Tornadoes · United States · Florida

Tornadoes in Martin County, Florida

43 tornadoes have crossed Martin County since 1950, 34th of the 67 counties in Florida with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.8 years. They have killed 1 person and injured 35. 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
43
Deaths
1
Injuries
35
F4 and above
0
Worst on record
F3, October 19, 1958

The deadliest in Martin County

  1. F3, Palm Beach and Martin counties, FloridaOctober 19, 19581 killed, 24 injured

The strongest

  1. EF3, Palm Beach and Martin counties, FloridaOctober 9, 2024EF3, 32.9 mi (53 km)
  2. F3, Palm Beach and Martin counties, FloridaOctober 19, 1958F3, 20.2 mi (33 km)
  3. F3, Martin County, FloridaJanuary 24, 1979F3, 9.6 mi (15 km)
  4. EF2, Palm Beach, Martin and Saint Lucie counties, FloridaOctober 9, 2024EF2, 65.5 mi (105 km)
  5. F2, Martin and Palm Beach counties, FloridaJune 17, 1959F2, 8.7 mi (14 km)
  6. EF2, Martin County, FloridaOctober 9, 2024EF2, 5.7 mi (9 km)
  7. F2, Martin County, FloridaFebruary 2, 1983F2, 2.0 mi (3 km)
  8. F2, Martin County, FloridaFebruary 9, 1973F2, 2.0 mi (3 km)
  9. F2, Martin County, FloridaOctober 14, 1964F2, 0.1 mi (0 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 29 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Martin County. Each year links to every tornado in Florida that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
202478EF3
20221EF0
20191EF0
20182EF0
20161EF1
20113EF0
20081EF0
20061F0
20042F0
19931F0
19911F0
19891F0
19861F0
198311F2
19821F0
19811F1
19793F3
19781F0
19771F0
197421F1
197311F2
19721F0
19701F1
19681F0
19641F2
19631F1
19592F2
19581124F3
19561F0

Every tornado that crossed Martin County

43 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
October 9, 20245:35 PM EDTEF2Martin5.7400$11 million
October 9, 20244:43 PM EDTEF3Palm Beach32.94577$81 million
October 9, 20244:33 PM EDTEF2Palm Beach65.5300$17 million
October 9, 20244:03 PM EDTEF1Martin3.02501$2.0 million
October 9, 20242:05 PM EDTEF0Martin17.9200$850,000
June 12, 202410:37 AM EDTEF1Martin1.7500
January 15, 20244:43 PM ESTEF0Martin8.250
March 11, 20224:24 PM ESTEF0Martin0.140$1,000
November 5, 20194:20 PM ESTEF0Martin0.310
May 27, 20184:04 PM EDTEF0Martin0.110$200
May 14, 201812:25 PM EDTEF0Martin0.150$8,000
January 17, 20167:13 AM ESTEF1Martin0.875$100,000
October 29, 20119:18 AM EDTEF0Martin0.440
October 29, 20119:16 AM EDTEF0Martin0.325$200,000
October 18, 20119:20 PM EDTEF0Martin0.3100$207,000
August 19, 200810:11 AM EDTEF0Martin0.030$20,000
August 24, 20064:00 PM EDTF0Martin0.330$20,000
March 16, 20043:28 PM ESTF0Martin0.130$10,000
March 16, 20043:15 PM ESTF0Martin0.230$20,000
April 5, 19934:15 AM EDTF0Martin0.230$5,000 to $50,000
March 3, 19911:50 PM ESTF0Martin0.320$50 to $500
August 9, 19892:40 PM EDTF0Martin0.210$5,000 to $50,000
August 28, 19861:20 PM EDTF0Martin1.030$5,000 to $50,000
February 2, 19831:20 PM ESTF2Martin2.0501$50,000 to $500,000
June 25, 19825:00 PM EDTF0Martin0.210$5,000 to $50,000
February 2, 198112:10 PM ESTF1Martin0.310$500 to $5,000
May 24, 19794:00 PM EDTF1Martin0.120$5,000 to $50,000
May 8, 19794:15 PM EDTF0Martin0.130$500 to $5,000
January 24, 19795:55 AM ESTF3Martin9.620$50,000 to $500,000
January 19, 19783:50 PM ESTF0Martin3.650$5,000 to $50,000
July 6, 19775:00 PM EDTF0Martin0.110$500 to $5,000
July 22, 19744:20 PM EDTF0Martin0.110$5,000 to $50,000
May 15, 19743:10 PM EDTF1Martin1.03331$50,000 to $500,000
February 9, 197311:28 PM ESTF2Martin2.0301$50,000 to $500,000
October 1, 19725:20 PM EDTF0Martin0.350$50 to $500
June 28, 19706:30 PM EDTF1Martin0.110$5,000 to $50,000
July 11, 19684:10 PM GMT-4F0Martin0.110under $50
October 14, 19646:00 PM GMT-4F2Martin0.110$500 to $5,000
August 1, 19635:00 PM GMT-4F1Martin0.110$50 to $500
October 17, 19594:30 PM GMT-4F0Martin0.110
June 17, 195911:05 PM GMT-4F2Martin8.7150$50,000 to $500,000
October 19, 19589:35 AM GMT-4F3Palm Beach20.2440124$50,000 to $500,000
August 27, 19563:00 PM GMT-4F0Martin0.110

Nearby

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