Okaloosa County, Florida severe weather history spans 579 recorded events between 1958 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 47.7% of all recorded events. It ranks #638 nationally and #25 in Florida.
579
Recorded events
14
Direct deaths
186
Direct injuries
$55.0M
Property damage
The record
What the Okaloosa County, Florida severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Okaloosa County, Florida severe weather history averages 8.5 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 147 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 130 events fall before 1990 and 449 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Okaloosa County, Florida record is lightning, responsible for 5 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $41.7M 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 Okaloosa County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 276 | 0 | $9.1M | 94 | 1961–2026 |
| Tornado | 100 | 4 | $41.7M | F3 | 1958–2025 |
| Hail | 66 | 0 | $10K | 1.75 | 1962–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 65 | 1 | $2.8M | 0 | 1997–2025 |
| Lightning | 46 | 5 | $1.4M | 0 | 1996–2017 |
| Waterspout | 9 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1996–2001 |
| Funnel Cloud | 7 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2000–2009 |
| Rip Current | 6 | 4 | $0 | 0 | 1996–2003 |
| Flood | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2012–2014 |
| Coastal Flood | 1 | 0 | $2K | 0 | 1999–1999 |
Decade by decade
Okaloosa County, Florida severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
90 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 82 touched down inside it and 8 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1964-12-25 | EF3 | 0 | 4 | 12.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 1995-10-04 | EF2 | 1 | 3 | 1.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 1973-05-26 | EF2 | 1 | 4 | 105.4 mi | Crossed in |
| 1967-12-10 | EF2 | 1 | 50 | 6.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 1962-01-05 | EF2 | 1 | 30 | 2.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-05-10 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 24.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1989-05-01 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1974-12-07 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 5.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 1972-10-27 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1971-05-12 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Okaloosa County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 10, 1967 | Tornado | 1 | 50 | $2.5M | |
| Jan 5, 1962 | Tornado | 1 | 30 | $2.5M | |
| Jun 8, 2003 | Rip Current | DESTIN | 1 | 10 | $0 |
| Apr 18, 1996 | Lightning | (HRT)MARY ESTHER | 1 | 10 | $0 |
| May 26, 1973 | Tornado | 1 | 4 | $25K | |
| Oct 4, 1995 | Tornado | Crestview | 1 | 3 | $300K |
| Mar 6, 1999 | Lightning | BAKER | 1 | 1 | $0 |
| Jul 11, 2017 | Lightning | BAKER | 1 | 0 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A tornado touched down near Interstate 10 east of Crestview. The tornado then moved northwest across Okaloosa Lane and then across U.S. Highway 90 before dissipating near Highway 85. The tornado destroyed two homes and a church and severely damaged the late Bob Sikes Homestead and the Crestview High School's gymnasium. The two homes that were destroyed were along Okaloosa Lane. One home was on blocks on a concrete foundation, the home was completely destroyed and an elderly female who lived there was killed. The other home had the roof taken off and most of the insides of the home were destroyed. Three people were injured in this home and were saved when the wind blew them to the floor. The tornado was on the ground for almost two miles. F76PH
A thirty one year old female from Indiana jumped into the gulf to rescue her son who was having trouble swimming in the rough surf. Both of them were pulled out of the rough water and transported to a local hospital. She was pronounced dead and her son was treated and released. The drowning occurred around James Lee Park where red flags warning of dangerous surf were flying. The drownings in Okaloosa county were part of a rash of drownings that occurred along the beaches of Walton and Okaloosa counties on this date. Six people drowned in Walton county that day. The rough water was the result of swells of four to six feet moving ashore. Ten people along the Okaloosa county beaches had to be transported to local hospitals where they were treated and released. Many others had to be pulled from the rough surf where they were treated on the beach . Officials were flying and driving along the beaches to warn people of the dangerous surf. People would exit the water and then go back in after the officials had left.
A fifty seven year old Missouri man was swimming in rough surf near James Lee Park when he started having trouble staying afloat. He was pulled out of the water but later died at a local hospital. Red flags were flying at the time of the drowning.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
216,599
Population (ACS)
$351K
Median home value
41
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| 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 Okaloosa County, Florida?
579 events are on record between 1958 and 2026, causing 14 direct deaths and $55.0M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Okaloosa County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 276 recorded events — 47.7% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Okaloosa County?
90 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 82 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Okaloosa County?
41 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Okaloosa County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Okaloosa County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Okaloosa County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 92 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Okaloosa 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
- Nassau County 480
- Okeechobee County 138
- Monroe County 617
- Orange County 752
- Miami-Dade County 1,248
- Martin County 221
Cite this page
“Okaloosa County, Florida.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/florida/okaloosa-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.