Hillsborough County, Florida severe weather history spans 1,171 recorded events between 1951 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 41.1% of all recorded events. It ranks #84 nationally and #5 in Florida.
1,171
Recorded events
15
Direct deaths
233
Direct injuries
$68.1M
Property damage
The record
What the Hillsborough County, Florida severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Hillsborough County, Florida severe weather history averages 15.6 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 1990s, with 385 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 241 events fall before 1990 and 930 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Hillsborough County, Florida record is lightning, responsible for 9 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $23.5M in reported property damage. In total, 13 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Hillsborough County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 481 | 1 | $12.9M | 89 | 1955–2026 |
| Hail | 287 | 0 | $1.2M | 3 | 1958–2025 |
| Tornado | 147 | 1 | $23.5M | F2 | 1951–2025 |
| Lightning | 108 | 9 | $6.0M | 0 | 1996–2023 |
| Flood | 74 | 0 | $17.2M | 3.15 | 1996–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 39 | 0 | $11K | 4.5 | 1997–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 11 | 1 | $7.4M | 0 | 1997–2025 |
| Waterspout | 8 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1996–2000 |
| Funnel Cloud | 7 | 0 | $7K | 0 | 2002–2022 |
| Dust Devil | 3 | 0 | $5K | 0 | 2001–2009 |
| Storm Surge/Tide | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–1999 |
| Rip Current | 2 | 3 | $0 | 0 | 1998–1999 |
| Wildfire | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1999–2000 |
Decade by decade
Hillsborough County, Florida severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
144 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 136 touched down inside it and 8 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1966-04-04 | EF4 | 11 | 530 | 135.8 mi | Crossed in |
| 1996-12-07 | EF2 | 1 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1983-02-02 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 4.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1978-01-08 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 10.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1978-12-01 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 1973-10-31 | EF2 | 0 | 17 | 27.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 1972-03-31 | EF2 | 0 | 4 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1972-03-31 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1970-01-06 | EF2 | 0 | 3 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1969-12-10 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Hillsborough County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 23, 1998 | Rip Current | TAMPA | 2 | 0 | $0 |
| Jun 24, 2000 | Lightning | TAMPA | 1 | 1 | $0 |
| Sep 26, 1997 | Flash Flood | PLANT CITY | 1 | 1 | $5.3M |
| Jul 12, 1997 | Lightning | TAMPA | 1 | 1 | $0 |
| May 14, 2014 | Lightning | PLEASANT GROVE | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Sep 10, 2011 | Lightning | SULPHUR SPGS | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jun 29, 2002 | Lightning | TEMPLE TERRACE | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Aug 10, 2001 | Lightning | TEMPLE TERRACE | 1 | 0 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A 21-year-old male employee at an area water park was standing in a 2 to 3 foot deep pool of water near a water slide tower when he was struck by lightning. It was the first strike in the area at the time. He went into cardiac arrest and later died at the hospital.
The broadcast media reported that a 44 year old male was struck on the top of the head and killed by lightning while walking under a group of large trees, near the intersection of Alumni and Laurel Drive, at the University of South Florida in Temple Terrace, during a rain storm.
A 27 year old male was struck and killed by lightning while fishing on a pond south of 19th Avenue near U.S. Highway 41 in Ruskin. Lightning struck the victims fishing rod and killed him instantly. Also, the lightning strike partially burned the victim's clothes and fishing boat.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively High
FEMA NRI risk rating
1,522,748
Population (ACS)
$372K
Median home value
47
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 |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Tampa 249
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Hillsborough County, Florida?
1,171 events are on record between 1951 and 2026, causing 15 direct deaths and $68.1M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Hillsborough County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 481 recorded events — 41.1% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Hillsborough County?
144 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 136 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Hillsborough County?
47 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Hillsborough County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Hillsborough County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Hillsborough County as relatively high risk, placing it in the 99 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Hillsborough 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
- Highlands County 248
- Holmes County 353
- Hernando County 275
- Indian River County 220
- Hendry County 141
- Jackson County 632
Cite this page
“Hillsborough County, Florida.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/florida/hillsborough-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.