Osceola County, Florida severe weather history spans 277 recorded events between 1960 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 36.8% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,918 nationally and #42 in Florida.
277
Recorded events
26
Direct deaths
172
Direct injuries
$361.7M
Property damage
The record
What the Osceola County, Florida severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Osceola County, Florida severe weather history averages 4.3 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 91 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 33 events fall before 1990 and 244 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Osceola County, Florida record is tornado, responsible for 25 direct deaths. The costliest is flood, with $249.8M in reported property damage. In total, 8 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Osceola County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 102 | 0 | $385K | 65 | 1970–2023 |
| Hail | 92 | 0 | $55K | 2 | 1983–2024 |
| Tornado | 43 | 25 | $106.7M | F4 | 1960–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 13 | 0 | $980K | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Funnel Cloud | 12 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2003–2020 |
| Flood | 8 | 1 | $249.8M | 0 | 2002–2024 |
| Heavy Rain | 4 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2007–2014 |
| Lightning | 3 | 0 | $3.8M | 0 | 1997–2014 |
Decade by decade
Osceola County, Florida severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
45 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 40 touched down inside it and 5 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1966-04-04 | EF4 | 11 | 530 | 135.8 mi | Crossed in |
| 1998-02-22 | EF3 | 25 | 150 | 28.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1983-03-24 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 18.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1981-03-19 | EF2 | 0 | 11 | 5.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 1973-01-28 | EF2 | 0 | 7 | 14.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1966-04-04 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 123.3 mi | Crossed in |
| 2024-10-09 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 8.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 2024-10-09 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 21.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2004-08-13 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2004-08-13 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Osceola County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 23, 1998 | Tornado | INTERCESSION CITY | 25 | 145 | $50.0M |
| Sep 28, 2022 | Flood | ALLIGATOR LAKE CITY | 1 | 0 | $245.0M |
| Mar 19, 1981 | Tornado | 0 | 11 | $250K | |
| Jan 28, 1973 | Tornado | 0 | 7 | $2.5M | |
| Sep 1, 1987 | Tornado | 0 | 3 | $250K | |
| Jun 12, 1997 | Lightning | KISSIMMEE | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Apr 23, 1991 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 1 | $0 | |
| Apr 23, 1991 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The deadliest tornado of the outbreak was a category F3 that touched down initially one mile south of Intercession City. The tornado moved northeast at 45 mph and ripped through the town of Kissimmee killing 25 people. The hardest hit areas were the Morningside Acres mobile home community and the Ponderosa Recreational Vehicle Park. In all eight people were killed in recreational vehicles, fifteen in mobile homes and one in an automobile. The tornado continued northeast and moved into Orange County six miles north of St. Cloud. One hundred and fifty people were injured and over 1000 structures were damaged or destroyed.
Rainfall totals averaging between 8 to 12 inches, with locally higher amounts of up to 16 inches were reported, resulting in widespread street, urban, and poor drainage flooding. Numerous roadways were impacted by significant levels of standing water and many retention ponds reached capacity or overflowed. Notable flooding occurred in communities adjacent to Lake Center and Runnymede Lake in St. Cloud, as well as Mill Slough and Boggy Creek in Kissimmee. A NWS Flood Survey, combined with areal photography, confirmed historic flooding along Shingle Creek and within Good Samaritan Village in Kissimmee. Shingle Creek reached a record crest of 64.21 ft. on Oct. 1. A 71-year-old was discovered drowned face down in a foot of water in his home in the Good Samaritan Village in Kissimmee on Oct. 5 (direct).||A damage assessment report from the county indicated 4226 structures affected, 2474 with minor damage, 1733 with major damage, and 5 destroyed. The combined effects of Ian led to total estimated damages of approximately $245M across, mainly due to widespread and historic flooding.
A small area of very heavy rain produced 4-5 inches in less than 2 hours which resulted in a rapid accumulation of deep water. One hundred and nine homes were flooded, with 16 receiving major damage. The most significant flooding affected about a 20 square block area. The flooding of the homes was likely due in part to the lack of a modern storm water management system and some storm drain blockages.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
427,415
Population (ACS)
$353K
Median home value
39
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 11, 2024 | Hurricane | HURRICANE MILTON | DR |
| Oct 7, 2024 | Hurricane | HURRICANE MILTON | EM |
| Aug 10, 2024 | Tropical Storm | HURRICANE DEBBY | DR |
| Aug 3, 2024 | Tropical Storm | TROPICAL STORM DEBBY | EM |
| Aug 31, 2023 | Hurricane | HURRICANE IDALIA | DR |
| Aug 28, 2023 | Tropical Storm | TROPICAL STORM IDALIA | EM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Osceola County, Florida?
277 events are on record between 1960 and 2025, causing 26 direct deaths and $361.7M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Osceola County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 102 recorded events — 36.8% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Osceola County?
45 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 40 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Osceola County?
39 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Osceola County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Osceola County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Osceola County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 92 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Osceola 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
- Orange County 752
- Palm Beach County 1,094
- Okeechobee County 138
- Pasco County 567
- Okaloosa County 579
- Pinellas County 843
Cite this page
“Osceola County, Florida.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/florida/osceola-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.