Marion County, Florida severe weather history spans 983 recorded events between 1957 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 49.5% of all recorded events. It ranks #150 nationally and #7 in Florida.
983
Recorded events
6
Direct deaths
97
Direct injuries
$68.6M
Property damage
The record
What the Marion County, Florida severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Marion County, Florida severe weather history averages 14.2 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 324 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 84 events fall before 1990 and 899 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Marion County, Florida record is thunderstorm wind, responsible for 2 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $65.3M 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 Marion County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 487 | 2 | $1.9M | 87 | 1959–2026 |
| Heavy Rain | 181 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2003–2025 |
| Hail | 139 | 0 | $3K | 4.5 | 1974–2025 |
| Tornado | 62 | 2 | $65.3M | F3 | 1957–2022 |
| Funnel Cloud | 32 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–2024 |
| Lightning | 28 | 2 | $336K | 0 | 1996–2026 |
| Flood | 20 | 0 | $312K | 0 | 2002–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 17 | 0 | $706K | 0 | 1997–2025 |
| Wildfire | 17 | 0 | $100K | 0 | 1998–2001 |
Decade by decade
Marion County, Florida severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
66 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 63 touched down inside it and 3 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1975-12-31 | EF3 | 1 | 26 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1995-01-07 | EF2 | 1 | 20 | 12.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2001-03-29 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 22.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1993-03-12 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 15.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1983-04-09 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 10.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1982-06-11 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 13.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1978-04-19 | EF2 | 0 | 14 | 5.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 1973-03-08 | EF2 | 0 | 6 | 1.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1964-01-12 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1962-11-21 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 3.6 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Marion County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 31, 1975 | Tornado | 1 | 26 | $2.5M | |
| Jan 7, 1995 | Tornado | Summerfield | 1 | 20 | $2.8M |
| May 29, 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | OCALA ARPT | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| May 20, 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | OCALA WEST | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jun 14, 1997 | Lightning | ORANGE LAKE | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jun 28, 1996 | Lightning | OCALA | 1 | 0 | $30K |
| Apr 19, 1978 | Tornado | 0 | 14 | $2.5M | |
| Mar 27, 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | LAKE WEIR | 0 | 8 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
An F2 tornado touched down at 0550 EST about one mile north of Pedro in Marion County and moved east about 12 miles before lifting about three-quarters miles north of Weirsdale. A man received fatal head injuries while sitting in his car outside a mobile home when the car was rolled four times. Another 20 persons, mostly those in mobile homes, were injured. The tornado destroyed or heavily damaged 66 mobile homes with less extensive damage to another 85 dwellings, mostly mobile homes. The hardest hit communities were Lake Weir Harbor Estates and Bird Island. (M53A)
Marion County Emergency Management reported one fatality resulting from a snapped tree at Matheny Fire & Emergency on SW 46th Ave. in Ocala. A lawncare working was working outside when the tree fell onto him. The event time was based on radar.
A tornado formed 8 miles southwest of Ocala in a wooded area. It snapped off trees before heavily damaging two hangers and destroying another at the Ocala Airport. It continued northeast snapping off numerous trees, then moved over an industrial area where it heavily damaged several storage buildings and a warehouse. It moved through a wooded area dissipating about seven miles northeast of Ocala.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively High
FEMA NRI risk rating
400,078
Population (ACS)
$243K
Median home value
38
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 |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Ocala 159
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Marion County, Florida?
983 events are on record between 1957 and 2026, causing 6 direct deaths and $68.6M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Marion County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 487 recorded events — 49.5% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Marion County?
66 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 63 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Marion County?
38 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Marion County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Marion County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Marion County as relatively high risk, placing it in the 95 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Marion 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
- Manatee County 464
- Martin County 221
- Miami-Dade County 1,248
- Madison County 382
- Monroe County 617
- Liberty County 137
Cite this page
“Marion County, Florida.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/florida/marion-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.