150
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
160
Direct injuries
$202.7M
Property damage
Tornado in Miami-Dade County, Florida: 150 recorded events between 1953 and 2026. The strongest on record measured F3. That places the county #7 nationally and #3 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Tornado in Miami-Dade County, Florida: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for tornado in Miami-Dade County is the 1990s, when 36 of the county's 150 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 Miami-Dade County archive, tornado makes up 12.0% of all recorded severe weather across 11 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #7 for this hazard and #3 within Florida, putting it in the 99.8 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jun is the peak month for tornado in Miami-Dade County with 27 recorded events, while Dec 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.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
| Date | Scale | Path length | Max width | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1959-06-17 | EF3 | 12.7 mi | 333 yd | Touched down here |
| 2003-03-27 | EF2 | 6.0 mi | 600 yd | Touched down here |
| 1998-02-02 | EF2 | 21.0 mi | 200 yd | Touched down here |
| 1983-03-17 | EF2 | 52.5 mi | 60 yd | Crossed in |
| 1973-12-20 | EF2 | 7.6 mi | 33 yd | Touched down here |
| 1971-06-22 | EF2 | 2.0 mi | 200 yd | Touched down here |
| 1968-02-19 | EF2 | 5.7 mi | 100 yd | Touched down here |
| 2024-10-09 | EF1 | 2.9 mi | 75 yd | Touched down here |
| 2020-05-24 | EF1 | 4.8 mi | 40 yd | Touched down here |
| 2017-01-23 | EF1 | 2.8 mi | 123 yd | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 27, 2003 | MIAMI | F2 | 1 | 14 | $8.0M |
| Jun 18, 1959 | F3 | 0 | 77 | $2.5M | |
| Feb 19, 1968 | F2 | 0 | 21 | $2.5M | |
| May 12, 1997 | SW 25TH AVE/24TH ST | F1 | 0 | 12 | $525K |
| Jan 3, 1996 | (MIA)MIAMI INTL | F1 | 0 | 9 | $1.2M |
| Dec 20, 1973 | F2 | 0 | 9 | $2.5M | |
| Feb 3, 1998 | (MIA)MIAMI INTL | F2 | 0 | 6 | $175.0M |
| Mar 6, 1982 | F1 | 0 | 4 | $2.5M |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 7, 2026 | PALM SPGS NORTH | EF0 | $50K |
| Oct 9, 2024 | HOMESTEAD GEN AVN AR | EF0 | $0 |
| Oct 9, 2024 | FLORIDA CITY | EF1 | $0 |
| Feb 18, 2024 | PENNSUCO | EFU | $0 |
| May 25, 2023 | ALADDIN CITY | EF0 | $50K |
| Sep 27, 2022 | MEDLEY | EF0 | $3K |
| Sep 27, 2022 | SWEET WATER | EF0 | $3K |
| Sep 27, 2022 | MIAMI NEW TAMIAMI AR | EFU | $0 |
| Aug 19, 2020 | GOLDEN BEACH | EF0 | $0 |
| May 25, 2020 | ALADDIN CITY | EF1 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Miami-Dade County
- Thunderstorm Wind 377
- Hail 244
- Flood 108
- Funnel Cloud 99
- Waterspout 74
- Lightning 72
- Flash Flood 61
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
At 2022 est f1-f2 tornado touched down nw 36th st/curtis parkway damaging about 12 planes at mia international airport. The mia asos recorded a gust of 90 knots. The f2 tornado crossed through virginia gardens and south miami springs in a 100-200 yard path damaging many buildings and hurling a 2 by 4 board through an apartment door. Showing f1 intensity the tornado continued through miami springs uprooting trees and damaging roof tops. At 2027 est the tornado intensified to f2 into south hialeah severly damaging structures. the tornado weakened to f1 near hialeah race track and the path widened to one to three miles…with indications of three or four individual tornadoes of f1 intensity moving in tandem to the north.. at 2031 est the main tornado reintensified to f2 status as it approached opa locka airport severly damaging the roof of the ups facility then damaging or destroying 140 aircraft and a hangar at the airport blowing some debris nearly a half mile. The tornadoes weakened to f1 status as they moved through carol city damaging homes and utility poles.
Tornado touched down near the Palmetto Expressway and NW 17th Ave. This is known as the Terry Lakes area. The tornado moved northeast through the 17000 and 18000 blocks of north Dade County to near Honey Hill Dr(NW 199th St) and US-441. The tornado then took a path more toward the east as it moved to near Ives Dairy Rd(NE 203 St) and I-95. Numerous trees and power lines were downed. Windows were broken and signs were damaged or destroyed. A parked tractor trailer was overturned on the Florida turnpike near Ives Dairy Rd. Their was rof damage to homes and especially car ports due to large fallen trees.
A thunderstorm produced an EF1 Tornado with the highest estimated wind speeds near 90 MPH. The tornado began at West 22nd Street just west of West 1st Avenue where vehicles were moved and flipped at a tow yard. Roof damage occurred to at least five separate apartment complexes, with the worst damage between 22nd and 24th streets, but 8 structures were damaged overall. The tornado lifted at West 28th Street between Palm Avenue and West 1 Avenue.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many tornado events are on record in Miami-Dade County, Florida?
150 tornado events are recorded in Miami-Dade County between 1953 and 2026, causing 1 direct deaths.
What is the strongest tornado recorded in Miami-Dade County?
The strongest tornado on record in Miami-Dade County measured F3.
Where does the tornado data for Miami-Dade 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
“Tornado in Miami-Dade County, Florida.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/florida/miami-dade-county/tornado/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.