Hardee County, Florida severe weather history spans 144 recorded events between 1961 and 2024. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 38.9% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,728 nationally and #59 in Florida.
144
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
2
Direct injuries
$5.3M
Property damage
The record
What the Hardee County, Florida severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Hardee County, Florida severe weather history averages 2.3 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 54 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 15 events fall before 1990 and 129 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is flood, with $1.8M in reported property damage. In total, 7 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Hardee County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 56 | 0 | $789K | 60 | 1970–2022 |
| Hail | 29 | 0 | $4K | 2 | 1962–2022 |
| Tornado | 24 | 0 | $921K | F1 | 1961–2024 |
| Flood | 17 | 0 | $1.8M | 0 | 1997–2021 |
| Flash Flood | 7 | 0 | $1.7M | 0 | 1997–2003 |
| Lightning | 6 | 0 | $98K | 0 | 2003–2019 |
| Heavy Rain | 5 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2004–2008 |
Decade by decade
Hardee County, Florida severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
26 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 25 touched down inside it and 1 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-10-09 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2017-09-10 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2004-06-04 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1998-03-09 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 15.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1980-09-15 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1971-06-18 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1961-07-14 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-08-04 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 1.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2022-04-04 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2012-06-24 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 17.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Hardee County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 5, 2004 | Lightning | FT GREEN | 0 | 2 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Heavy rains from Hurricane Irma caused the Peace River at Zolfo Springs to rise above flood stage on the 12th, with flooding continuing through the 24th. The water level crested at 23.85 feet on the 13th, 1.85 feet above the major flooding threshold. This marks the third highest crest in history for the Peace River at Zolfo Springs.||The waters were reported to have flooded the Little Charlie Creek RV Park near Wauchula. Flood damage to homes was estimated at $1.64 million.
A tornado caused moderate damage to seven homes, destroyed several buildings at CF Industries, and destroyed part of an orange grove. Much of the damage was near the intersection of State Highway 62 and Baptist Church Road, extending northeast to the intersection of Alderman and County Road 664.
The Hardee County Sheriffs Department reported that thunderstorm winds destroyed a barn, downed several trees and power lines, and caused roof damage to homes from Bowling Green south to Wauchula. In Wauchula, thunderstorm winds blew in a few of the T-hanger doors at the Wauchula Municipal Airport.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
25,675
Population (ACS)
$154K
Median home value
36
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 11, 2024 | Hurricane | HURRICANE MILTON | DR |
| Oct 7, 2024 | Hurricane | HURRICANE MILTON | EM |
| Aug 10, 2024 | Tropical Storm | HURRICANE DEBBY | DR |
| Aug 3, 2024 | Tropical Storm | TROPICAL STORM DEBBY | EM |
| Aug 31, 2023 | Hurricane | HURRICANE IDALIA | DR |
| Aug 28, 2023 | Tropical Storm | TROPICAL STORM IDALIA | EM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Hardee County, Florida?
144 events are on record between 1961 and 2024, causing 0 direct deaths and $5.3M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Hardee County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 56 recorded events — 38.9% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Hardee County?
26 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 25 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Hardee County?
36 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Hardee County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Hardee County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Hardee County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 69 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Hardee 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
- Hamilton County 245
- Hendry County 141
- Gulf County 171
- Hernando County 275
- Glades County 119
- Highlands County 248
Cite this page
“Hardee County, Florida.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/florida/hardee-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.