Lee County, Florida severe weather history spans 652 recorded events between 1953 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 35.1% of all recorded events. It ranks #471 nationally and #18 in Florida.
652
Recorded events
21
Direct deaths
66
Direct injuries
$570.5M
Property damage
The record
What the Lee County, Florida severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Lee County, Florida severe weather history averages 8.9 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 1990s, with 233 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 103 events fall before 1990 and 549 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Lee County, Florida record is lightning, responsible for 14 direct deaths. The costliest is flood, with $501.9M in reported property damage. In total, 14 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Lee County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 229 | 0 | $19.1M | 75 | 1959–2024 |
| Tornado | 126 | 1 | $44.8M | F2 | 1953–2024 |
| Hail | 122 | 0 | $50K | 2 | 1957–2025 |
| Lightning | 57 | 14 | $2.4M | 0 | 1996–2022 |
| Flood | 39 | 0 | $501.9M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Waterspout | 18 | 0 | $50K | 0 | 1996–2001 |
| Funnel Cloud | 15 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2002–2026 |
| Heavy Rain | 15 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1996–2013 |
| Flash Flood | 11 | 0 | $1.4M | 0 | 1997–2009 |
| Wildfire | 11 | 0 | $775K | 0 | 1999–2000 |
| Dust Devil | 3 | 0 | $33K | 0 | 1996–2020 |
| Heat | 3 | 3 | $0 | 0 | 1998–1998 |
| Rip Current | 2 | 3 | $0 | 0 | 1997–2001 |
| High Wind | 1 | 0 | $15K | 0 | 1998–1998 |
Decade by decade
Lee County, Florida severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
124 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 121 touched down inside it and 3 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960-10-31 | EF2 | 1 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-10-09 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 16.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2022-01-16 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 7.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2016-01-09 | EF2 | 0 | 3 | 3.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 1989-07-23 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1988-11-04 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1986-08-09 | EF2 | 0 | 12 | 1.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1972-06-18 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1971-03-03 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1965-02-23 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Lee County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 18, 2005 | Lightning | FT MYERS | 2 | 1 | $0 |
| Mar 28, 1997 | Rip Current | FT MYERS | 2 | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 22, 2014 | Lightning | FT MYERS BEACH | 1 | 2 | $0 |
| Jul 24, 2021 | Lightning | SANIBEL | 1 | 1 | $0 |
| Jun 29, 2017 | Lightning | FORT MYERS | 1 | 1 | $0 |
| May 13, 2015 | Lightning | BONITA SPGS | 1 | 1 | $0 |
| Jul 25, 2016 | Lightning | COCONUT | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Oct 3, 2012 | Lightning | PINE MANOR | 1 | 0 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Local broadcast media reported that a 9 month pregnant woman was struck by lightning in a neighborhood in Fort Myers. She was transported to a local hospital. After arriving at the hospital, doctors delivered the baby. After a few weeks in intensive care, the child passed away. The mother was eventually released from the hospital and is back home recovering from her injuries.
A 35 year old man was struck by lightning while working on the 6th floor lanai of a building under construction. Witnesses said that this was the only lightning strike seen or heard in the area from the storm. Attempts to resuscitate the man were unsuccessful, and he died at the scene.
Two men working on a roof were struck by lightning. They stopped working when it began to rain but returned shortly after the rain had stopped. Neighbors said that the lightning strike hit a roofer directly in the head ��� knocking him unconscious. That bolt then transferred to another worker who was just steps away. They were transferred to a local hospital to be treated for their injuries. The man who was struck directly died from his injuries three days later.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively High
FEMA NRI risk rating
817,666
Population (ACS)
$362K
Median home value
45
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
- Cape Coral 124
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Lee County, Florida?
652 events are on record between 1953 and 2026, causing 21 direct deaths and $570.5M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Lee County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 229 recorded events — 35.1% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Lee County?
124 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 121 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Lee County?
45 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Lee County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Lee County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Lee County as relatively high risk, placing it in the 99 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Lee 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
- Lake County 380
- Leon County 1,241
- Lafayette County 137
- Levy County 259
- Jefferson County 320
- Liberty County 137
Cite this page
“Lee County, Florida.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/florida/lee-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.