Alachua County, Florida severe weather history spans 852 recorded events between 1957 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 53.8% of all recorded events. It ranks #242 nationally and #10 in Florida.
852
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
33
Direct injuries
$16.2M
Property damage
The record
What the Alachua County, Florida severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Alachua County, Florida severe weather history averages 12.3 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 308 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 75 events fall before 1990 and 777 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Alachua County, Florida record is thunderstorm wind, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $11.7M in reported property damage. In total, 10 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Alachua County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 458 | 1 | $3.3M | 70 | 1961–2026 |
| Hail | 141 | 0 | $0 | 2.75 | 1961–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 93 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2003–2025 |
| Tornado | 45 | 1 | $11.7M | F2 | 1957–2021 |
| Flood | 34 | 0 | $28K | 0 | 2002–2024 |
| Funnel Cloud | 32 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–2024 |
| Lightning | 26 | 0 | $634K | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 11 | 0 | $532K | 0 | 1996–2023 |
| Wildfire | 11 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–2001 |
| Waterspout | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–1998 |
Decade by decade
Alachua County, Florida severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
49 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 46 touched down inside it and 3 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1986-03-14 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1983-02-02 | EF2 | 0 | 4 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1978-04-19 | EF2 | 0 | 6 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1978-05-04 | EF2 | 0 | 4 | 12.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 1973-04-04 | EF2 | 0 | 4 | 39.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1970-02-03 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1966-09-28 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1957-06-08 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1993-03-12 | EF1 | 1 | 4 | 0.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2007-12-16 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.8 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Alachua County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 13, 1993 | Tornado | LaCrosse | 1 | 4 | $5.0M |
| Jul 5, 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | GAINESVILLE EAST | 1 | 2 | $0 |
| Apr 19, 1978 | Tornado | 0 | 6 | $250K | |
| Feb 2, 1983 | Tornado | 0 | 4 | $250K | |
| May 4, 1978 | Tornado | 0 | 4 | $2.5M | |
| Apr 14, 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | ARCHER | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| Jun 3, 2018 | Lightning | ARREDONDA | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Jun 3, 2018 | Lightning | ARREDONDA | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A tornado destroyed a mobile home killing one person and injuring four others. A few houses were destroyed by the tornado and a resulting propane explosion at one of the residences. Trees and power lines were blown down. (F05M)
Lightning struck a home in La Crosse and burned the house to the ground. Pea size hail was also reported. In High Springs at 324 pm, there was another house fire from lightning in the Parker Estates Subdivision. The cost of damage was estimated.
Lightning struck a large boat which caused a fire. Significant damage occurred. The cost of damage was unknown, but it was estimated so the event could be included in Storm Data. This estimated value is likely inaccurate.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
285,492
Population (ACS)
$289K
Median home value
35
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 11, 2024 | Hurricane | HURRICANE MILTON | DR |
| Oct 7, 2024 | Hurricane | HURRICANE MILTON | EM |
| Sep 28, 2024 | Hurricane | HURRICANE HELENE | DR |
| Sep 24, 2024 | Tropical Storm | TROPICAL STORM HELENE | EM |
| Aug 10, 2024 | Tropical Storm | HURRICANE DEBBY | DR |
| Aug 3, 2024 | Tropical Storm | TROPICAL STORM DEBBY | EM |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Gainesville 106
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Alachua County, Florida?
852 events are on record between 1957 and 2026, causing 2 direct deaths and $16.2M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Alachua County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 458 recorded events — 53.8% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Alachua County?
49 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 46 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Alachua County?
35 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Alachua County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Alachua County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Alachua County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 90 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Alachua County, Florida severe weather history data come from?
Every figure is drawn from United States federal public-domain records: NOAA/NCEI Storm Events for the event archive, NOAA SPC SVRGIS for mapped tornado paths, FEMA for disaster declarations and risk ratings, and the U.S. Census for population context. Dates are shown in UTC and recent entries may still be revised by NOAA.
Nearby
Neighbouring counties
- Baker County 263
- Bay County 669
- Bradford County 222
- Brevard County 953
- Broward County 1,172
- Calhoun County 218
Cite this page
“Alachua County, Florida.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/florida/alachua-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.