Bradford County, Florida severe weather history spans 222 recorded events between 1961 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 55.4% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,306 nationally and #51 in Florida.
222
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
8
Direct injuries
$4.4M
Property damage
The record
What the Bradford County, Florida severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Bradford County, Florida severe weather history averages 3.4 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 96 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 19 events fall before 1990 and 203 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is tornado, with $3.9M 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 Bradford County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 123 | 0 | $100K | 87 | 1978–2026 |
| Hail | 33 | 0 | $0 | 4.5 | 1961–2024 |
| Tornado | 21 | 0 | $3.9M | F2 | 1971–2021 |
| Heavy Rain | 17 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2009–2024 |
| Flood | 13 | 0 | $125K | 0 | 2007–2024 |
| Lightning | 8 | 0 | $190K | 0 | 2002–2017 |
| Funnel Cloud | 4 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2005–2013 |
| Flash Flood | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–2004 |
| Wildfire | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–1998 |
Decade by decade
Bradford County, Florida severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
21 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 21 touched down inside it and 0 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1971-02-07 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2021-12-08 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2020-12-24 | EF1 | 0 | 2 | 4.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2017-02-07 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2010-01-21 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 9.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2004-08-12 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1983-06-07 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 1980-07-14 | EF1 | 0 | 1 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1977-08-10 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1976-07-21 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Bradford County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 25, 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | LINCOLN CITY | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| Dec 24, 2020 | Tornado | HAMPTON | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| Jul 16, 2007 | Lightning | LAWTEY | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| Jul 14, 1980 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $25K | |
| Feb 7, 1971 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $25K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
An EF1 tornado touched down around 1322 pm EST in Bradford county. The path width varied from 200 to 400 yards, and the path length was around 9 to possibly 10 miles. Numerous outbuildings were damaged and destroyed. There was mostly minor damage to substantial structures. At least a dozen homes were damaged along County Road 229. There were 25 homes that suffered minor damage and 28 that had major damage. A total of 23 houses were destroyed. The emergency manager estimated $2.5 to $3 million dollars in damages to homes and about $500,000 in damages to out buildings. The tornado traveled just north of due east and lifted in western Clay County were the path may have gone over the Camp Blanding National Guard Auxiliary.
The Bradford county sheriff reported flooding in several areas of Starke. Bradford County EM reported a closure of all directions on US-301 and FL-100 in Starke due to flooded roadways. Broadcast media reported that Bradford middle school canceled classes on Tuesday Aug 30th and Wednesday Aug 31st due to flood damage inside the school caused by heavy rainfall that occurred on Aug 28th. Flood water entered the main building which caused water damage in multiple classrooms.
All four lanes of Highway 301 in Starke were closed to flooding between Market Road and State Road 16. Water and Laura Streets also had major flooding. Many other roads were closed in sections of the city due to flooding. The cost of damage was estimated and is likely grossly underestimated.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
27,885
Population (ACS)
$213K
Median home value
34
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 |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Bradford County, Florida?
222 events are on record between 1961 and 2026, causing 0 direct deaths and $4.4M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Bradford County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 123 recorded events — 55.4% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Bradford County?
21 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 21 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Bradford County?
34 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Bradford County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Bradford County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Bradford County as very low risk, placing it in the 37 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Bradford 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
- Bay County 669
- Brevard County 953
- Baker County 263
- Broward County 1,172
- Alachua County 852
- Calhoun County 218
Cite this page
“Bradford County, Florida.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/florida/bradford-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.