149
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
8
Direct injuries
$2.6M
Property damage
Thunderstorm Wind in Sarasota County, Florida: 149 recorded events between 1960 and 2025. The strongest on record measured 71. That places the county #1,545 nationally and #41 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Thunderstorm Wind in Sarasota County, Florida: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for thunderstorm wind in Sarasota County is the 1990s, when 69 of the county's 149 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 Sarasota County archive, thunderstorm wind makes up 38.7% of all recorded severe weather across 12 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #1,545 for this hazard and #41 within Florida, putting it in the 51.1 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Aug is the peak month for thunderstorm wind in Sarasota County with 24 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.
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 26, 1998 | VENICE | 0 | 1 | 0 | $30K |
| Apr 7, 2005 | VENICE | 50 | 0 | 5 | $10K |
| Jan 13, 2009 | RIDGE WOOD HEIGHTS | 43 | 0 | 1 | $1K |
| May 4, 1998 | ENGLEWOOD | 0 | 0 | 1 | $12K |
| May 4, 1998 | SOUTH VENICE | 0 | 0 | 1 | $10K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 21, 2025 | SOUTH VENICE | 43 | $5K |
| Jan 9, 2024 | BELSPUR | 65 | $25K |
| Jun 15, 2022 | NEWTON HGTS | 50 | $15K |
| Mar 12, 2022 | NOKOMIS | 52 | $50K |
| Jun 24, 2021 | BEVERLY TERRACE | 43 | $2K |
| Apr 19, 2019 | MANASOTA KEY | 50 | $40K |
| Jan 24, 2019 | BELSPUR | 52 | $0 |
| Dec 20, 2018 | SIESTA KEY | 45 | $2K |
| Aug 27, 2018 | BAYSHORE ESTATES | 45 | $50K |
| Apr 15, 2018 | GOLDEN BEACH | 56 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Sarasota County
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A 77 year-old male died from the combined effects of a heart attack and hypothermia when his 21 foot fishing boat was overturned by two estimated 18-20 foot waves, approximately 10 miles southwest of Venice, Florida. The sudden and large waves were generated by estimated winds of 25 to 40 mph from a fast-moving cold front that extended from the Eastern Gulf of Mexico northeast across West Central Florida.
Power lines were reported down at Tamiami Trail and MacEwen Drive in Osprey. Additionally, a member of the public reported that in a nearby neighborhood, The Oaks, 3 pool cages were destroyed, aluminum poles holding nets protecting tennis courts from a golf course were ripped out of the ground, a large palm tree was uprooted, and several other homes sustained minor unspecified damage. The damage appeared to follow a narrow path, and may have been caused by a gustnado.
Thunderstorm winds caused major damage to six mobile homes and minor to moderate damage to nine additional mobile homes in the Tri-Par Mobile Home Park. Numerous trees were also downed in the vicinity of the mobile home park.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many thunderstorm wind events are on record in Sarasota County, Florida?
149 thunderstorm wind events are recorded in Sarasota County between 1960 and 2025, causing 1 direct deaths.
What is the strongest thunderstorm wind recorded in Sarasota County?
The strongest thunderstorm wind on record in Sarasota County measured 71.
Where does the thunderstorm wind data for Sarasota 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
“Thunderstorm Wind in Sarasota County, Florida.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/florida/sarasota-county/thunderstorm-wind/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.