Tornadoes · United States · Florida

Tornadoes in Indian River County, Florida

35 tornadoes have crossed Indian River County since 1950, 39th of the 67 counties in Florida with a tornado on record, an average of one every 2.2 years. They have killed 6 people and injured 1. 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
35
Deaths
6
Injuries
1
F4 and above
0
Worst on record
EF3, October 9, 2024

The deadliest in Indian River County

The strongest

Every year with a tornado

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

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
202476EF3
20221EF0
20211EF0
20171EF0
20161EF1
20121EF0
20111EF0
20101EF0
20091EF0
20041F1
200211F1
20012F1
19981F1
19961F0
19931F0
19921F0
19871F0
19851F1
19841F0
19811F0
19791F1
19781F0
19731F0
19701F2
19691F0
19661F0
19631F2
19581F0

Every tornado that crossed Indian River County

35 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
October 9, 20244:59 PM EDTEF3Saint Lucie21.25006$514 million
October 9, 20244:09 PM EDTEF1Indian River3.4100$12 million
October 9, 20243:48 PM EDTEF1Indian River4.5150$8.0 million
October 9, 20243:14 PM EDTEF1Indian River8.2100$25,000
October 9, 20243:05 PM EDTEF1Saint Lucie11.4100$350,000
October 9, 20242:58 PM EDTUnratedIndian River9.650
October 9, 20242:47 PM EDTEF1Indian River7.8100
October 17, 20226:41 PM EDTEF0Indian River0.5100$142,000
February 6, 20214:12 PM ESTEF0Indian River0.165
August 18, 20175:40 PM EDTEF0Indian River0.220
May 17, 20162:48 PM EDTEF1Indian River0.1100$395,000
August 27, 201212:03 PM EDTEF0Indian River1.6180$500,000
October 18, 20119:30 PM EDTEF0Indian River0.175$24,000
June 18, 20104:54 PM EDTEF0Indian River0.010
July 12, 20096:30 PM EDTEF0Indian River0.420
September 25, 200411:04 PM EDTF1Indian River0.530$20,000
December 13, 200211:55 AM ESTF1Indian River1.2601$110,000
September 14, 20017:25 AM EDTF0Indian River0.230$3,000
June 24, 20012:45 PM EDTF1Indian River2.00$200,000
September 25, 199811:50 AM EDTF1Indian River2.040$700,000
March 31, 19968:44 PM ESTF0Indian River0.130
September 29, 19938:00 AM EDTF0Indian River0.520
June 27, 19922:30 PM EDTF0Indian River0.110$5,000 to $50,000
July 12, 19874:10 PM EDTF0Indian River1.030$5,000 to $50,000
May 25, 19857:10 PM EDTF1Indian River2.030$5,000 to $50,000
May 24, 19845:15 PM EDTF0Indian River1.030$500 to $5,000
August 20, 19812:30 PM EDTF0Indian River0.130
September 3, 19791:25 PM EDTF1Indian River0.130$50,000 to $500,000
October 4, 19783:00 PM EDTF0Indian River0.320$5,000 to $50,000
April 8, 19733:00 AM ESTF0Indian River0.220$500 to $5,000
February 3, 19709:45 AM ESTF2Indian River0.110$5,000 to $50,000
July 23, 19694:38 PM GMT-4F0Indian River0.110
June 18, 19663:52 PM GMT-4F0Indian River0.110
November 10, 19631:00 PM GMT-5F2Indian River2.010$500 to $5,000
June 27, 19587:00 PM GMT-4F0Indian River0.110under $50

Nearby

Warnings in force in Indian River CountyThe forecast for Indian River CountyThe live radar over Indian River 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.