Hamilton County, Florida severe weather history spans 245 recorded events between 1961 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 59.2% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,137 nationally and #49 in Florida.
245
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
4
Direct injuries
$1.1M
Property damage
The record
What the Hamilton County, Florida severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Hamilton County, Florida severe weather history averages 3.8 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 106 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 5 events fall before 1990 and 240 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Hamilton County, Florida record is lightning, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $396K in reported property damage. In total, 9 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Hamilton County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 145 | 0 | $368K | 75 | 1984–2026 |
| Hail | 51 | 0 | $0 | 2.75 | 1989–2023 |
| Heavy Rain | 22 | 0 | $0 | 2.11 | 2004–2025 |
| Tornado | 8 | 0 | $396K | F2 | 1961–2013 |
| Flash Flood | 6 | 0 | $268K | 0 | 1998–2020 |
| Flood | 6 | 0 | $100K | 0 | 2009–2023 |
| Wildfire | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–1999 |
| Lightning | 2 | 1 | $0 | 0 | 2008–2018 |
| Funnel Cloud | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2002–2004 |
Decade by decade
Hamilton County, Florida severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
12 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 8 touched down inside it and 4 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988-04-19 | EF3 | 4 | 18 | 12.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1988-04-19 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1974-03-21 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 3.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 1983-12-28 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1961-03-31 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2013-07-31 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2005-07-10 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 10.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1999-11-01 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 10.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1998-02-16 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1997-10-26 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Hamilton County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 7, 2018 | Lightning | WHITE SPGS | 1 | 4 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Severe flash flooding occurred in White Springs with roads washed out to a depth of 8 to 12 feet. The first roadway washed out was 1st Street which was completely severed. The water then flowed along a stream bed to Jewett Street which was also completely severed to a depth of 12 ft. One culvert pipe was completely washed away and was not located. Kendrick Street was then flooded and approximately 20 ft of road bed was either washed away or undermined. The cost of damage was estimated, and it is likely grossly under-estimated.
Widespread flooding occurred across Hamilton county. At 9 pm on 6/25, law enforcement reported flooding at U.S. Highway 129 at County Road 150 in Jasper. At 6:43 am on 6/26, a CoCoRaHS observer about 5 miles WSW of Jennings reported 11 inches of rainfall. NW 13th Drive was flooded. At 8:16 am on 6/26 a co-operative observer reported a 24 hour rainfall total of 10.57 inches in Jasper. At 11:58 am that morning, another co-operative observer reported 13 inches of rainfall in about 12 hours about 7 miles north of White Springs. The cost of damage was estimated and is likely grossly under-estimated.
FDEM reported that the Hamilton EOC was flooded. Computers, furniture and records on the main floor were damaged. The road department reported that there was $30-$35K of repairs to roadways needed. The cost of damage for the EOC was unknown.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
13,616
Population (ACS)
$111K
Median home value
37
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 Hamilton County, Florida?
245 events are on record between 1961 and 2026, causing 1 direct deaths and $1.1M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Hamilton County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 145 recorded events — 59.2% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Hamilton County?
12 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 8 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Hamilton County?
37 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Hamilton County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Hamilton County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Hamilton County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 43 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Hamilton 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
- Gulf County 171
- Hardee County 144
- Glades County 119
- Hendry County 141
- Gilchrist County 163
- Hernando County 275
Cite this page
“Hamilton County, Florida.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/florida/hamilton-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.