Lafayette County, Florida severe weather history spans 137 recorded events between 1965 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 67.9% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,752 nationally and #62 in Florida.
137
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
5
Direct injuries
$4.4M
Property damage
The record
What the Lafayette County, Florida severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Lafayette County, Florida severe weather history averages 2.2 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 59 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 16 events fall before 1990 and 121 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is tornado, with $3.0M 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 Lafayette County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 93 | 0 | $128K | 65 | 1971–2026 |
| Tornado | 10 | 0 | $3.0M | F3 | 1965–2007 |
| Flood | 9 | 0 | $856K | 0 | 2012–2021 |
| Hail | 7 | 0 | $0 | 2 | 1980–2011 |
| Heavy Rain | 7 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2012–2012 |
| Flash Flood | 5 | 0 | $200K | 0 | 2008–2023 |
| Wildfire | 5 | 0 | $250K | 0 | 1998–2001 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2008–2008 |
Decade by decade
Lafayette County, Florida severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
10 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 10 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984-02-27 | EF3 | 0 | 1 | 7.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1975-02-06 | EF2 | 0 | 4 | 22.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 1970-08-25 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2007-09-20 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1969-08-27 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1965-06-15 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2005-04-23 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2001-06-18 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1980-02-25 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1972-03-29 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Lafayette County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 6, 1975 | Tornado | 0 | 4 | $2.5M | |
| Feb 27, 1984 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $250K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Areal flooding occurred across Lafayette county at the end of the month due to a combination of heavy rainfall and already saturated conditions. Many roads in the county sustained damage with damage estimated at $855,857.
The "Highway 51" wildfire consumed 4,121 acres. Twelve homes were threatened, but no evacuations ordered. Two out buildings were destroyed. A local state of emergency was declared. More than 50 Division of Forestry and local fire department personnel were involved in the containment. Smoke reduced visibilities along U.S. Highway 27 and State Highway 51. Reported by the FL DEM.
A tornado touched down and destroyed four chicken houses, overturned a trailer and twisted roofing tin around trees of the Pickett Lake community. It also uprooted trees, downed power lines and scattered debris. Reported by the Lafayette County EMA.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
8,161
Population (ACS)
$157K
Median home value
35
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 Lafayette County, Florida?
137 events are on record between 1965 and 2026, causing 0 direct deaths and $4.4M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Lafayette County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 93 recorded events — 67.9% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Lafayette County?
10 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 10 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Lafayette County?
35 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Lafayette County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Lafayette County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Lafayette County as very low risk, placing it in the 16 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Lafayette 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
- Jefferson County 320
- Lake County 380
- Jackson County 632
- Lee County 652
- Indian River County 220
- Leon County 1,241
Cite this page
“Lafayette County, Florida.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/florida/lafayette-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.