Polk County, Florida severe weather history spans 881 recorded events between 1951 and 2024. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 39.8% of all recorded events. It ranks #223 nationally and #9 in Florida.
881
Recorded events
17
Direct deaths
611
Direct injuries
$124.2M
Property damage
The record
What the Polk County, Florida severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Polk County, Florida severe weather history averages 12.1 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 1990s, with 332 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 179 events fall before 1990 and 702 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Polk County, Florida record is tornado, responsible for 9 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $79.8M in reported property damage. In total, 11 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Polk County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 351 | 0 | $12.1M | 90 | 1956–2024 |
| Hail | 256 | 0 | $26.7M | 4.5 | 1960–2024 |
| Tornado | 165 | 9 | $79.8M | F4 | 1951–2024 |
| Lightning | 42 | 7 | $3.1M | 0 | 1996–2018 |
| Flood | 26 | 0 | $732K | 0 | 1996–2015 |
| Heavy Rain | 17 | 1 | $24K | 0 | 2004–2019 |
| Wildfire | 10 | 0 | $235K | 0 | 1999–2001 |
| Flash Flood | 8 | 0 | $1.5M | 0 | 1997–2008 |
| Funnel Cloud | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2002–2020 |
| Waterspout | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1997–1998 |
| High Wind | 1 | 0 | $3K | 0 | 1998–1998 |
Decade by decade
Polk County, Florida severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
175 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 167 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1966-04-04 | EF4 | 11 | 530 | 135.8 mi | Crossed in |
| 1979-05-08 | EF2 | 1 | 40 | 4.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2019-10-18 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 11.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2017-09-10 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2012-06-24 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 6.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1998-03-09 | EF2 | 0 | 4 | 10.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 1997-12-27 | EF2 | 0 | 18 | 5.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 1986-02-08 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1973-03-17 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1971-11-29 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Polk County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 4, 1966 | Tornado | 8 | 450 | $25.0M | |
| Jul 6, 1998 | Lightning | LAKELAND | 2 | 0 | $0 |
| May 8, 1979 | Tornado | 1 | 40 | $25.0M | |
| Jul 4, 2009 | Lightning | WINSTON | 1 | 26 | $0 |
| Jun 24, 2012 | Heavy Rain | ELOISE | 1 | 4 | $0 |
| Jun 21, 1998 | Lightning | POLK CITY | 1 | 2 | $0 |
| Jun 21, 2003 | Lightning | MULBERRY | 1 | 1 | $0 |
| Sep 7, 2012 | Lightning | PROVIDENCE | 1 | 0 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Two men were killed, aged 43 and 37, while standing under a tree that was struck by lightning at the Huntington Hills Golf Club in North Lakeland. The lightning strike occurred near a grove of eight trees near the 12th hole of the golf course. Light rain had been falling prior to the lightning strike.
A 16 year old boy was loading a trailer outside his home when it started to rain on the 7th. The boy went to cover a dirt bike under an oak tree when his mother heard a loud boom and found him unconscious. The boy was taken to a hospital where he died on the 11th.
A car driving southbound on Lake Shipp Drive near the intersection with Ridge Avenue hydroplaned around 6:40 pm EDT on the 24th and hit another vehicle. A third vehicle was unable to stop in time, and struck the second vehicle. The passenger in the first vehicle, a 23 year old woman died on the way to the hospital. The drivers of all three vehicles and another passenger were all treated at an area hospital.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively High
FEMA NRI risk rating
790,694
Population (ACS)
$267K
Median home value
42
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 |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Lakeland 141
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Polk County, Florida?
881 events are on record between 1951 and 2024, causing 17 direct deaths and $124.2M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Polk County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 351 recorded events — 39.8% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Polk County?
175 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 167 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Polk County?
42 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Polk County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Polk County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Polk County as relatively high risk, placing it in the 97 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Polk 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
- Pinellas County 843
- Putnam County 656
- Pasco County 567
- St. Johns County 786
- Palm Beach County 1,094
- St. Lucie County 248
Cite this page
“Polk County, Florida.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/florida/polk-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.