147
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
124
Direct injuries
$23.5M
Property damage
Tornado in Hillsborough County, Florida: 147 recorded events between 1951 and 2025. The strongest on record measured F2. That places the county #8 nationally and #4 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Tornado in Hillsborough County, Florida: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for tornado in Hillsborough County is the 1970s, when 44 of the county's 147 recorded events were logged. Comparing decades is useful for spotting active periods, but the earliest years are thin because systematic reporting for this hazard began later.
Within the Hillsborough County archive, tornado makes up 12.6% of all recorded severe weather across 13 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #8 for this hazard and #4 within Florida, putting it in the 99.7 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jul is the peak month for tornado in Hillsborough County with 26 recorded events, while Sep is the quietest. Seasonality here is a property of the archive as much as the climate: reports cluster where population and spotter networks are densest.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
| Date | Scale | Path length | Max width | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1966-04-04 | EF4 | 135.8 mi | 300 yd | Crossed in |
| 1996-12-07 | EF2 | 2.0 mi | 83 yd | Touched down here |
| 1983-02-02 | EF2 | 4.0 mi | 40 yd | Touched down here |
| 1978-12-01 | EF2 | 0.6 mi | 30 yd | Touched down here |
| 1978-01-08 | EF2 | 10.0 mi | 100 yd | Touched down here |
| 1973-10-31 | EF2 | 27.9 mi | 100 yd | Crossed in |
| 1972-03-31 | EF2 | 1.0 mi | 30 yd | Touched down here |
| 1972-03-31 | EF2 | 0.2 mi | 30 yd | Touched down here |
| 1970-01-06 | EF2 | 0.1 mi | 10 yd | Touched down here |
| 1969-12-10 | EF2 | 0.1 mi | 10 yd | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 7, 1996 | TAMPA | F2 | 1 | 0 | $100K |
| Feb 19, 1974 | F1 | 0 | 53 | $2.5M | |
| Jan 9, 1953 | F2 | 0 | 12 | $25K | |
| Nov 1, 1973 | F2 | 0 | 8 | $2.5M | |
| Jan 22, 1973 | F1 | 0 | 8 | $25K | |
| Aug 20, 1980 | F1 | 0 | 6 | $250K | |
| Jul 2, 1964 | F2 | 0 | 6 | $25K | |
| Mar 31, 1972 | F2 | 0 | 4 | $250K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 8, 2025 | SEFFNER | EF0 | $0 |
| Jan 9, 2024 | COSME | EF1 | $250K |
| May 31, 2022 | SWEETWATER CREEK | EFU | $20K |
| Dec 16, 2020 | KNIGHTS | EF1 | $30K |
| Dec 9, 2018 | BALM | EF1 | $10K |
| Jun 29, 2018 | HARNEY | EF0 | $100K |
| Apr 24, 2018 | GULF CITY | EF0 | $50K |
| Feb 24, 2016 | FORT LONESOME | EF0 | $0 |
| May 30, 2014 | BOYETTE | EF0 | $50K |
| Mar 6, 2014 | ROCKY CREEK | EF0 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Hillsborough County
- Thunderstorm Wind 481
- Hail 287
- Lightning 108
- Flood 74
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The area around the Tampa Port Authority and Progress Village suffered extensive damage from an EF1 tornado. Numerous roofs were blown off and 40 feet long storage containers were overturned around the Tampa Port Authority. There were 118 homes and businesses with minor damage in Progress Village, and 40 that sustained major damage. In addition, 245 homes are being assisted with tree damage in the Progress Village area.
A waterspout moved north from the northeast corner of Old Tampa Bay onshore to Highway 60 overturning a tractor semi-trailer. The tornado uprooted small trees on the east end of Pelican Island. Tile roofs, pool enclosures, and gazebos were damaged on several homes on Pelican Island Drive. The tornado continued north and did extensive roof damage to a large warehouse. An ornamental structure on Egypt Temple Shrine was torn off. Windows of 15 to 20 cars were blown out. Several mobile homes and a fence were blown over.
A tornado touched down on 10th Street and Martin Luther King Blvd and downed several trees and power lines. The tornado continued northeast across a residential area where it caused minor roof and garage damage and downed a few trees and power lines. A small warehouse incurred roof damage and a gazebo was picked up and destroyed by the tornadic wind near Giddens Street and 15th Avenue. A woman working in the damaged warehouse received neck and back injuries from the wind blown roof debris.The tornado crossed the intersection of Hillsborough Avenue and 17th Street where it blew down the sign of a Checker Hamburgers fast-food restaurant, damaged several dozen vehicles of an auto dealership and downed a large flag pole.The next touchdown occurred on 30th Street and Crawford where two ten inch diameter pine trees were snapped off twenty feet above ground level. The final touchdown occurred at a water treatment plant along the Hillsborough River where minor damage was reported.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many tornado events are on record in Hillsborough County, Florida?
147 tornado events are recorded in Hillsborough County between 1951 and 2025, causing 1 direct deaths.
What is the strongest tornado recorded in Hillsborough County?
The strongest tornado on record in Hillsborough County measured F2.
Where does the tornado data for Hillsborough County come from?
All events come from the NOAA/NCEI Storm Events Database, the federal public-domain archive of severe weather reports. Dates are UTC, damage is as reported and not inflation-adjusted, and the most recent entries may still be revised.
Cite this page
“Tornado in Hillsborough County, Florida.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/florida/hillsborough-county/tornado/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.