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Rip Current Statement
Coastal Nassau; Coastal Duval; Coastal Flagler; Northeast Coastal St. Johns; Southeast Coastal St. Johns
Nassau County, Florida severe weather history spans 480 recorded events between 1961 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 54.4% of all recorded events. It ranks #949 nationally and #27 in Florida.
480
Recorded events
4
Direct deaths
8
Direct injuries
$2.6M
Property damage
The record
What the Nassau County, Florida severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Nassau County, Florida severe weather history averages 7.4 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 164 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 30 events fall before 1990 and 450 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Nassau County, Florida record is rip current, responsible for 4 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $1.7M in reported property damage. In total, 11 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Nassau County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 261 | 0 | $312K | 100 | 1961–2026 |
| Hail | 95 | 0 | $0 | 2.75 | 1971–2024 |
| Heavy Rain | 46 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2004–2025 |
| Tornado | 31 | 0 | $1.7M | F1 | 1961–2024 |
| Funnel Cloud | 9 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2004–2016 |
| Flood | 8 | 0 | $25K | 0 | 2020–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 8 | 0 | $275K | 0 | 1996–2017 |
| Lightning | 8 | 0 | $308K | 0 | 2001–2018 |
| Wildfire | 7 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–1999 |
| Rip Current | 4 | 4 | $0 | 0 | 1998–2004 |
| Waterspout | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1996–2001 |
Decade by decade
Nassau County, Florida severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
30 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 25 touched down inside it and 5 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974-05-12 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 17.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 2022-04-07 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2016-08-04 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 2013-06-06 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 18.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 1994-10-02 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1992-02-25 | EF1 | 0 | 4 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1985-10-30 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1978-04-18 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1973-04-25 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 12.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 2024-09-03 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Nassau County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 30, 2004 | Rip Current | FERNANDINA BEACH | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Sep 13, 2003 | Rip Current | AMELIA CITY | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| May 27, 2002 | Rip Current | FERNANDINA BEACH | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Aug 23, 1998 | Rip Current | FERNANDINA BEACH | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Feb 25, 1992 | Tornado | 0 | 4 | $250K | |
| Jul 7, 2004 | Lightning | AMELIA CITY | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| May 1, 2001 | Lightning | FERNANDINA BEACH | 0 | 2 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Tourist drowned when caught in rip current at an unguarded beach. Rough surf from Hurricane Isabel was developing and the Jacksonville surf forecast indicated a "moderate risk of rip currents" for the day with increasing surf later in the week. Nassau County Beach Patrol reported 6 rescues due to rip currents.
A tornado, spawned on the outer fringes of tropical storm Allison, touched down in extreme northern Nassau County and moved north into Camden County, Georgia. Damage was light in Nassau County, but heavier damage occurred in the historic downtown district in St. Marys, Georgia. Damage to an elementary school in St. Marys, and facilities at Kings Bay Naval Submarine Base were estimated at $730,000.
Several city blocks affected near Robin Hood Circle and Ratliff Rd. with a dozen large trees felled and bricks moved. Privacy fence blown down. Most trees were snapped off 8 to 14 inches above the ground, including a 10 inch round, healthy White Oak. Four structures damaged, two were under construction. Survey estimation, 200 yard wide by 400 yard long micoburst with wind speeds of 55 to 65 knots. Broader wind swath of 40 knot winds. Additional information from Fernandina Beach News Leader 6/18/03
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
97,859
Population (ACS)
$383K
Median home value
40
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 |
| Aug 10, 2024 | Tropical Storm | HURRICANE DEBBY | DR |
| Aug 3, 2024 | Tropical Storm | TROPICAL STORM DEBBY | EM |
| Aug 31, 2023 | Hurricane | HURRICANE IDALIA | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Nassau County, Florida?
480 events are on record between 1961 and 2026, causing 4 direct deaths and $2.6M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Nassau County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 261 recorded events — 54.4% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Nassau County?
30 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 25 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Nassau County?
40 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Nassau County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Nassau County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Nassau County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 59 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Nassau 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
- Monroe County 617
- Okaloosa County 579
- Miami-Dade County 1,248
- Martin County 221
- Okeechobee County 138
- Marion County 983
Cite this page
“Nassau County, Florida.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/florida/nassau-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.