Tornadoes · United States · Florida

Tornadoes in Leon County, Florida

36 tornadoes have crossed Leon County since 1950, 36th of the 67 counties in Florida with a tornado on record, an average of one every 2.1 years. They have killed 2 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
36
Deaths
2
Injuries
1
F4 and above
0
Worst on record
EF3, March 3, 2019

The deadliest in Leon County

  1. EF2, Leon County, FloridaMay 10, 20242 killed

The strongest

  1. EF3, Leon and Jefferson counties, FloridaMarch 3, 2019EF3, 8.8 mi (14 km)
  2. EF2, Leon County, FloridaMay 10, 2024EF2, 24.8 mi (40 km)
  3. EF2, Gadsden and Leon counties, FloridaMay 10, 2024EF2, 24.2 mi (39 km)
  4. F2, Leon County, FloridaDecember 6, 1953F2, 8.4 mi (14 km)
  5. F2, Leon County, FloridaJanuary 28, 1952F2, 1.5 mi (2 km)
  6. F2, Leon County, FloridaMarch 28, 1972F2, 0.2 mi (0 km)
  7. F2, Leon County, FloridaMarch 28, 1972F2, 0.2 mi (0 km)
  8. F2, Leon County, FloridaApril 10, 1960F2, 0.1 mi (0 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 23 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Leon County. Each year links to every tornado in Florida that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20253EF1
202452EF2
20231EF1
20213EF1
20201EF1
20192EF3
20151EF1
20141EF0
20092EF0
200811EF1
20051F0
20041F0
20031F0
19951F1
19893F0
19851F0
19831F1
19761F0
19722F2
19651F0
19601F2
19531F2
19521F2

Every tornado that crossed Leon County

36 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
April 7, 202511:23 AM CDTEF1Leon to GA8.6150$100,000
April 7, 202511:27 AM EDTEF1Leon12.2300$3,000
March 31, 20253:46 PM EDTEF0Leon1.9100
May 10, 20246:50 AM EDTEF2Leon24.81,4002$92 million
May 10, 20246:44 AM EDTEF1Gadsden31.41,100$250,000
May 10, 20246:36 AM EDTEF2Gadsden24.2900$92 million
March 9, 202410:42 AM ESTEF1Jefferson3.4355
January 9, 202410:32 AM ESTEF0Leon1.050
January 25, 202310:23 AM ESTEF1Leon3.2550
April 10, 202111:28 AM EDTEF0Leon2.425
January 27, 202111:37 AM ESTEF1Leon21.4200$200,000
January 27, 202111:30 AM ESTEF1Leon0.850$5,000
April 23, 20206:22 PM EDTEF1Leon10.6600$10,000
April 19, 20198:26 AM EDTEF0Liberty18.1150
March 3, 20198:18 PM ESTEF3Leon8.8700$500,000
April 19, 201512:51 PM EDTEF1Leon4.6350$40,000
April 7, 20145:23 PM EDTEF0Leon0.550
December 9, 200912:05 PM ESTEF0Leon0.650$50,000
June 4, 200911:10 AM EDTEF0Leon0.125$1.3 million
March 7, 20087:25 AM ESTEF1Leon4.61501$750,000
December 5, 20051:40 PM ESTF0Leon0.230
September 16, 20045:45 AM EDTF0Jefferson5.575$50,000
August 12, 20035:50 PM EDTF0Leon3.050$1,000
November 11, 199511:50 AM ESTF1Leon0.5100$50,000 to $500,000
June 9, 198910:35 AM EDTF0Leon0.210
June 9, 19899:55 AM EDTF0Leon0.210
June 9, 19899:30 AM EDTF0Leon0.210
May 2, 19855:55 PM EDTF0Leon0.510$50 to $500
May 16, 198310:30 AM EDTF1Leon2.050$500,000 to $5 million
May 22, 19762:00 PM EDTF0Leon3.610$500 to $5,000
March 28, 197210:45 AM ESTF2Leon0.250$5,000 to $50,000
March 28, 197210:30 AM ESTF2Leon0.250$5,000 to $50,000
June 10, 19655:25 PM GMT-4F0Leon0.110under $50
April 10, 19604:00 PM GMT-5F2Leon0.177$500 to $5,000
December 6, 195312:00 PM GMT-5F2Leon8.410$5,000 to $50,000
January 28, 19527:45 AM GMT-5F2Leon1.533$5,000 to $50,000

Nearby

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