Tornadoes · United States · Florida

Tornadoes in Washington County, Florida

34 tornadoes have crossed Washington County since 1950, 1 of them surveyed so far this year and still preliminary, 41st of the 67 counties in Florida with a tornado on record, an average of one every 2.2 years. They have killed 3 people and injured 37. 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
34
Deaths
3
Injuries
37
F4 and above
0
Worst on record
EF3, March 31, 2022

The deadliest in Washington County

  1. EF3, Washington and Jackson counties, FloridaMarch 31, 20222 killed, 1 injured
  2. F2, Washington and Jackson counties, FloridaMarch 15, 20011 killed, 21 injured

The strongest

  1. EF3, Washington and Jackson counties, FloridaMarch 31, 2022EF3, 12.1 mi (20 km)
  2. F2, Walton, Washington and Calhoun counties, FloridaApril 30, 1963F2, 61.0 mi (98 km)
  3. EF2, Washington and Jackson counties, FloridaApril 23, 2020EF2, 17.2 mi (28 km)
  4. F2, Washington and Jackson counties, FloridaMarch 15, 2001F2, 10.0 mi (16 km)
  5. F2, Holmes and Washington counties, FloridaDecember 10, 1967F2, 9.9 mi (16 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 24 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Washington County. Each year links to every tornado in Florida that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20261EF0
20241EF0
2022321EF3
20212EF0
20201EF2
20191EF1
20151EF1
20041F0
20031F0
20012121F2
20002F1
199743F1
19951F1
19941F0
19931F1
19921F0
19892F1
19871F1
19851F0
19761F0
1975212F1
19711F0
19671F2
19631F2

Every tornado that crossed Washington County

34 tornadoes, newest first. The 1 at the top is this year's, from the surveying office rather than SPC's published database, and its rating is marked as preliminary.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
June 18, 202610:25 PM CDTEF0Washington1.850
January 9, 20247:59 AM CSTEF0Washington0.950
March 31, 20224:09 AM CDTEF3Washington12.120021$600,000
March 9, 20225:12 AM CSTEF1Washington0.2100$100,000
March 9, 20225:06 AM CSTEF0Washington1.4200$75,000
March 18, 20216:02 AM CDTEF0Washington1.625
February 15, 20212:39 PM CSTEF0Washington0.7100$25,000
April 23, 20203:48 PM CDTEF2Washington17.2400$500,000
March 3, 20195:33 PM CSTEF1Washington5.3300$105,000
November 2, 201510:54 AM CSTEF1Washington6.250$75,000
September 15, 20047:37 PM CDTF0Washington12.075$50,000
February 16, 20034:30 AM CSTF0Washington0.275$100,000
October 13, 200111:00 PM CDTF1Washington2.7100$300,000
March 15, 20013:30 AM CSTF2Washington10.0350121$2.0 million
February 13, 20008:18 PM CSTF1Washington0.550$750,000
February 13, 20008:15 PM CSTF1Washington0.550$300,000
October 26, 19978:00 AM CSTF1Washington1.5100$250,000
October 26, 19977:30 AM CSTF1Washington1.0123$350,000
January 15, 199711:14 PM CSTF1Washington0.250$50,000
January 15, 199711:12 PM CSTF1Washington0.2503$30,000
November 11, 19959:32 AM CSTF1Washington0.120$5,000 to $50,000
June 25, 19948:30 AM CDTF0Washington0.110$500 to $5,000
April 26, 19935:30 AM CDTF1Washington5.073$50,000 to $500,000
January 23, 199212:10 AM CSTF0Washington0.720$50,000 to $500,000
December 12, 198910:15 AM CSTF1Washington10.050$50,000 to $500,000
November 8, 19894:30 AM CSTF0Washington0.210$5,000 to $50,000
November 17, 19874:02 AM CSTF1Washington1.030$5,000 to $50,000
October 31, 198510:30 AM CSTF0Washington6.010$5,000 to $50,000
March 21, 19766:20 AM CSTF0Washington6.220$5,000 to $50,000
September 23, 19759:30 AM CDTF1Washington0.130$5,000 to $50,000
January 12, 197510:15 AM CSTF1Washington53.05012$5,000 to $50,000
January 15, 197111:05 AM CSTF0Washington0.317$50 to $500
December 10, 19677:00 AM GMT-6F2Holmes9.9300$5,000 to $50,000
April 30, 19637:30 AM GMT-5F2Walton61.010$50,000 to $500,000

Nearby

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