Citrus County, Florida severe weather history spans 358 recorded events between 1962 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 45.3% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,440 nationally and #37 in Florida.
358
Recorded events
4
Direct deaths
23
Direct injuries
$28.2M
Property damage
The record
What the Citrus County, Florida severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Citrus County, Florida severe weather history averages 5.7 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 1990s, with 126 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 76 events fall before 1990 and 282 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Citrus County, Florida record is tornado, responsible for 3 direct deaths. The costliest is flood, with $13.9M in reported property damage. In total, 12 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Citrus County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 162 | 0 | $2.1M | 75 | 1964–2025 |
| Hail | 78 | 0 | $15K | 2 | 1962–2024 |
| Tornado | 51 | 3 | $10.6M | F3 | 1968–2024 |
| Lightning | 24 | 1 | $788K | 0 | 1996–2020 |
| Flood | 22 | 0 | $13.9M | 0 | 1997–2021 |
| Heavy Rain | 9 | 0 | $2K | 0 | 2004–2010 |
| Waterspout | 4 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1996–1999 |
| Flash Flood | 2 | 0 | $802K | 0 | 2003–2003 |
| Funnel Cloud | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2002–2005 |
| Wildfire | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2000–2000 |
| Frost/Freeze | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1999–1999 |
| Dense Fog | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1997–1997 |
Decade by decade
Citrus County, Florida severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
55 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 55 touched down inside it and 0 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983-04-09 | EF3 | 3 | 2 | 10.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2023-10-12 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 5.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2001-03-29 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 22.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1998-09-03 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 4.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1988-06-25 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2012-06-24 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 5.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2002-10-15 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 5.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1993-03-12 | EF1 | 0 | 3 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1984-08-16 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1984-04-09 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Citrus County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 9, 1983 | Tornado | 3 | 2 | $2.5M | |
| Jul 5, 2002 | Lightning | CRYSTAL RIVER | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jun 13, 2000 | Lightning | HERNANDO | 0 | 4 | $0 |
| Mar 13, 1993 | Tornado | Crystal River | 0 | 3 | $5.0M |
| Mar 12, 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | RED LEVEL | 0 | 2 | $150K |
| May 29, 2020 | Lightning | HOMOSASSA SPRINGS | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| Feb 24, 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | CRYSTAL RIVER | 0 | 2 | $300K |
| Sep 3, 1998 | Tornado | CRYSTAL RIVER | 0 | 2 | $500K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Emergency Management assessed around 200 properties with flood damage as a result of locally heavy rainfall over the course of the week coupled with swollen creeks and rivers along with saturated soils. A rising water table also contributed to the flooding. Damage ranges from water intrusion into homes to water rising into home-adjacent locations such as garages or areas beneath homes. Water levels remain elevated with some properties still to be assessed and some streets and highways still impassable.
The Withlacoochee River at Holder crested at 10.5 feet, two and a half feet above the flood stage of eight feet on the 20th. Up to 200 homes in the Arrowhead subdivision were damaged by floodwaters near State Road 200 north of County Road 491.
Most of the flooding problems occurred east of Highway 19 from Cardinal Lane to Green Acres and in the Crystal Manor area. Several homes along South Line Road in Lecanto had 18 inches of water inside after a county drainage retention pond overflowed. Rainfall totals for the day were 10.53 inches 3 miles east of Floral City and 6.51 inches in Chassahowitzka.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively High
FEMA NRI risk rating
162,472
Population (ACS)
$246K
Median home value
40
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 Citrus County, Florida?
358 events are on record between 1962 and 2025, causing 4 direct deaths and $28.2M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Citrus County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 162 recorded events — 45.3% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Citrus County?
55 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 55 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Citrus County?
40 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Citrus County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Citrus County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Citrus County as relatively high risk, placing it in the 95 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Citrus 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
- Charlotte County 261
- Clay County 596
- Calhoun County 218
- Collier County 418
- Broward County 1,172
- Columbia County 409
Cite this page
“Citrus County, Florida.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/florida/citrus-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.