTF0Alachua0.110
April 19, 19787:40 AM ESTF2Alachua1.0506$50,000 to $500,000
June 21, 19772:04 PM EDTF1Alachua6.420
July 6, 19764:30 PM EDTF1Alachua0.140$5,000 to $50,000
January 25, 19752:49 PM ESTF0Alachua0.310
April 4, 19736:15 AM ESTF2Alachua39.0674$50,000 to $500,000
May 11, 19715:30 PM EDTF1Alachua0.330$50 to $500
February 3, 19702:45 AM ESTF2Alachua0.110$5,000 to $50,000
December 25, 19698:25 PM GMT-5F1Alachua0.110$500 to $5,000
September 28, 196611:00 AM GMT-4F2Alachua0.510$50,000 to $500,000
September 21, 19663:30 PM GMT-4F1Alachua0.110$500 to $5,000
August 16, 19644:00 PM GMT-4F0Alachua0.110
June 8, 19573:58 PM GMT-4F2Alachua0.133$500 to $5,000

Nearby

Warnings in force in Alachua CountyThe forecast for Alachua CountyThe live radar over Alachua CountyEvery county in 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.