481
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
36
Direct injuries
$12.9M
Property damage
Thunderstorm Wind in Hillsborough County, Florida: 481 recorded events between 1955 and 2026. The strongest on record measured 89. That places the county #127 nationally and #4 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Thunderstorm Wind in Hillsborough County, Florida: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for thunderstorm wind in Hillsborough County is the 1990s, when 172 of the county's 481 recorded events were logged. Comparing decades is useful for spotting active periods, but the earliest years are thin because systematic reporting for this hazard began later.
Within the Hillsborough County archive, thunderstorm wind makes up 41.1% of all recorded severe weather across 13 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #127 for this hazard and #4 within Florida, putting it in the 96.0 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jul is the peak month for thunderstorm wind in Hillsborough County with 110 recorded events, while Nov is the quietest. Seasonality here is a property of the archive as much as the climate: reports cluster where population and spotter networks are densest.
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 21, 1998 | PLANT CITY | 0 | 1 | 0 | $1K |
| Feb 5, 2010 | TAMPA VANDENBERG ARP | 52 | 0 | 13 | $1K |
| Jul 4, 1997 | TAMPA | 0 | 0 | 9 | $5K |
| Jun 16, 1994 | Palmetto Beach | 0 | 0 | 4 | $500K |
| Aug 5, 1991 | 0 | 0 | 3 | $0 | |
| Jul 5, 2017 | TAMPA | 50 | 0 | 2 | $5K |
| Jul 4, 2003 | TAMPA INTL ARPT | 50 | 0 | 2 | $30K |
| Jun 16, 2003 | THONOTOSASSA | 50 | 0 | 2 | $0 |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 18, 2026 | HOPEWELL | 43 | $3K |
| Jan 18, 2026 | BRANDON | 43 | $3K |
| Jun 2, 2025 | TPA P O KNIGHT ARPT | 56 | $0 |
| Jun 22, 2024 | CHAPMAN | 43 | $1K |
| May 14, 2024 | (TPA)TAMPA INTL ARPT | 51 | $0 |
| Apr 11, 2024 | (TPA)TAMPA INTL ARPT | 51 | $0 |
| Apr 3, 2024 | KNIGHTS | 43 | $25K |
| Dec 15, 2022 | CHAPMAN | 43 | $10K |
| Dec 15, 2022 | COSME | 48 | $15K |
| Aug 24, 2022 | GARY | 48 | $1.0M |
Other hazards here
More from Hillsborough County
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Multiple videos and pictures received via public of downed trees and sign damage near Ybor City amid localized burst of intense winds. EM later reports 12 residential structures sustained major damage and 1 commercial structure was destroyed. Microburst signature evident via radar.
Thunderstorm winds blew out five windows on the upper floors of Tampa's Municipal building in downtown Tampa. Thunderstorm winds also severely damaged five large stainless steel juice tanks and caused minor damage to another two at Hookers Point. Several businesses in the Ybor City district of Tampa incurred awning and vehicle glass damage from the thunderstorm winds.
The broadcast media reported that thunderstorm winds produced widespread damage from near Plant City west to Thonotosassa. Thunderstorm winds destroyed two hangers and damaged eight small planes five miles north northwest of Plant City. Also, several large trees and power lines were downed by thunderstorm winds along U.S. Highway 301 near Hillsborough State Park. In Thonotosassa, thunderstorm winds overturned a trailer on Five Acre Road.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many thunderstorm wind events are on record in Hillsborough County, Florida?
481 thunderstorm wind events are recorded in Hillsborough County between 1955 and 2026, causing 1 direct deaths.
What is the strongest thunderstorm wind recorded in Hillsborough County?
The strongest thunderstorm wind on record in Hillsborough County measured 89.
Where does the thunderstorm wind data for Hillsborough County come from?
All events come from the NOAA/NCEI Storm Events Database, the federal public-domain archive of severe weather reports. Dates are UTC, damage is as reported and not inflation-adjusted, and the most recent entries may still be revised.
Cite this page
“Thunderstorm Wind in Hillsborough County, Florida.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/florida/hillsborough-county/thunderstorm-wind/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.