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Rip Current Statement
Coastal Nassau; Coastal Duval; Coastal Flagler; Northeast Coastal St. Johns; Southeast Coastal St. Johns
St. Johns County, Florida severe weather history spans 786 recorded events between 1950 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 42.5% of all recorded events. It ranks #306 nationally and #12 in Florida.
786
Recorded events
16
Direct deaths
31
Direct injuries
$7.5M
Property damage
The record
What the St. Johns County, Florida severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, St. Johns County, Florida severe weather history averages 10.3 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 229 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 43 events fall before 1990 and 743 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the St. Johns County, Florida record is rip current, responsible for 13 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $3.4M in reported property damage. In total, 12 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in St. Johns County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 334 | 0 | $1.5M | 75 | 1964–2026 |
| Hail | 119 | 0 | $0 | 3 | 1979–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 91 | 0 | $2K | 0 | 2004–2025 |
| Tornado | 66 | 0 | $3.4M | F3 | 1950–2025 |
| Lightning | 54 | 3 | $1.7M | 0 | 1999–2025 |
| Funnel Cloud | 46 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–2025 |
| Flood | 37 | 0 | $23K | 0 | 2002–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 16 | 0 | $980K | 0 | 1996–2024 |
| Rip Current | 14 | 13 | $0 | 0 | 1996–2005 |
| Waterspout | 7 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1999–2001 |
| Storm Surge/Tide | 1 | 0 | $5K | 0 | 2001–2001 |
| Wildfire | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–1998 |
Decade by decade
St. Johns County, Florida severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
67 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 58 touched down inside it and 9 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1971-02-07 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 13.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1958-04-15 | EF3 | 0 | 9 | 3.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2017-09-10 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 2001-03-29 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 12.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1995-04-24 | EF2 | 0 | 5 | 10.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1975-03-18 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1974-05-12 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 4.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1973-04-04 | EF2 | 0 | 4 | 39.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1961-04-09 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 5.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-04-11 | EF1 | 0 | 1 | 6.7 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in St. Johns County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 26, 2005 | Rip Current | VILANO BEACH | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 2, 2005 | Rip Current | PALM VLY | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Mar 22, 2005 | Rip Current | ST AUGUSTINE BEACH | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Sep 10, 2004 | Rip Current | ST AUGUSTINE | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 11, 2004 | Lightning | HASTINGS | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Oct 25, 2003 | Rip Current | ST AUGUSTINE BEACH | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Sep 1, 2002 | Rip Current | ST AUGUSTINE BEACH | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Mar 24, 2002 | Rip Current | CRESCENT BEACH | 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 town about five and a half miles west of Palatka travelled east northeast, lifting about one and a half miles northeast of Palatka. In Putnam County more than 200 building were damaged with 11 totally destroyed and over 150 vehicles were damaged. Winds were measured at 93 mph. In St Johns County, damage was confined mainly to trees downed. Damaged to buildings was mainly roof damage but several mobile homes were completely destroyed. Included in the damage was a hospital, community college and church.
A barn was severely damaged at Jen-Sar Farms and Produce store. A large barn was destroyed with noticeable debris lofted into nearby structures. A large tree was snapped at its base and fell on a mobile home causing significant damage by splitting the unit in two. Multiple trees were uprooted and fell on a boat near Elkton. The cost of damage was estimated, and is likely underestimated.
Lightning caused a house fire in the St. Johns Forest subdivision. Lighting struck the chimney on Flores Way, and the fire caused a total loss of the home. Electronics and appliances of two nearby homes were also damaged. The cost of damage was estimated, but unknown.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
306,934
Population (ACS)
$489K
Median home value
34
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
- St Augustine 122
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in St. Johns County, Florida?
786 events are on record between 1950 and 2026, causing 16 direct deaths and $7.5M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in St. Johns County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 334 recorded events — 42.5% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed St. Johns County?
67 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 58 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover St. Johns County?
34 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include St. Johns County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is St. Johns County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates St. Johns County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 88 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the St. Johns 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
- Putnam County 656
- St. Lucie County 248
- Polk County 881
- Santa Rosa County 663
- Pinellas County 843
- Sarasota County 385
Cite this page
“St. Johns County, Florida.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/florida/st-johns-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.