66
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
17
Direct injuries
$3.4M
Property damage
Tornado in St. Johns County, Florida: 66 recorded events between 1950 and 2025. The strongest on record measured F3. That places the county #190 nationally and #22 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Tornado in St. Johns County, Florida: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for tornado in St. Johns County is the 2000s, when 19 of the county's 66 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 St. Johns County archive, tornado makes up 8.4% of all recorded severe weather across 12 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #190 for this hazard and #22 within Florida, putting it in the 93.6 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Sep is the peak month for tornado in St. Johns County with 19 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1971-02-07 | EF3 | 13.1 mi | 200 yd | Touched down here |
| 1958-04-15 | EF3 | 3.6 mi | 73 yd | Touched down here |
| 2017-09-10 | EF2 | 1.2 mi | 300 yd | Crossed in |
| 2001-03-29 | EF2 | 12.0 mi | 150 yd | Crossed in |
| 1995-04-24 | EF2 | 10.0 mi | 350 yd | Crossed in |
| 1975-03-18 | EF2 | 1.0 mi | 100 yd | Touched down here |
| 1974-05-12 | EF2 | 4.3 mi | 100 yd | Touched down here |
| 1973-04-04 | EF2 | 39.0 mi | 67 yd | Crossed in |
| 1961-04-09 | EF2 | 5.1 mi | 200 yd | Touched down here |
| 2024-04-11 | EF1 | 6.7 mi | 310 yd | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 15, 1958 | F3 | 0 | 9 | $250K | |
| Apr 24, 1995 | Palatka | F2 | 0 | 5 | $1.1M |
| Apr 9, 1961 | F2 | 0 | 2 | $25K | |
| Apr 11, 2024 | MELDRIM PARK | EF1 | 0 | 1 | $0 |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 29, 2025 | SAMPSON CHURCH | EF0 | $0 |
| Apr 11, 2024 | MELDRIM PARK | EF1 | $0 |
| Apr 3, 2024 | DURBIN | EF0 | $0 |
| Sep 11, 2023 | RIVERDALE | EF0 | $75K |
| Feb 14, 2021 | BAKERSVILLE | EF0 | $0 |
| Mar 31, 2020 | PALM VLY | EF0 | $0 |
| Dec 14, 2019 | ELKTON | EF0 | $0 |
| Jul 23, 2018 | SOUTH DURBIN | EF0 | $0 |
| Sep 11, 2017 | SUMMER HAVEN | EF2 | $0 |
| Sep 10, 2017 | VILANO BEACH | EF1 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from St. Johns County
- Thunderstorm Wind 334
- Hail 119
- Heavy Rain 91
- Lightning 54
- Funnel Cloud 46
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A tornado touched town about five and a half miles west of Palatka travelled east northeast, lifting about one and a half miles northeast of Palatka. In Putnam County more than 200 building were damaged with 11 totally destroyed and over 150 vehicles were damaged. Winds were measured at 93 mph. In St Johns County, damage was confined mainly to trees downed. Damaged to buildings was mainly roof damage but several mobile homes were completely destroyed. Included in the damage was a hospital, community college and church.
A barn was severely damaged at Jen-Sar Farms and Produce store. A large barn was destroyed with noticeable debris lofted into nearby structures. A large tree was snapped at its base and fell on a mobile home causing significant damage by splitting the unit in two. Multiple trees were uprooted and fell on a boat near Elkton. The cost of damage was estimated, and is likely underestimated.
The public reported a landspout near Molasses Junction. Images were shared showing roof damage to the sheet metal and wooden structure pf a horse stable and an outdoor toilet blown over. The time of damage was based on radar.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many tornado events are on record in St. Johns County, Florida?
66 tornado events are recorded in St. Johns County between 1950 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths.
What is the strongest tornado recorded in St. Johns County?
The strongest tornado on record in St. Johns County measured F3.
Where does the tornado data for St. Johns 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 St. Johns County, Florida.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/florida/st-johns-county/tornado/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.