Tornadoes · United States · Florida

Tornadoes in Highlands County, Florida

49 tornadoes have crossed Highlands County since 1950, 29th of the 67 counties in Florida with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.6 years. They have killed 2 people and injured 19. 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
49
Deaths
2
Injuries
19
F4 and above
0
Worst on record
F2, February 2, 1983

The deadliest in Highlands County

  1. F2, Highlands County, FloridaFebruary 2, 19831 killed, 6 injured
  2. EF0, Highlands County, FloridaJune 24, 20121 killed

The strongest

  1. EF2, Highlands County, FloridaOctober 9, 2024EF2, 2.9 mi (5 km)
  2. F2, Highlands County, FloridaFebruary 2, 1983F2, 1.0 mi (2 km)
  3. F2, Highlands County, FloridaJune 17, 1982F2, 1.0 mi (2 km)
  4. F2, Highlands County, FloridaJune 18, 1971F2, 1.0 mi (2 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 28 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Highlands County. Each year links to every tornado in Florida that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
202451EF2
20221EF1
201231EF1
20111EF0
20081EF0
20051F0
20001F0
19992F0
19982F1
19972F0
19952F0
19931F0
199021F1
19891F0
1983216F2
198249F2
19791F1
197832F1
19772F0
19761F0
19751F1
19731F1
19721F0
19712F2
19702F0
19691F1
19672F1
19641F0

Every tornado that crossed Highlands County

49 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
October 9, 20242:47 PM EDTEF0Highlands0.675$50,000
October 9, 20242:42 PM EDTEF1Highlands0.550$25,000
October 9, 20242:30 PM EDTEF1Highlands0.6100$100,000
October 9, 20242:13 PM EDTEF2Highlands2.93001$500,000
October 9, 202412:37 PM EDTEF1Highlands6.8500$50,000
March 12, 202211:45 AM ESTEF1Highlands0.750
June 26, 201210:25 AM EDTEF0Highlands1.140
June 24, 20123:23 PM EDTEF1Highlands5.3100$60,000
June 24, 201212:23 PM EDTEF0Highlands3.51501$15,000
January 25, 20118:09 PM ESTEF0Highlands0.930$5,000
July 1, 20083:58 PM EDTEF0Highlands0.410$50,000
October 24, 20056:00 AM EDTF0Highlands1.050$10,000
September 17, 20008:15 AM EDTF0Highlands17.00$30,000
June 4, 19997:07 PM EDTF0Highlands0.30$100,000
January 3, 19991:45 AM ESTF0Highlands0.110$10,000
March 9, 19981:19 AM ESTF1Hardee15.5200$510,000
January 23, 19989:45 AM ESTF0Highlands0.330$10,000
August 20, 19976:18 PM EDTF0Highlands0.810$100,000
April 28, 19972:00 PM EDTF0Highlands0.210
August 31, 19954:30 PM EDTF0Highlands2.210$500 to $5,000
July 21, 19953:37 PM EDTF0Highlands0.110$500 to $5,000
April 5, 19933:15 AM EDTF0Highlands0.250$5,000 to $50,000
November 9, 19902:15 PM ESTF1Highlands5.0401$5,000 to $50,000
June 3, 19905:50 PM EDTF0Highlands0.210
June 18, 19893:40 PM EDTF0Highlands0.210
June 25, 19838:00 PM EDTF1Highlands0.430$50,000 to $500,000
February 2, 19839:20 AM ESTF2Highlands1.04016$50,000 to $500,000
June 17, 198212:30 AM EDTF1Highlands0.510$50,000 to $500,000
June 17, 198212:15 AM EDTF2Highlands1.02009$50 to $500
June 17, 198211:30 PM EDTF0Highlands1.010$5,000 to $50,000
March 6, 19825:00 AM ESTF1Highlands1.0100$50,000 to $500,000
January 24, 19795:00 AM ESTF1Highlands0.110$50,000 to $500,000
May 4, 19784:00 PM EDTF0Highlands0.120$5,000 to $50,000
May 4, 19783:20 PM EDTF1Highlands0.5502$500,000 to $5 million
March 3, 19781:35 PM ESTF1Highlands0.120$5,000 to $50,000
June 6, 19775:00 PM EDTF0Highlands0.113$500 to $5,000
May 24, 19774:30 PM EDTF0Highlands0.120
April 8, 19764:00 PM ESTF0Highlands0.520$50,000 to $500,000
June 1, 19756:00 PM EDTF1Highlands0.530$5,000 to $50,000
March 8, 19736:20 PM ESTF1Highlands0.320$50 to $500
June 18, 19726:45 PM EDTF0Highlands1.020under $50
June 18, 19716:15 PM EDTF2Highlands1.020$5,000 to $50,000
June 11, 19714:45 PM EDTF1Highlands0.320$500 to $5,000
February 3, 19709:00 AM ESTF0Highlands0.110$500 to $5,000
January 6, 197011:35 AM ESTF0Highlands0.110
August 13, 19693:35 PM GMT-4F1Highlands3.610$5,000 to $50,000
May 30, 19674:00 PM GMT-4F1Highlands0.110$5,000 to $50,000
May 17, 19676:00 PM GMT-4F1Highlands0.110$5,000 to $50,000
February 18, 19645:00 PM GMT-5F0Highlands0.110

Nearby

Warnings in force in Highlands CountyThe forecast for Highlands CountyThe live radar over Highlands 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.