Seminole County, Florida severe weather history spans 363 recorded events between 1966 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 42.1% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,417 nationally and #36 in Florida.
363
Recorded events
17
Direct deaths
70
Direct injuries
$343.3M
Property damage
The record
What the Seminole County, Florida severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Seminole County, Florida severe weather history averages 6.2 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 96 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 48 events fall before 1990 and 315 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Seminole County, Florida record is tornado, responsible for 12 direct deaths. The costliest is flood, with $268.0M 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 Seminole County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 153 | 1 | $1.5M | 70 | 1969–2025 |
| Hail | 133 | 0 | $0 | 3 | 1971–2022 |
| Tornado | 31 | 12 | $40.9M | F3 | 1966–2025 |
| Lightning | 15 | 3 | $2.8M | 0 | 1997–2025 |
| Funnel Cloud | 13 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2007–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 7 | 0 | $75K | 0 | 2001–2024 |
| Flood | 7 | 1 | $268.0M | 0 | 2001–2024 |
| Heavy Rain | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2014–2021 |
| Wildfire | 1 | 0 | $30.0M | 0 | 1998–1998 |
Decade by decade
Seminole County, Florida severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
35 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 31 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998-02-22 | EF3 | 13 | 36 | 16.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1993-03-12 | EF2 | 1 | 60 | 30.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2025-03-10 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 4.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1983-02-02 | EF2 | 0 | 9 | 5.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1982-04-08 | EF2 | 0 | 10 | 3.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1981-03-18 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1978-01-08 | EF2 | 0 | 23 | 19.3 mi | Crossed in |
| 1972-07-05 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1966-08-23 | EF2 | 0 | 3 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2006-11-07 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.3 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Seminole County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 23, 1998 | Tornado | LONGWOOD | 12 | 36 | $30.0M |
| Aug 18, 2022 | Lightning | WINTER SPGS | 1 | 2 | $0 |
| Sep 25, 2003 | Lightning | LAKE MARY | 1 | 2 | $0 |
| Oct 8, 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | SANFORD | 1 | 1 | $0 |
| Sep 10, 2020 | Lightning | FOREST CITY | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Sep 15, 2001 | Flood | WINTER SPGS | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Apr 8, 1982 | Tornado | 0 | 10 | $250K | |
| Jun 30, 2002 | Lightning | SANFORD ARPT | 0 | 4 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The Seminole County category F3 tornado was produced by the same supercell that produced the Winter Garden tornado. It initially set down near Longwood and moved northeast at 45 mph. The tornado passed through several neighborhhoods in the southeast portion of Sanford killing 12 people in mobile homes and injuring 70. It continued northeast and crossed into Volusia County 5 miles east of Sanford. The near 200 mph winds of the tornado damaged or destroy 625 structures.
Seminole County Emergency Management and local broadcast media relayed information about a lightning strike that killed a 42-year-old woman, and injured a 10-year-old girl and 18-year-old woman. The incident occurred near the 1300th block of Park Villa Place in Winter Springs at approximately 1320LST. Bystanders reported that lightning struck a tree just as the three victims were walking nearby. First responders and bystanders performed life saving measures, and all three victims were transported to local hospitals. The 42-year-old woman later died from her injuries, while the 10-year-old and 18-year-old were treated for minor injuries and later released.
The large circulation around Hurricane Michael located near the western tip of Cuba combined with high pressure to the north caused quick-moving showers with gusty winds to move west across central Florida from the Atlantic. As these showers moved over inland lakes, wind gusts of 30 to 40 mph occurred. A boat containing two men who were fishing on Lake Monroe capsized due to choppy seas created by the gusty winds. One man, who was wearing a non-secured life vest, drifted away from the boat and was found deceased the following day. The other man retrieved his lift vest while hanging onto the side of the boat and was rescued nearly 24 hours later. He was transported to a local hospital, suffering from hypothermia and exhaustion and was later released.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
481,470
Population (ACS)
$387K
Median home value
39
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 Seminole County, Florida?
363 events are on record between 1966 and 2025, causing 17 direct deaths and $343.3M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Seminole County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 153 recorded events — 42.1% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Seminole County?
35 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 31 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Seminole County?
39 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Seminole County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Seminole County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Seminole County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 91 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Seminole 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
- Sarasota County 385
- Sumter County 165
- Santa Rosa County 663
- Suwannee County 432
- St. Lucie County 248
- Taylor County 233
Cite this page
“Seminole County, Florida.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/florida/seminole-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.