Taylor County, Florida severe weather history spans 233 recorded events between 1956 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 63.1% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,226 nationally and #50 in Florida.
233
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
15
Direct injuries
$8.8M
Property damage
The record
What the Taylor County, Florida severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Taylor County, Florida severe weather history averages 3.3 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 83 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 16 events fall before 1990 and 217 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is flood, with $5.7M 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 Taylor County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 147 | 0 | $352K | 78 | 1972–2026 |
| Tornado | 24 | 0 | $1.5M | F2 | 1956–2023 |
| Hail | 22 | 0 | $3K | 3 | 1971–2013 |
| Flash Flood | 15 | 0 | $205K | 0 | 2002–2024 |
| Flood | 8 | 0 | $5.7M | 0 | 2013–2021 |
| Heavy Rain | 7 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2012–2012 |
| Lightning | 4 | 0 | $1.1M | 0 | 1998–2016 |
| Wildfire | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–2000 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1999–1999 |
| Storm Surge/Tide | 1 | 0 | $10K | 0 | 2002–2002 |
| Waterspout | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2000–2000 |
Decade by decade
Taylor County, Florida severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
24 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 22 touched down inside it and 2 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008-03-07 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 0.4 mi | Crossed in |
| 1972-10-27 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 3.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 1957-09-30 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1956-09-24 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 5.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2023-06-16 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2020-04-23 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2003-10-28 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 6.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1994-10-02 | EF1 | 0 | 2 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1974-05-12 | EF1 | 0 | 3 | 4.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 1964-06-06 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 4.7 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Taylor County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 14, 1998 | Lightning | PERRY | 0 | 5 | $750K |
| May 12, 1974 | Tornado | 0 | 3 | $25K | |
| Mar 7, 2008 | Tornado | JACK LEE ISLAND | 0 | 2 | $500K |
| Oct 2, 1994 | Tornado | Shady Grove | 0 | 2 | $50K |
| Apr 11, 1995 | Thunderstorm Wind | Dekle Beach | 0 | 1 | $3K |
| Mar 19, 1975 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $3K | |
| Oct 27, 1972 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $250K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A persistent rainy pattern across southeastern Taylor county brought rainfall amounts in excess of foot during the first 12 days of the month. This rainfall fell on already saturated grounds and resulted in significant, long duration areal flooding. In addition, significant river flooding occurred across the Steinhatchee River basin. The Steinhatchee River crested at its 2nd highest crest on record at 24.6 ft on August 7th, which is well into the moderate flood category. Many roads were closed, and many homes were impacted. The river remained in at least minor flood stage for 20 days. Damage cost was estimated.
Lightning ignited a natural gas pipeline at the Florida Gas Transmission Company, about three miles northeast of Perry. A pair of explosions sent a 600-foot fireball skyward forcing the evacuation of about 100 residents. Five homes were incinerated and natural gas supplies were shut off to Perry and surrounding communities. Four firefighters and a gas plant employee suffered burns. The American Red Cross set up a temporary shelter at the Taylor County High School for displaced families. Units from Leon, Dixie, Jefferson, and Wakulla County joined the Taylor County and Perry firefighting efforts.
A multi-day, significant flooding event occurred in the Steinhatchee area. A 5 day rainfall total of 31.79 inches was measured by a personal weather station in the Steinhatchee area. A total of 48 homes received minor water damage with an additional 15 homes receiving major water damage. A curfew was in place for Steinhatchee during the overnight hours. The county estimated that the damage to homes was around $513,000 in southeast Taylor county.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
21,503
Population (ACS)
$115K
Median home value
40
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 11, 2024 | Hurricane | HURRICANE MILTON | DR |
| Oct 7, 2024 | Hurricane | HURRICANE MILTON | EM |
| Sep 28, 2024 | Hurricane | HURRICANE HELENE | DR |
| Sep 24, 2024 | Tropical Storm | TROPICAL STORM HELENE | EM |
| Aug 10, 2024 | Tropical Storm | HURRICANE DEBBY | DR |
| Aug 3, 2024 | Tropical Storm | TROPICAL STORM DEBBY | EM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Taylor County, Florida?
233 events are on record between 1956 and 2026, causing 0 direct deaths and $8.8M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Taylor County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 147 recorded events — 63.1% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Taylor County?
24 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 22 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Taylor County?
40 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Taylor County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Taylor County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Taylor County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 65 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Taylor 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
- Suwannee County 432
- Union County 137
- Sumter County 165
- Volusia County 642
- Seminole County 363
- Wakulla County 461
Cite this page
“Taylor County, Florida.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/florida/taylor-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.