Highlands County, Florida severe weather history spans 248 recorded events between 1964 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 39.9% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,118 nationally and #47 in Florida.
248
Recorded events
5
Direct deaths
25
Direct injuries
$9.8M
Property damage
The record
What the Highlands County, Florida severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Highlands County, Florida severe weather history averages 4.1 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 1990s, with 96 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 48 events fall before 1990 and 200 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Highlands County, Florida record is lightning, responsible for 3 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $5.8M in reported property damage. In total, 10 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Highlands County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 99 | 0 | $1.2M | 61 | 1970–2025 |
| Hail | 60 | 0 | $500K | 2 | 1972–2022 |
| Tornado | 49 | 2 | $5.8M | F2 | 1964–2024 |
| Lightning | 16 | 3 | $668K | 0 | 1998–2025 |
| Flood | 11 | 0 | $1.5M | 0 | 1998–2008 |
| Heavy Rain | 8 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2004–2012 |
| Flash Flood | 2 | 0 | $120K | 0 | 1997–2000 |
| Dust Devil | 1 | 0 | $12K | 0 | 1999–1999 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2022–2022 |
| Wildfire | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2000–2000 |
Decade by decade
Highlands County, Florida severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
43 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 42 touched down inside it and 1 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983-02-02 | EF2 | 1 | 6 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-10-09 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 2.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 1982-06-17 | EF2 | 0 | 9 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1971-06-18 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-10-09 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-10-09 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-10-09 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 6.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2022-03-12 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 2012-06-24 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 5.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1998-03-09 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 15.5 mi | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Highlands County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 23, 2025 | Lightning | BRIGHTON | 2 | 0 | $0 |
| Feb 2, 1983 | Tornado | 1 | 6 | $250K | |
| Jun 11, 2009 | Lightning | SEBRING ARPT | 1 | 1 | $0 |
| Jun 24, 2012 | Tornado | VENUS | 1 | 0 | $15K |
| Jun 18, 1982 | Tornado | 0 | 9 | $250 | |
| May 4, 1978 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $2.5M | |
| Oct 9, 2024 | Tornado | LAKE PLACID | 0 | 1 | $500K |
| Aug 16, 2001 | Lightning | SEBRING | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Highlands County Sheriff and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officers discovered the vehicle and bodies of two men and their hunting dogs on a levee along a canal near Rucks Dairy Road southeast of Brighton in Highlands County. The men had reportedly gone hunting but had not returned, and were discovered two days later. Investigators suspected the fatal lightning strike likely occurred on Monday, September 22, as the men attempted to return to their car for shelter, with the time of the incident estimated from radar and satellite data.
A 32-year-old male was struck by a bolt from the blue while golfing on the 18th hole at the Spring Lake Golf Resort. The Lorida Fire Department put out a small fire in a nearby tree. It was not raining at the time of the lightning strike.
Heavy rain caused the Arbuckle Creek to rise and wash out a two-lane bridge culvert on Arbuckle Creek Road. Two vehicles that drove over the damaged bridge were washed out into the culvert and destroyed. In Avon Park, nearly two feet of water damaged 30 homes in the Bonnie Brae Mobile Home Park. Water damage also occurred at Aero Interiors and Highlands Aviation at the Avon Park Airport.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
105,702
Population (ACS)
$188K
Median home value
37
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 Highlands County, Florida?
248 events are on record between 1964 and 2025, causing 5 direct deaths and $9.8M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Highlands County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 99 recorded events — 39.9% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Highlands County?
43 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 42 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Highlands County?
37 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Highlands County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Highlands County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Highlands County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 89 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Highlands 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
- Hernando County 275
- Hillsborough County 1,171
- Hendry County 141
- Holmes County 353
- Hardee County 144
- Indian River County 220
Cite this page
“Highlands County, Florida.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/florida/highlands-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.