62
Recorded events
23
Direct deaths
97
Direct injuries
$117.5M
Property damage
Tornado in Lake County, Florida: 62 recorded events between 1953 and 2025. The strongest on record measured F3. That places the county #221 nationally and #24 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Tornado in Lake County, Florida: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for tornado in Lake County is the 1970s, when 14 of the county's 62 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 Lake County archive, tornado makes up 16.3% of all recorded severe weather across 9 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #221 for this hazard and #24 within Florida, putting it in the 92.3 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Apr is the peak month for tornado in Lake County with 11 recorded events, while Nov 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007-02-02 | EF3 | 26.0 mi | 450 yd | Touched down here |
| 2007-02-02 | EF3 | 10.5 mi | 450 yd | Touched down here |
| 1998-02-22 | EF3 | 18.0 mi | 200 yd | Touched down here |
| 1993-03-12 | EF2 | 30.0 mi | 200 yd | Touched down here |
| 1987-04-15 | EF2 | 3.0 mi | 100 yd | Touched down here |
| 1987-04-15 | EF2 | 12.0 mi | 250 yd | Crossed in |
| 1985-08-31 | EF2 | 5.0 mi | 50 yd | Touched down here |
| 1982-04-09 | EF2 | 3.0 mi | 20 yd | Touched down here |
| 1971-03-07 | EF2 | 0.3 mi | 30 yd | Touched down here |
| 1960-03-03 | EF2 | 0.1 mi | 10 yd | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 2, 2007 | TURPENTINE | EF3 | 13 | 9 | $46.0M |
| Feb 2, 2007 | LADY LAKE | EF3 | 8 | 10 | $52.0M |
| Mar 13, 1993 | Mt. Dora | F2 | 1 | 60 | $5.0M |
| Apr 15, 1987 | F2 | 1 | 7 | $2.5M | |
| Mar 3, 1960 | F2 | 0 | 6 | $250K | |
| Jan 26, 1978 | F0 | 0 | 2 | $25K | |
| Jan 4, 2020 | OKAHUMPKA | EF0 | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Apr 9, 1982 | F2 | 0 | 1 | $25K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 13, 2025 | LANIER | EFU | $0 |
| Jun 7, 2020 | TAVARES | EF0 | $0 |
| Jun 7, 2020 | ORANGE BEND | EF0 | $0 |
| Jan 4, 2020 | OKAHUMPKA | EF0 | $0 |
| Jul 4, 2018 | TAVARES | EF0 | $0 |
| Sep 10, 2017 | TURPENTINE | EF1 | $0 |
| Sep 2, 2016 | FRUITLAND PARK | EF0 | $22K |
| Jun 1, 2015 | CLERMONT | EF0 | $0 |
| Jun 25, 2012 | LAKE LOUISA | EF0 | $0 |
| Aug 5, 2011 | GRAND IS | EF0 | $25K |
Other hazards here
More from Lake County
- Thunderstorm Wind 154
- Hail 114
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The mesocyclone that produced the Lady Lake tornado reintensified and produced a second F3 tornado in a rural area west southwest of Paisley. The tornado move east northeast at over 50 MPH toward the Lake Mack area just west of the St. Johns river. The tornado produced a quarter mile wide track across the Lake Mack area destroying 86 residences and damaging 144. Many mobile homes were completely destroyed. Thirteen people died in mobile homes.
The the tornado that moved out of Sumter County, crossed into Lake County just west of Lady Lake. The one quarter mile wide, F3 tornado moved across the Lady Lake area killing 8 people and injuring 10. The tornado damaged 180 residences and destroyed 101. All of the fatalities were in mobile homes. Moving east northeast at 50 MPH, the tornado lifted near Emrald Marsh Lake.
A small fast-moving tornado touched down near Howey-in-the-Hills. It moved northeast over Little Lake Harris and then over Lake Dora before striking Mt. Dora. It continued northeast exiting the county near Highway 44, three miles east of Forrest City. A 5-month old baby boy was killed in a mobile home 10 miles northeast of Mt. Dora at 0050 EST. The mobile home was completely destroyed and two adults in it were seriously injured. In all 13 homes were completely destroyed, 80 suffered major damage and 266 reported minor damage. (M00M)
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many tornado events are on record in Lake County, Florida?
62 tornado events are recorded in Lake County between 1953 and 2025, causing 23 direct deaths.
What is the strongest tornado recorded in Lake County?
The strongest tornado on record in Lake County measured F3.
Where does the tornado data for Lake 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 Lake County, Florida.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/florida/lake-county/tornado/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.