Martin County, Florida severe weather history spans 221 recorded events between 1956 and 2025. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 29.0% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,314 nationally and #52 in Florida.
221
Recorded events
3
Direct deaths
16
Direct injuries
$21.1M
Property damage
The record
What the Martin County, Florida severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Martin County, Florida severe weather history averages 3.2 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 66 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 34 events fall before 1990 and 187 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Martin County, Florida record is lightning, responsible for 2 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $16.8M 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 Martin County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 64 | 0 | $5K | 2 | 1974–2025 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 63 | 1 | $1.2M | 84 | 1960–2023 |
| Tornado | 42 | 0 | $16.8M | F3 | 1956–2024 |
| Funnel Cloud | 16 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1996–2024 |
| Lightning | 10 | 2 | $560K | 0 | 1997–2020 |
| Flash Flood | 8 | 0 | $2.3M | 0 | 1998–2020 |
| Flood | 8 | 0 | $255K | 0 | 2007–2022 |
| Heavy Rain | 7 | 0 | $0 | 6 | 2005–2021 |
| Waterspout | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1997–1999 |
| Dust Devil | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2016–2016 |
Decade by decade
Martin 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: 37 touched down inside it and 6 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1958-10-19 | EF3 | 1 | 24 | 20.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 2024-10-09 | EF3 | 0 | 7 | 32.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 1979-01-24 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 9.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-10-09 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 65.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 2024-10-09 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 5.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 1983-02-02 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1973-02-09 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1964-10-14 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1959-06-17 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 8.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 2024-06-12 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.7 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Martin County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 17, 2017 | Lightning | JENSEN BEACH | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Mar 25, 2016 | Lightning | JUPITER IS | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Feb 20, 1995 | Thunderstorm Wind | Port Salerno | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 8, 2017 | Lightning | PALM CITY | 0 | 3 | $0 |
| Jun 7, 2020 | Lightning | JUPITER IS | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| Sep 16, 2015 | Lightning | HOBE SOUND | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| Feb 24, 2010 | Hail | LIGHTHOUSE PT | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| Oct 9, 2024 | Tornado | SALERNO | 0 | 1 | $2.0M |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A weak developing thunderstorm over the nearshore waters off Martin County moved westward over Jensen Beach during the late afternoon. A 47-year-old construction worker was seriously injured when he was struck by lightning while working on a pool and club house at Ocean Breeze Park. Other co-workers on the site performed CPR until first responders arrived. The injured man was then transported to a local hospital in critical condition, and later to a regional medical center in West Palm Beach. The man died from the lightning injuries over a month later.
A 41-year old man was struck by lightning in Jonathan Dickinson State Park, south of Hobe Sound. The man was playing catch with his son in a grassy field when he was struck by lightning on the top of his head. He was transported to a hospital in critical condition and died on April 4.
Rains associated with distant Tropical Storm Barry in the Gulf of Mexico produced flooding across much of Martin County. About 13 inches of rain fell in the area between midnight and late morning on August 2nd. The most serious flooding occurred in Stuart, Port Salerno and Palm City. Over 300 homes received some water damage. Major damage was reported in 63 homes and 6 mobile homes.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
162,176
Population (ACS)
$432K
Median home value
41
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 11, 2024 | Hurricane | HURRICANE MILTON | DR |
| Oct 7, 2024 | Hurricane | HURRICANE MILTON | EM |
| Dec 13, 2022 | Hurricane | HURRICANE NICOLE | DR |
| Nov 8, 2022 | Tropical Storm | TROPICAL STORM NICOLE | EM |
| Sep 29, 2022 | Hurricane | HURRICANE IAN | DR |
| Sep 24, 2022 | Hurricane | TROPICAL STORM IAN | EM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Martin County, Florida?
221 events are on record between 1956 and 2025, causing 3 direct deaths and $21.1M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Martin County?
Hail, with 64 recorded events — 29.0% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Martin County?
43 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 37 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Martin County?
41 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Martin County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Martin County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Martin County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 94 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Martin 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
- Miami-Dade County 1,248
- Marion County 983
- Monroe County 617
- Manatee County 464
- Nassau County 480
- Madison County 382
Cite this page
“Martin County, Florida.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/florida/martin-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.