Walton County, Florida severe weather history spans 641 recorded events between 1958 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 48.5% of all recorded events. It ranks #489 nationally and #21 in Florida.
641
Recorded events
20
Direct deaths
18
Direct injuries
$42.1M
Property damage
The record
What the Walton County, Florida severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Walton County, Florida severe weather history averages 9.4 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 292 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 42 events fall before 1990 and 599 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Walton County, Florida record is rip current, responsible for 16 direct deaths. The costliest is flood, with $14.8M 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 Walton County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 311 | 0 | $1.6M | 92 | 1958–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 84 | 0 | $12.1M | 0 | 1998–2024 |
| Tornado | 70 | 0 | $7.0M | F3 | 1960–2026 |
| Hail | 61 | 0 | $0 | 3.5 | 1971–2025 |
| Flood | 56 | 1 | $14.8M | 0 | 2009–2023 |
| Lightning | 21 | 3 | $2.1M | 0 | 1999–2022 |
| Heavy Rain | 14 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2010–2012 |
| Rip Current | 12 | 16 | $0 | 0 | 1996–2005 |
| Funnel Cloud | 5 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2004–2024 |
| Waterspout | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2001–2001 |
| Storm Surge/Tide | 2 | 0 | $4.2M | 0 | 2002–2002 |
| Wildfire | 2 | 0 | $300K | 0 | 1998–1999 |
Decade by decade
Walton County, Florida severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
70 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 66 touched down inside it and 4 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1967-12-10 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1973-05-26 | EF2 | 1 | 4 | 105.4 mi | Crossed in |
| 2023-01-22 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 1996-12-01 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 1983-02-01 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1963-04-30 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 61.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1963-09-28 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 5.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 1960-03-30 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2025-05-10 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 8.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-01-09 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 10.9 mi | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Walton County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 8, 2003 | Rip Current | INLET BEACH | 6 | 0 | $0 |
| Jun 21, 2008 | Lightning | CHOCTAW BEACH | 2 | 0 | $0 |
| Jan 2, 2017 | Flood | POND CREEK | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jan 13, 2006 | Lightning | GLENDALE | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Sep 24, 2005 | Rip Current | MIRAMAR BEACH | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jun 15, 2004 | Rip Current | SANDESTIN | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Apr 26, 2004 | Rip Current | MIRAMAR BEACH | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Sep 15, 2002 | Rip Current | SEAGROVE 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
Flood waters were approaching a resident's home. He possibly made an attempt to walk to his vehicle and was swept away in the flood water. No other homes were affected. The person involved was an elderly male in a travel trailer and possibly fell when stepping outside. The water level outside was approximately 3 feet deep. This flooding was river flooding from the Shoal River.
Disastrous areal flooding occurred across Walton county with a large number of county roads flooded. Transportation was severely impacted across the county. A listing of incidences of water over roads or flood-damaged roads in the county included 87 total reports. Preliminary damage estimates for the county were around $11 million.
Storm surge heights from five to seven feet combined with large battering waves caused severe beach erosion. An estimated 400,000 cubic yards of sand was lost. Water was above the boardwalk at many locations. Sand fencing, trash receptacles and beach kiosks were also damaged. Reported by the Walton County EMA.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
82,948
Population (ACS)
$425K
Median home value
42
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| Sep 29, 2022 | Hurricane | HURRICANE IAN | DR |
| Sep 24, 2022 | Hurricane | TROPICAL STORM IAN | EM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Walton County, Florida?
641 events are on record between 1958 and 2026, causing 20 direct deaths and $42.1M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Walton County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 311 recorded events — 48.5% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Walton County?
70 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 66 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Walton County?
42 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Walton County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Walton County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Walton County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 89 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Walton 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
- Wakulla County 461
- Washington County 344
- Volusia County 642
- Union County 137
- Taylor County 233
- Suwannee County 432
Cite this page
“Walton County, Florida.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/florida/walton-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.