Charlotte County, Florida severe weather history spans 261 recorded events between 1963 and 2024. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 33.3% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,040 nationally and #45 in Florida.
261
Recorded events
5
Direct deaths
24
Direct injuries
$18.1M
Property damage
The record
What the Charlotte County, Florida severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Charlotte County, Florida severe weather history averages 4.3 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 1990s, with 94 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 33 events fall before 1990 and 228 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Charlotte County, Florida record is lightning, responsible for 3 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $11.6M in reported property damage. In total, 11 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Charlotte County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 87 | 0 | $1.3M | 70 | 1964–2022 |
| Tornado | 65 | 2 | $11.6M | F2 | 1963–2024 |
| Hail | 38 | 0 | $0 | 2 | 1967–2022 |
| Lightning | 26 | 3 | $1.3M | 0 | 1996–2019 |
| Waterspout | 10 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1996–2001 |
| Funnel Cloud | 8 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2002–2024 |
| Heavy Rain | 7 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1996–2013 |
| Flood | 7 | 0 | $210K | 0 | 1997–1999 |
| Flash Flood | 5 | 0 | $3.6M | 0 | 1997–2003 |
| Wildfire | 5 | 0 | $60K | 0 | 1999–2000 |
| Dust Devil | 3 | 0 | $2K | 0 | 1999–2022 |
Decade by decade
Charlotte County, Florida severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
65 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 58 touched down inside it and 7 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1968-07-30 | EF2 | 2 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2006-06-21 | EF2 | 0 | 3 | 3.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1993-04-04 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1971-12-03 | EF2 | 0 | 5 | 7.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1963-11-10 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-10-09 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2023-04-30 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 4.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2022-01-16 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2022-01-16 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2017-03-13 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Charlotte County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 30, 2001 | Lightning | CHARLOTTE HARBOR | 2 | 0 | $50K |
| Jul 30, 1968 | Tornado | 2 | 0 | $25K | |
| Aug 14, 2016 | Lightning | GASPARILLA | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Aug 15, 2011 | Lightning | PORT CHARLOTTE | 0 | 5 | $0 |
| Jun 21, 2006 | Tornado | PORT CHARLOTTE | 0 | 3 | $500K |
| Sep 20, 1996 | Lightning | PUNTA GORDA | 0 | 3 | $0 |
| Dec 12, 1983 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 2 | $0 | |
| Nov 10, 1963 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $250K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A fire inspector for the State Fire Marshal's office determined that lightning lightning struck and ignited a fire at a group home on the 3400 block of Drance Street in Charlotte Harbor. The lightning ignited fire killed two developmentally disabled men residing at the group home.
William Coty Steffanni was struck by lightning while jet skiing near 1500 Gulf Boulevard in Englewood. A Sheriff Deputy dove into the water and brought Coty to shore where another deputy performed CPR. Coty was transferred to the hospital where he passed from his injuries three days later.
A tornado moved through a residential area of Port Charlotte and moved rapidly northeastward causing a 2-mile path of destruction. In all, 69 houses were damaged, 17 of which were severely damaged and one was destroyed. A male resident of this house was cut on the forearm and received a hairline fracture of his foot as the roof was completely lifted off the structure. Promenades Mall was then hit, severely damaging a Bryons department store which will be closed for 5 months for repairs, a supermarket, a medical center, a motel and several other small businesses. Many trees were uprooted, fences damaged, screen enclosures and outbuildings were destroyed. A wind gust of 61 mph was observed at Punta Gorda Airport at 0147 EST. Damage was estimated at $1 million by the emergency manager.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively High
FEMA NRI risk rating
201,064
Population (ACS)
$329K
Median home value
42
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 |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Charlotte County, Florida?
261 events are on record between 1963 and 2024, causing 5 direct deaths and $18.1M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Charlotte County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 87 recorded events — 33.3% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Charlotte County?
65 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 58 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Charlotte County?
42 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Charlotte County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Charlotte County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Charlotte County as relatively high risk, placing it in the 95 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Charlotte 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
- Calhoun County 218
- Citrus County 358
- Broward County 1,172
- Clay County 596
- Brevard County 953
- Collier County 418
Cite this page
“Charlotte County, Florida.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/florida/charlotte-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.