52
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
2
Direct injuries
$374K
Property damage
Thunderstorm Wind in Okeechobee County, Florida: 52 recorded events between 1968 and 2025. The strongest on record measured 80. That places the county #2,700 nationally and #64 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Thunderstorm Wind in Okeechobee County, Florida: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for thunderstorm wind in Okeechobee County is the 1990s, when 21 of the county's 52 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 Okeechobee County archive, thunderstorm wind makes up 37.7% of all recorded severe weather across 6 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #2,700 for this hazard and #64 within Florida, putting it in the 14.3 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Apr is the peak month for thunderstorm wind in Okeechobee County with 11 recorded events, while Oct 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.
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 6, 2017 | BASINGER | 70 | 0 | 2 | $100K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 10, 2025 | OKEECHOBEE CO ARPT | 65 | $0 |
| Jun 15, 2023 | OKEECHOBEE | 65 | $0 |
| Apr 1, 2021 | HILOLO | 61 | $0 |
| Aug 13, 2017 | BASINGER | 48 | $2K |
| May 24, 2017 | SHERMAN | 35 | $10K |
| Apr 6, 2017 | BASINGER | 70 | $100K |
| Apr 4, 2013 | CYPRESS QUARTERS | 50 | $0 |
| Aug 21, 2012 | NORTH OKEECHOBEE | 55 | $4K |
| Jul 22, 2012 | BASINGER | 52 | $0 |
| May 14, 2011 | FT DRUM | 50 | $500 |
Other hazards here
More from Okeechobee County
- Hail 46
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A Kissimmee Prairie Preserve biologist reported that a storm flipped over two travel trailers, uprooted several large trees and caused sheet metal to become lodged in a tree. Two people within one of the trailers were injured, one suffered a punctured lung and several broken ribs and the other received very minor injuries. The damage was concentrated in the park from the equestrian campground to the family campground.|Follow-up information from Okeechobee Emergency Management and a NWS damage survey confirmed the impacts were the result of intense straight-line winds estimated near 80 mph, as a cluster of thunderstorms organized into a bow echo, then began to evolve into a supercell while continuing eastward.
A large rotten oak tree fell on a mobile home near Okeechobee City as a thunderstorm passed over the area with estimated wind gusts estimated near 40 mph. The fallen tree caused damage to the kitchen and bedroom areas of the mobile home.
Several wooden power poles to the northeast of Okeechobee, near 7200 U.S. Highway 441 North, were tilted by severe thunderstorm winds, with the two poles experiencing broken cross members. While a funnel cloud was reported in the area (see separate event), the wind damage appeared to be due to straight line winds.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many thunderstorm wind events are on record in Okeechobee County, Florida?
52 thunderstorm wind events are recorded in Okeechobee County between 1968 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths.
What is the strongest thunderstorm wind recorded in Okeechobee County?
The strongest thunderstorm wind on record in Okeechobee County measured 80.
Where does the thunderstorm wind data for Okeechobee 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
“Thunderstorm Wind in Okeechobee County, Florida.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/florida/okeechobee-county/thunderstorm-wind/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.