Indian River County, Florida severe weather history spans 220 recorded events between 1958 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 35.0% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,321 nationally and #53 in Florida.
220
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
12
Direct injuries
$65.4M
Property damage
The record
What the Indian River County, Florida severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Indian River County, Florida severe weather history averages 3.3 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 1990s, with 58 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 45 events fall before 1990 and 175 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Indian River County, Florida record is lightning, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $61.6M in reported property damage. In total, 9 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Indian River County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 77 | 0 | $902K | 87 | 1960–2023 |
| Hail | 67 | 0 | $500 | 3 | 1960–2025 |
| Tornado | 34 | 0 | $61.6M | F2 | 1958–2024 |
| Funnel Cloud | 11 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1996–2023 |
| Flood | 10 | 0 | $1.3M | 0 | 1999–2023 |
| Lightning | 8 | 1 | $1.4M | 0 | 1997–2023 |
| Flash Flood | 6 | 0 | $110K | 0 | 2002–2024 |
| Heavy Rain | 5 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2011–2023 |
| Waterspout | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1997–1998 |
Decade by decade
Indian River County, Florida severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
40 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 36 touched down inside it and 4 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 | EF3 | 6 | 0 | 21.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 2017-04-06 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 4.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 1970-02-03 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1963-11-10 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-10-09 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 8.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-10-09 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 7.8 mi | Crossed in |
| 2024-10-09 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 4.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-10-09 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-10-09 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 11.4 mi | Crossed in |
| 2016-05-17 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Indian River County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 20, 2003 | Lightning | WABASSO | 1 | 4 | $0 |
| Aug 14, 2023 | Lightning | SEBASTIAN | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| Aug 7, 2011 | Lightning | SEBASTIAN | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Jun 23, 2008 | Lightning | INDIAN RIVER SHRS | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Dec 13, 2002 | Tornado | WABASSO | 0 | 1 | $110K |
| Jun 22, 2000 | Lightning | SEBASTIAN | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Mar 13, 1993 | Thunderstorm Wind | Vero Beach | 0 | 1 | $500K |
| Apr 25, 1991 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A 49 year old woman was struck and killed by lightning while standing on a soccer field. About 20 other people were knocked to the ground by the strike. Four other people were transported to a local hospital. This was the first lightning ground stroke of the day in the area as showers began moving inland from the Atlantic.
This tornado, the second of two to impact downtown Vero Beach, started on the west side of the tracks in Vero Beach South where a few instances of vegetative damage were noted. The circulation strengthened as it continued north along the tracks where more significant damage was noted to trees and structures between 20th St (SR 60) and the Vero Beach airport, coincident with wind gusts up to 100 mph. ||Several businesses suffered extensive roof loss and numerous trees were uprooted. Additionally, a large metal warehouse shifted off its foundation as its walls and roof collapsed near the train tracks at 19th Pl. The tornado continued north toward the Vero Beach Airport where dual-polarimetric radar data suggests the circulation quickly weakened as it approached Gifford.
This tornado, the first of two to impact downtown Vero Beach, likely touched down in Vero Beach South along US-1 near 12th St. where generally vegetative damage was noted in the form of downed trees. Damage to residences and businesses was noted further to the north, particularly to roofs, as the tornado likely strengthened and produce wind speeds of up to 85 mph. ||The circulation intersected the Vero Beach Police Department at approximately 1453EST per surveillance video where several trees and utility poles were downed. A mesonet weather station at the facility recorded a peak wind gust of 92 mph at 1455EST. Several trees were downed in neighborhoods to the north of 20th St and US-1. The tornado continued on a north northwest path, generally near and just east of US-1 and the railroad tracks before diminishing as it moved into the Gifford area.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively High
FEMA NRI risk rating
166,936
Population (ACS)
$352K
Median home value
35
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 11, 2024 | Hurricane | HURRICANE MILTON | DR |
| Oct 7, 2024 | Hurricane | HURRICANE MILTON | EM |
| Dec 13, 2022 | Hurricane | HURRICANE NICOLE | DR |
| Nov 8, 2022 | Tropical Storm | TROPICAL STORM NICOLE | EM |
| Sep 29, 2022 | Hurricane | HURRICANE IAN | DR |
| Sep 24, 2022 | Hurricane | TROPICAL STORM IAN | EM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Indian River County, Florida?
220 events are on record between 1958 and 2025, causing 1 direct deaths and $65.4M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Indian River County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 77 recorded events — 35.0% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Indian River County?
40 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 36 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Indian River County?
35 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Indian River County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Indian River County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Indian River County as relatively high risk, placing it in the 96 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Indian River 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
- Holmes County 353
- Jackson County 632
- Hillsborough County 1,171
- Jefferson County 320
- Highlands County 248
- Lafayette County 137
Cite this page
“Indian River County, Florida.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/florida/indian-river-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.