Hernando County, Florida severe weather history spans 275 recorded events between 1952 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 54.9% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,933 nationally and #43 in Florida.
275
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
9
Direct injuries
$12.4M
Property damage
The record
What the Hernando County, Florida severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Hernando County, Florida severe weather history averages 3.7 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 1990s, with 113 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 33 events fall before 1990 and 242 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is flood, with $7.7M 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 Hernando County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 151 | 0 | $1.8M | 70 | 1961–2026 |
| Tornado | 36 | 0 | $1.9M | F1 | 1952–2022 |
| Hail | 28 | 0 | $0 | 1.75 | 1961–2014 |
| Flood | 22 | 0 | $7.7M | 0 | 1996–2022 |
| Lightning | 17 | 0 | $735K | 0 | 1996–2012 |
| Heavy Rain | 8 | 0 | $5K | 0 | 1996–2016 |
| Waterspout | 4 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1996–2001 |
| Flash Flood | 3 | 0 | $50K | 0 | 2002–2003 |
| Funnel Cloud | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2024–2025 |
| Storm Surge/Tide | 2 | 0 | $100K | 0 | 1998–1999 |
| Frost/Freeze | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1999–1999 |
| Wildfire | 1 | 0 | $2K | 0 | 2000–2000 |
Decade by decade
Hernando County, Florida severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
37 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 35 touched down inside it and 2 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1968-11-09 | EF2 | 0 | 4 | 29.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 2022-03-12 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 5.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2022-12-15 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 10.3 mi | Crossed in |
| 2018-11-02 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 1998-09-02 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 1992-10-03 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 1992-10-03 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 1983-02-02 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1982-08-10 | EF1 | 0 | 1 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1975-03-18 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Hernando County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 8, 2004 | Lightning | SPRING HILL | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Jun 26, 2000 | Lightning | BROOKSVILLE | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Aug 30, 1998 | Lightning | BROOKSVILLE | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Jun 25, 1997 | Lightning | SPRING HILL | 0 | 1 | $10K |
| Apr 23, 1997 | Tornado | SPRING HILL | 0 | 1 | $150K |
| Oct 29, 1994 | Thunderstorm Wind | TPA | 0 | 1 | $500 |
| Jul 24, 1985 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $250 | |
| Aug 10, 1982 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $25K |
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 Withlacoochee River at Trilby to rise above flood stage on the 11th, with flooding continuing through the rest of the month. The water level crested at 17.67 feet on September 21st, 1.17 feet above the major flooding threshold. This marks the 5th highest river crest on record for the Withlacoochee River at Trilby.||Farther upstream on the Withlacoochee River, flooding begin at Croom on the 13th and continued through the rest of the month. The river level crested at 11.27 feet on the 22nd, 0.47 feet above the moderate flood stage.||The flood waters entered numerous homes, with Hernando County reporting that 4000 residents were impacted by the flooding. Flood damage to homes was estimated at $5 million.
The Withlacoochee River at Croom crested at 10.9 feet, nearly two feet above the flood stage of nine feet on the 31st. Several homes along Hernando-Pasco county line, from Croom south to Ridge Manor, were damaged by floodwaters. The most heavily damaged areas were near County Road 575 and U.S. Highway 301 at the Talisman Estates along the eastern Pasco-Hernando county line. Fifty-four homes were damaged by floodwaters of which ten were destroyed and another 27 incurred major damage.
A tornado sporatically touched down along a 16 mile path and damaged up to 50 homes from near U.S. HIghway 41, four miles southwest of Brooksville, east to the Ridge Manor area. Several trees and power lines were also downed from the tornado before it lifted and dissipated. Most damage to homes in the path of the tornado consisted of minor to moderate roof damage, destroyed porch and pool enclosures and downed trees.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
207,018
Population (ACS)
$276K
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 Hernando County, Florida?
275 events are on record between 1952 and 2026, causing 0 direct deaths and $12.4M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Hernando County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 151 recorded events — 54.9% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Hernando County?
37 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 35 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Hernando County?
40 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Hernando County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Hernando County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Hernando County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 88 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Hernando 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
- Hendry County 141
- Highlands County 248
- Hardee County 144
- Hillsborough County 1,171
- Hamilton County 245
- Holmes County 353
Cite this page
“Hernando County, Florida.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/florida/hernando-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.