Lake County, Florida severe weather history spans 380 recorded events between 1953 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 40.5% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,334 nationally and #35 in Florida.
380
Recorded events
29
Direct deaths
131
Direct injuries
$141.4M
Property damage
The record
What the Lake County, Florida severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Lake County, Florida severe weather history averages 5.3 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 93 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 73 events fall before 1990 and 307 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Lake County, Florida record is tornado, responsible for 23 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $117.5M 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 Lake County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 154 | 5 | $1.9M | 83 | 1967–2024 |
| Hail | 114 | 0 | $51K | 2.75 | 1957–2025 |
| Tornado | 62 | 23 | $117.5M | F3 | 1953–2025 |
| Funnel Cloud | 18 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1997–2020 |
| Lightning | 16 | 1 | $447K | 0 | 1997–2022 |
| Flash Flood | 5 | 0 | $2.9M | 0 | 1998–2025 |
| Flood | 5 | 0 | $18.5M | 0 | 2016–2024 |
| Heavy Rain | 5 | 0 | $10K | 0 | 2013–2025 |
| Debris Flow | 1 | 0 | $75K | 0 | 2013–2013 |
Decade by decade
Lake County, Florida severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
65 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 61 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007-02-02 | EF3 | 13 | 51 | 26.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2007-02-02 | EF3 | 8 | 10 | 10.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1998-02-22 | EF3 | 3 | 70 | 18.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1993-03-12 | EF2 | 1 | 60 | 30.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1987-04-15 | EF2 | 1 | 7 | 3.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1987-04-15 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 12.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1985-08-31 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 5.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1982-04-09 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 3.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1971-03-07 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1960-03-03 | EF2 | 0 | 6 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Lake County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 2, 2007 | Tornado | TURPENTINE | 13 | 9 | $46.0M |
| Feb 2, 2007 | Tornado | LADY LAKE | 8 | 10 | $52.0M |
| May 24, 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | ASTOR PARK | 3 | 2 | $0 |
| Mar 13, 1993 | Tornado | Mt. Dora | 1 | 60 | $5.0M |
| Apr 15, 1987 | Tornado | 1 | 7 | $2.5M | |
| Jun 27, 2018 | Lightning | UMATILLA | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Apr 20, 1992 | Thunderstorm Wind | 1 | 0 | $0 | |
| Mar 29, 1990 | Thunderstorm Wind | 1 | 0 | $0 |
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.
Strong thunderstorm winds estimated at 45 to 50 mph, produced 3-4 foot waves which capsized two boats and caused a third boat to tip severely. A 20 foot Sea Ray capsized with 2 adults and 5 children on board. All children were wearing life jackets, however two became trapped in the cabin and drowned when the boat overturned. A third child died the following day at a local hospital, from injuries sustained in the accident. One adult received minor injuries. An air-boat with 8 persons on-board also capsized, but with no injuries. A motor boat tipped severely and all on-board fell into the water. One person sustained a severed finger.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
412,924
Population (ACS)
$318K
Median home value
37
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 11, 2024 | Hurricane | HURRICANE MILTON | DR |
| Oct 7, 2024 | Hurricane | HURRICANE MILTON | EM |
| Aug 10, 2024 | Tropical Storm | HURRICANE DEBBY | DR |
| Aug 3, 2024 | Tropical Storm | TROPICAL STORM DEBBY | EM |
| Aug 31, 2023 | Hurricane | HURRICANE IDALIA | DR |
| Aug 28, 2023 | Tropical Storm | TROPICAL STORM IDALIA | EM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Lake County, Florida?
380 events are on record between 1953 and 2025, causing 29 direct deaths and $141.4M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Lake County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 154 recorded events — 40.5% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Lake County?
65 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 61 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Lake County?
37 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Lake County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Lake County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Lake County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 92 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Lake 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
- Lafayette County 137
- Lee County 652
- Jefferson County 320
- Leon County 1,241
- Jackson County 632
- Levy County 259
Cite this page
“Lake County, Florida.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/florida/lake-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.