Tornadoes · United States · Florida

Tornadoes in Osceola County, Florida

44 tornadoes have crossed Osceola County since 1950, 32nd of the 67 counties in Florida with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.7 years. They have killed 36 people and injured 704. 1 was rated F4 or EF4 and 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
44
Deaths
36
Injuries
704
F4 and above
1
Worst on record
F4, April 4, 1966

The deadliest in Osceola County

  1. F3, Orange and Osceola counties, FloridaFebruary 22, 199825 killed, 150 injured
  2. F4, Pinellas, Hillsborough, Polk and Osceola counties, FloridaApril 4, 196611 killed, 530 injured

The strongest

  1. F4, Pinellas, Hillsborough, Polk and Osceola counties, FloridaApril 4, 1966F4, 135.8 mi (219 km)
  2. F3, Orange and Osceola counties, FloridaFebruary 22, 1998F3, 28.0 mi (45 km)
  3. F2, Pinellas, Hillsborough, Polk and Osceola counties, FloridaApril 4, 1966F2, 123.3 mi (198 km)
  4. F2, Osceola and Brevard counties, FloridaMarch 24, 1983F2, 18.0 mi (29 km)
  5. F2, Osceola County, FloridaJanuary 28, 1973F2, 14.0 mi (23 km)
  6. F2, Osceola County, FloridaMarch 19, 1981F2, 5.4 mi (9 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 25 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Osceola County. Each year links to every tornado in Florida that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20251Unrated
20243EF1
20172EF0
20161EF0
20123EF0
20081EF0
20062F0
20044F1
20011F0
1998225150F3
19974F1
19961F0
19951F1
198713F1
19832F2
1981111F2
197811F0
19772F1
19761F0
19753F1
197317F2
19712F1
1966211530F4
196111F1
196011F1

Every tornado that crossed Osceola County

44 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
August 4, 20257:14 PM EDTUnratedOsceola2.2100
October 9, 20243:28 PM EDTEF1Osceola21.0150$100,000
October 9, 20243:14 PM EDTEF1Indian River8.2100$25,000
October 9, 20242:58 PM EDTUnratedIndian River9.650
July 7, 20178:29 PM EDTEF0Osceola0.725$20,000
June 14, 20171:30 PM EDTEF0Osceola0.010
July 8, 20168:33 PM EDTEF0Osceola0.330
August 27, 20123:09 AM EDTEF0Osceola0.830$15,000
June 24, 201210:46 PM EDTEF0Osceola1.150
June 24, 20129:55 PM EDTEF0Osceola3.1100
November 30, 200812:55 PM ESTEF0Osceola0.120
August 30, 20063:50 PM EDTF0Osceola0.230
August 30, 20063:38 PM EDTF0Osceola0.230
September 4, 200411:04 AM EDTF0Osceola0.120
August 13, 20048:50 PM EDTF1Osceola2.03,000
August 13, 20048:26 PM EDTF1Osceola2.0200
August 13, 20044:30 PM EDTF0Osceola0.230
June 3, 20016:15 PM EDTF0Osceola0.530
March 9, 19981:50 AM ESTF0Osceola0.250$70,000
February 22, 199812:40 AM ESTF3Orange28.025025150$55 million
December 27, 19974:45 AM ESTF1Osceola0.480$1.5 million
July 11, 19971:58 PM EDTF0Osceola0.330
July 5, 19973:05 PM EDTF0Osceola0.180$2,000
July 4, 19975:45 PM EDTF1Osceola0.540$200,000
April 30, 199611:15 AM EDTF0Osceola2.030$1.0 million
August 2, 19955:04 AM EDTF1Osceola0.340$50,000 to $500,000
September 1, 19873:40 PM EDTF1Osceola1.0303$50,000 to $500,000
March 24, 19836:50 AM ESTF1Osceola21.080$50,000 to $500,000
March 24, 19836:10 AM ESTF2Osceola18.090$5 million to $50 million
March 19, 19812:00 AM ESTF2Osceola5.45011$50,000 to $500,000
May 4, 19783:50 PM EDTF0Osceola0.1131$5,000 to $50,000
February 24, 19779:04 AM ESTF0Osceola0.310$5,000 to $50,000
January 10, 19776:50 AM ESTF1Osceola0.223$50,000 to $500,000
May 13, 19768:00 PM EDTF0Osceola0.110$5,000 to $50,000
May 14, 19758:50 PM EDTF1Osceola14.370$5,000 to $50,000
April 15, 197510:50 AM EDTF0Osceola0.123
April 15, 19757:15 AM EDTF0Osceola0.123$50 to $500
January 28, 197312:15 PM ESTF2Osceola14.01007$500,000 to $5 million
August 24, 19716:30 PM EDTF1Osceola0.350under $50
June 28, 19714:30 PM EDTF0Osceola0.350under $50
April 4, 19668:15 AM GMT-5F2Pinellas123.3150$50,000 to $500,000
April 4, 19668:00 AM GMT-5F4Pinellas135.830011530$5 million to $50 million
April 12, 19614:15 PM GMT-5F1Osceola14.61001$5,000 to $50,000
June 8, 19607:30 PM GMT-4F1Osceola0.1101$500 to $5,000

Nearby

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