Manatee County, Florida severe weather history spans 464 recorded events between 1955 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 35.6% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,006 nationally and #28 in Florida.
464
Recorded events
10
Direct deaths
50
Direct injuries
$28.3M
Property damage
The record
What the Manatee County, Florida severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Manatee County, Florida severe weather history averages 6.6 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 1990s, with 186 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 76 events fall before 1990 and 388 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Manatee County, Florida record is lightning, responsible for 4 direct deaths. The costliest is lightning, with $8.9M in reported property damage. In total, 12 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Manatee County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 165 | 1 | $3.4M | 70 | 1958–2025 |
| Tornado | 93 | 2 | $5.3M | F3 | 1955–2021 |
| Hail | 71 | 0 | $5K | 2 | 1969–2022 |
| Lightning | 41 | 4 | $8.9M | 0 | 1996–2024 |
| Flood | 35 | 1 | $4.8M | 0 | 1996–2022 |
| Heavy Rain | 21 | 0 | $170K | 0 | 1996–2019 |
| Waterspout | 18 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1997–2001 |
| Flash Flood | 13 | 1 | $5.3M | 0 | 1997–2024 |
| Funnel Cloud | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2006–2024 |
| Storm Surge/Tide | 2 | 0 | $400K | 0 | 1998–1999 |
| Rip Current | 1 | 1 | $0 | 0 | 2002–2002 |
| Wildfire | 1 | 0 | $20K | 0 | 2000–2000 |
Decade by decade
Manatee County, Florida severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
97 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 95 touched down inside it and 2 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979-01-24 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 7.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1958-10-31 | EF3 | 0 | 4 | 3.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2016-01-17 | EF2 | 2 | 4 | 9.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1972-02-01 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1972-02-01 | EF2 | 0 | 3 | 3.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1968-10-18 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1961-08-31 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1956-02-10 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1955-10-29 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2021-04-10 | EF1 | 0 | 1 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Manatee County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 17, 2016 | Tornado | OAK KNOLL | 2 | 4 | $150K |
| Jun 13, 2016 | Lightning | MYAKKA HEAD | 1 | 2 | $0 |
| Sep 7, 2021 | Lightning | LAKEWOOD RANCH | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Aug 26, 2017 | Flood | LONGBEACH | 1 | 0 | $1.3M |
| Jul 7, 2004 | Lightning | ELLENTON | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Aug 9, 2003 | Flash Flood | BRADENTON | 1 | 0 | $1.3M |
| Sep 22, 2002 | Rip Current | ANNA MARIA | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 29, 2000 | Lightning | BRADENTON | 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 NWS Storm Survey found a single-wide mobile home destroyed and rolled over. Seven people were inside the home, two adults were killed with four injured. The tornado also destroyed a 2000 square foot barn. The damage was in a very rural, isolated area and the Manatee County Sheriffs surveyed the storm track by helicopter and found numerous trees down along the path.
Heavy rain started to fall over Manatee County on the 26th and continued through the 28th, with as much as 17 inches of rain falling in some areas. The highest rain totals were reported over Bradenton, mainly on the 26th through early morning on the 27th, resulting in numerous streets flooding. Cars were reported to be floating on State Road 70 near Interstate 75, requiring at least one water rescue. ||The heavy rain also caused water to enter numerous homes and businesses in Bradenton. Manatee Public Safety reporting that 67 homes, mostly in the Centre Lake community had a foot of water in them prompting the families to evacuate. Water was also reported in homes along Manatee Avenue West around 38th Street West.||One fatality was reported in Manatee County, when a 61 year old man drowned in the Sara Palms neighborhood on the evening of the 27th after his wheelchair tipped over in flood waters.
A small area of brief heavy rains of 4 to 6 inches in one hour caused a flash flood in Bradenton between 27th Street and 75th Street. An unidentified man, possibly homeless, misjudged the flooded 18th Avenue Drive West and rode his bicycle into the turbulent waters. He was swept away into the Gulf of Mexico and his body was not found. The water caused damage to 88 homes and flooded numerous cars in the parking lot of the DeSoto Square Mall. Twenty six single family homes and 20 multi-family homes received major damage.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively High
FEMA NRI risk rating
429,792
Population (ACS)
$391K
Median home value
50
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
- Bradenton 134
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Manatee County, Florida?
464 events are on record between 1955 and 2025, causing 10 direct deaths and $28.3M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Manatee County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 165 recorded events — 35.6% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Manatee County?
97 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 95 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Manatee County?
50 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Manatee County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Manatee County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Manatee County as relatively high risk, placing it in the 98 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Manatee 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
- Madison County 382
- Marion County 983
- Liberty County 137
- Martin County 221
- Miami-Dade County 1,248
- Levy County 259
Cite this page
“Manatee County, Florida.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/florida/manatee-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.