Hendry County, Florida severe weather history spans 141 recorded events between 1957 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 28.4% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,739 nationally and #60 in Florida.
141
Recorded events
4
Direct deaths
18
Direct injuries
$1.9M
Property damage
The record
What the Hendry County, Florida severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Hendry County, Florida severe weather history averages 2.0 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 1990s, with 40 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 26 events fall before 1990 and 115 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Hendry County, Florida record is tornado, responsible for 2 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $1.3M in reported property damage. In total, 8 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Hendry County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 40 | 0 | $152K | 65 | 1978–2024 |
| Hail | 34 | 0 | $0 | 2.75 | 1980–2025 |
| Tornado | 32 | 2 | $1.3M | F2 | 1957–2024 |
| Funnel Cloud | 21 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1996–2026 |
| Flood | 5 | 0 | $320K | 0 | 2008–2023 |
| Lightning | 3 | 2 | $0 | 0 | 2007–2013 |
| Flash Flood | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2000–2008 |
| Wildfire | 3 | 0 | $150K | 0 | 1999–2001 |
Decade by decade
Hendry 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1968-11-09 | EF2 | 2 | 17 | 45.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 1982-06-17 | EF2 | 1 | 4 | 8.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2004-08-13 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 42.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1968-11-11 | EF2 | 0 | 3 | 65.4 mi | Crossed in |
| 2024-10-09 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-10-09 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 17.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-10-09 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-10-09 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 29.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 2003-03-27 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2001-07-08 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Hendry County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 8, 2013 | Lightning | CLEWISTON | 1 | 1 | $0 |
| Jun 18, 1982 | Tornado | 1 | 1 | $250K | |
| Jun 18, 1972 | Tornado | FORT DENAUD | 1 | 1 | $10K |
| Sep 21, 2007 | Lightning | HARLEM | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Sep 7, 1976 | Tornado | 0 | 6 | $25K | |
| Jul 2, 2007 | Lightning | LA BELLE | 0 | 3 | $0 |
| Sep 12, 1993 | Tornado | Clewiston | 0 | 3 | $500K |
| Mar 16, 2000 | Wildfire | LA BELLE | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A tornado in the vicinity of Fort Denaud destroyed a trailer home killing a woman and injuring her daughter. The tornado then moved northward tearing up citrus groves before crossing into Glades County. Property damage was estimated at $10,000, with $5,000 in crop damage. Note: this event was added in 2018, following a reanalysis by NWS Melbourne.
A 57 year old male died and his 56 year old friend was injured when their boat was struck by lightning on Lake Okeechobee. The two men were boating and decided to dock at the Clewiston boat ramps as a thunderstorm approached. As they were making their way back to Clewiston, lightning struck their boat and both men were knocked unconscious. Some time later, the 56 year old male awoke and called 911 after realizing what happened. Hendry County EMS arrived on the scene and transported the unconscious male to Hendry County Regional Medical Center where he was pronounced dead. The other male was later taken to Palms West Hospital to be treated for his injuries.
A tornado touched down near a mobile home park overturning two trailers and destroying another. A 70-foot trailer was flipped onto a car. Three people were injured in this trailer. Another trailer two blocks away was destroyed but its occupants fled just before it exploded.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
42,382
Population (ACS)
$219K
Median home value
38
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 |
| Dec 13, 2022 | Hurricane | HURRICANE NICOLE | DR |
| Nov 8, 2022 | Tropical Storm | TROPICAL STORM NICOLE | EM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Hendry County, Florida?
141 events are on record between 1957 and 2026, causing 4 direct deaths and $1.9M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Hendry County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 40 recorded events — 28.4% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Hendry 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 Hendry County?
38 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Hendry County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Hendry County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Hendry County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 79 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Hendry 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
- Hardee County 144
- Hernando County 275
- Hamilton County 245
- Highlands County 248
- Gulf County 171
- Hillsborough County 1,171
Cite this page
“Hendry County, Florida.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/florida/hendry-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.