Tornadoes · United States · Florida

Tornadoes in Lake County, Florida

63 tornadoes have crossed Lake County since 1950, 23rd of the 67 counties in Florida with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.2 years. They have killed 26 people and injured 217. 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
63
Deaths
26
Injuries
217
F4 and above
0
Worst on record
EF3, February 2, 2007

The deadliest in Lake County

  1. EF3, Lake and Volusia counties, FloridaFebruary 2, 200713 killed, 51 injured
  2. EF3, Lake County, FloridaFebruary 2, 20078 killed, 10 injured
  3. F3, Lake and Orange counties, FloridaFebruary 22, 19983 killed, 70 injured
  4. F2, Lake County, FloridaMarch 12, 19931 killed, 60 injured
  5. F2, Lake County, FloridaApril 15, 19871 killed, 7 injured

The strongest

  1. EF3, Lake and Volusia counties, FloridaFebruary 2, 2007EF3, 26.0 mi (42 km)
  2. F3, Lake and Orange counties, FloridaFebruary 22, 1998F3, 18.0 mi (29 km)
  3. EF3, Lake County, FloridaFebruary 2, 2007EF3, 10.5 mi (17 km)
  4. F2, Lake County, FloridaMarch 12, 1993F2, 30.0 mi (48 km)
  5. F2, Lake County, FloridaAugust 31, 1985F2, 5.0 mi (8 km)
  6. F2, Lake County, FloridaApril 15, 1987F2, 3.0 mi (5 km)
  7. F2, Lake County, FloridaApril 9, 1982F2, 3.0 mi (5 km)
  8. F2, Lake County, FloridaMarch 7, 1971F2, 0.3 mi (0 km)
  9. F2, Lake County, FloridaMay 10, 1962F2, 0.3 mi (0 km)
  10. F2, Lake County, FloridaMarch 3, 1960F2, 0.1 mi (0 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 38 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Lake County. Each year links to every tornado in Florida that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20251Unrated
202031EF0
20181EF0
20171EF1
20161EF0
20151EF0
20121EF0
20111EF0
20082EF0
200742161EF3
20062F0
19991F0
19981370F3
19972F0
19964F0
19931160F2
19911F1
19881F1
1987117F2
19861F1
19852F2
19842F0
19832F1
198221F2
19812F1
19792F1
197832F1
19771F0
19761F0
197525F1
19744F1
19711F2
19692F0
196823F1
19631F1
196211F2
196016F2
19531F1

Every tornado that crossed Lake County

63 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
May 12, 20258:55 PM EDTUnratedLake1.550
June 7, 20206:41 PM EDTEF0Lake0.520
June 7, 20203:40 PM EDTEF0Lake0.025
January 4, 202010:29 AM ESTEF0Lake2.41751
July 4, 20182:30 PM EDTEF0Lake1.075
September 10, 20176:28 PM EDTEF1Lake3.8500
September 1, 20168:40 PM EDTEF0Lake4.3250$22,000
June 1, 20155:40 PM EDTEF0Lake0.110
June 24, 20128:59 PM EDTEF0Lake3.7100
August 5, 20117:36 PM EDTEF0Lake0.410$25,000
August 13, 20089:00 PM EDTEF0Lake0.130$12,000
August 13, 20089:00 PM EDTEF0Lake0.130$12,000
September 20, 200710:57 PM EDTEF1Lake1.8300$6.2 million
July 24, 20077:20 PM EDTEF0Lake1.030
February 2, 20073:37 AM ESTEF3Lake26.04501351$98 million
February 2, 20073:17 AM ESTEF3Lake10.5450810$52 million
December 25, 200612:20 PM ESTF0Lake0.350$250,000
July 6, 20062:00 PM EDTF0Lake2.040$70,000
May 28, 19996:58 PM EDTF0Lake0.230$50,000
February 22, 199811:37 PM ESTF3Lake18.0200370$15 million
April 23, 199710:20 AM EDTF0Lake0.330$150,000
April 23, 199710:20 AM EDTF0Lake0.330$150,000
October 7, 19964:52 PM EDTF0Lake0.120
October 7, 19964:45 PM EDTF0Lake0.130
October 7, 19964:04 PM EDTF0Lake0.120
March 30, 19965:52 PM ESTF0Lake1.020
March 12, 199312:30 AM ESTF2Lake30.0200160$500,000 to $5 million
March 3, 19919:10 AM ESTF1Lake0.120$500 to $5,000
April 19, 198811:32 AM EDTF1Lake2.050$50,000 to $500,000
April 15, 198710:15 AM EDTF2Lake3.010017$500,000 to $5 million
March 14, 19866:30 AM ESTF1Lake2.010$500 to $5,000
August 31, 19856:00 PM EDTF0Lake2.020$500 to $5,000
August 31, 19858:30 AM EDTF2Lake5.050$500,000 to $5 million
June 26, 19846:00 PM EDTF0Lake0.510$50,000 to $500,000
April 9, 19842:00 PM ESTF0Lake1.010$500 to $5,000
April 23, 19831:30 PM ESTF1Lake3.030$50,000 to $500,000
April 15, 19833:00 PM ESTF1Lake1.030$500 to $5,000
May 25, 19828:30 PM EDTF1Lake0.520$5,000 to $50,000
April 9, 19828:00 AM ESTF2Lake3.0201$5,000 to $50,000
July 8, 19814:00 PM EDTF1Lake1.050$50,000 to $500,000
February 11, 198110:15 AM ESTF1Lake0.510$5,000 to $50,000
August 23, 19794:00 PM EDTF1Lake0.130$5,000 to $50,000
May 14, 19797:10 PM EDTF1Lake0.230$5,000 to $50,000
April 19, 197811:07 AM ESTF1Lake1.050$50,000 to $500,000
April 18, 19786:45 PM ESTF1Lake1.050$50,000 to $500,000
January 25, 19789:30 PM ESTF0Lake0.5202$5,000 to $50,000
August 18, 19777:00 PM EDTF0Lake0.213$500 to $5,000
May 25, 19768:50 AM EDTF0Lake0.110$500 to $5,000
April 11, 197512:30 PM EDTF1Lake0.550$50,000 to $500,000
February 6, 19753:40 PM ESTF1Citrus54.9505$50,000 to $500,000
August 6, 19745:20 PM EDTF1Lake0.5500$50,000 to $500,000
May 15, 19744:45 PM EDTF0Lake0.110
May 15, 19744:41 PM EDTF1Lake1.033$5,000 to $50,000
May 12, 197410:30 AM EDTF0Lake2.033$5,000 to $50,000
March 7, 19716:20 AM ESTF2Lake0.330$500 to $5,000
July 6, 19698:10 PM GMT-4F0Lake0.110
July 6, 19698:00 PM GMT-4F0Lake0.110
November 11, 19681:00 PM GMT-5F1Lake0.110$5,000 to $50,000
November 9, 19681:35 PM GMT-5F1Hillsborough69.3103$50,000 to $500,000
July 29, 19637:00 PM GMT-4F1Lake0.110$500 to $5,000
May 10, 19625:00 PM GMT-4F2Lake0.3331$500 to $5,000
March 3, 19605:30 AM GMT-5F2Lake0.1106$50,000 to $500,000
January 9, 19537:15 AM GMT-5F1Lake0.110$50 to $500

Nearby

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