53
Recorded events
8
Direct deaths
27
Direct injuries
$502.1M
Property damage
Tornado in St. Lucie County, Florida: 53 recorded events between 1953 and 2024. The strongest on record measured F3. That places the county #337 nationally and #26 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Tornado in St. Lucie County, Florida: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for tornado in St. Lucie County is the 2020s, when 9 of the county's 53 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 St. Lucie County archive, tornado makes up 21.4% of all recorded severe weather across 10 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #337 for this hazard and #26 within Florida, putting it in the 88.5 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Aug is the peak month for tornado in St. Lucie County with 13 recorded events, while Nov 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.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
| Date | Scale | Path length | Max width | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-10-09 | EF3 | 21.2 mi | 500 yd | Touched down here |
| 1954-09-18 | EF3 | 0.1 mi | 10 yd | Touched down here |
| 1958-04-15 | EF3 | 14.8 mi | 10 yd | Touched down here |
| 2024-10-09 | EF2 | 65.5 mi | 300 yd | Crossed in |
| 1970-01-15 | EF2 | 0.1 mi | 10 yd | Touched down here |
| 1967-08-01 | EF2 | 0.1 mi | 10 yd | Touched down here |
| 2024-10-09 | EF1 | 11.4 mi | 100 yd | Touched down here |
| 2024-10-09 | EF1 | 6.8 mi | 150 yd | Touched down here |
| 2024-10-09 | EF1 | 11.8 mi | 150 yd | Touched down here |
| 2016-05-17 | EF1 | 0.5 mi | 75 yd | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 9, 2024 | FT PIERCE NELSON ARP | EF3 | 6 | 0 | $475.0M |
| Sep 18, 1954 | F3 | 2 | 2 | $25K | |
| Apr 15, 1958 | F3 | 0 | 20 | $250K | |
| Jan 15, 1970 | F2 | 0 | 2 | $3K | |
| Apr 11, 1982 | F0 | 0 | 1 | $250K | |
| Aug 12, 1975 | F1 | 0 | 1 | $25K | |
| Apr 13, 1953 | F1 | 0 | 1 | $3K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 9, 2024 | PORT ST LUCIE | EF1 | $15.0M |
| Oct 9, 2024 | FT PIERCE NELSON ARP | EF3 | $475.0M |
| Oct 9, 2024 | HARMONY HGTS | EF1 | $1.5M |
| Oct 9, 2024 | FT PIERCE ST LUCIE A | EF1 | $250K |
| Oct 9, 2024 | PORT ST LUCIE | EF1 | $5.0M |
| Oct 9, 2024 | PORT ST LUCIE | EF0 | $750K |
| Jun 30, 2022 | FT PIERCE ST LUCIE A | EF0 | $0 |
| Jun 9, 2022 | WALTON | EF0 | $210K |
| Jun 6, 2022 | FT PIERCE NELSON ARP | EF0 | $10K |
| Mar 23, 2017 | FT PIERCE NELSON ARP | EF0 | $2K |
Other hazards here
More from St. Lucie County
- Hail 85
- Thunderstorm Wind 55
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A NWS Storm Survey confirmed an EF-1 tornado impacted portions of St. Lucie County. Initial indications of minor residential impacts, in the form of missing shingles and soffit damage, appeared in the Crane Landing, Sawgrass Lakes, and Tulip Park subdivisions of Port St. Lucie. This, in addition to sporadic occurrences of tree damage, continued northward into communities adjacent to Florida's Turnpike, including but not limited to, Cashmere Cove, Bayshore Heights, Swan Park, and Northport Village. Damage noted here was consistent with 65 – 75 mph peak winds. ||The tornado crossed into Fort Pierce where it produced significant structural damage to a metal canopy system at the St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office. Here, peak winds were estimated at around 90 mph or EF-1 tornado intensity. The circulation appears to have weakened shortly thereafter and the tornado likely lifted as it approached the I-95 and Okeechobee interchange.
An F1 tornado touched down at the St. Lucie County Fair grounds destroying 20 amusement park rides, bleachers, and out buildings. The tornado then moved northeast toward the St. Lucie County Airport where it overturned 8 planes and destroyed a hanger. No one was injured.
This tornado, which initially touched down in Martin County near the I-95 and SW Martin Highway interchange, moved north into St. Lucie County into the Rosser Reserve subdivision, numerous residential structures experienced minor to moderate damage in the form of damage to shingles, soffits, and gutters from winds of EF-0 intensity.||The system subsequently impacted the Hidden Oaks community where a home experienced major damage when part of its roof was peeled back due to winds of up to 85 mph. The circulation appeared to have weakened as it continued north into St. Lucie West with little more than large branches and a few downed trees noted. A few homes in the Torino area of Port St. Lucie had mainly minor damage to roofs and siding. The tornado appears to have lifted as it approached the I-95 and Midway Interchange.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many tornado events are on record in St. Lucie County, Florida?
53 tornado events are recorded in St. Lucie County between 1953 and 2024, causing 8 direct deaths.
What is the strongest tornado recorded in St. Lucie County?
The strongest tornado on record in St. Lucie County measured F3.
Where does the tornado data for St. Lucie 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
“Tornado in St. Lucie County, Florida.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/florida/st-lucie-county/tornado/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.