Washington County, Florida severe weather history spans 344 recorded events between 1963 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 55.8% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,528 nationally and #39 in Florida.
344
Recorded events
3
Direct deaths
38
Direct injuries
$65.1M
Property damage
The record
What the Washington County, Florida severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Washington County, Florida severe weather history averages 5.5 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2020s, with 132 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 19 events fall before 1990 and 325 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Washington County, Florida record is tornado, responsible for 3 direct deaths. The costliest is flood, with $34.1M in reported property damage. In total, 8 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Washington County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 192 | 0 | $614K | 65 | 1963–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 67 | 0 | $24.3M | 0 | 1997–2025 |
| Tornado | 32 | 3 | $6.0M | F2 | 1971–2024 |
| Hail | 23 | 0 | $0 | 1.75 | 1990–2025 |
| Flood | 19 | 0 | $34.1M | 0 | 2008–2023 |
| Lightning | 5 | 0 | $88K | 0 | 1999–2019 |
| Heavy Rain | 5 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2010–2012 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2007–2007 |
Decade by decade
Washington County, Florida severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
33 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 32 touched down inside it and 1 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-03-31 | EF3 | 2 | 1 | 12.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2001-03-15 | EF2 | 1 | 21 | 10.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2020-04-23 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 17.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1967-12-10 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 9.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 1963-04-30 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 61.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2022-03-09 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2019-03-03 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 5.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2015-11-02 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 6.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2001-10-13 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 2000-02-13 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Washington County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 31, 2022 | Tornado | GILBERTS MILL | 2 | 1 | $500K |
| Mar 15, 2001 | Tornado | WAUSAU | 1 | 21 | $1.5M |
| Jan 12, 1975 | Tornado | 0 | 12 | $3K | |
| Jan 16, 1997 | Tornado | HINSONS XRDS | 0 | 3 | $30K |
| May 18, 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | BAHOMA | 0 | 1 | $50K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
An F2 tornado touched down in the Sunny Hills subdivision near Gin Lake in southeast Washington County, and raced northeast into southwest Jackson County. The tornado struck the Country Oaks, Buckhorn Creek, and Highview Acres communities. The hardest hit area was Highview Acres where 20 homes were damaged or destroyed. One man was killed when his mobile home was destroyed. 21 people were injured. Hundreds of trees were uprooted and debris scattered over several miles along the tornado's path. Numerous downed power lines affected 4,500 customers. Reported by the Washington County EMA.
Disastrous areal flooding occurred across Washington county with most county roads flooded. Transportation was severely impacted across the county with schools closed and a federal disaster declaration obtained. Preliminary damage estimates for the county were around $18.7 million.
Heavy rainfall up to 9 inches in some areas of Washington county led to significant flooding. Total flood damages in Washington county were estimated by emergency management to be near $11.5 million, including $200K for Category B emergency protective measures, $11 million for Category C roads and bridges, and $150K for Category E public buildings and equipment.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
25,529
Population (ACS)
$171K
Median home value
40
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 |
| Dec 13, 2022 | Hurricane | HURRICANE NICOLE | DR |
| Sep 29, 2022 | Hurricane | HURRICANE IAN | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Washington County, Florida?
344 events are on record between 1963 and 2026, causing 3 direct deaths and $65.1M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Washington County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 192 recorded events — 55.8% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Washington County?
33 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 32 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Washington County?
40 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Washington County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Washington County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Washington County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 59 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Washington 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
- Walton County 641
- Wakulla County 461
- Volusia County 642
- Union County 137
- Taylor County 233
- Suwannee County 432
Cite this page
“Washington County, Florida.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/florida/washington-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.