NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Babson Park, FL
Every tropical system within 75 miles since 1851 and every tornado within 25 miles since 1950.
Data: NOAA NHC HURDAT2 and NOAA SPC tornado and hail reports, through 2025 · Updated
73 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Babson Park, Florida since 1851, 25 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Milton in 2024. Since 1950, 132 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 25
- Tropical storms
- 48
- Tornadoes
- 132
- EF3 or stronger
- 0
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
1 deaths in all
What the records show for Babson Park
The strongest storm to pass near Babson Park was an unnamed storm in 1928, a Category 2 hurricane with 104 mph winds when its centre passed 19 miles away. The closest pass by a hurricane was an unnamed storm in 1894, whose centre came within 7 miles. The record near Babson Park begins with an unnamed storm in 1852; the most recent system was Milton in 2024, a Category 1 hurricane 9 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1870s, with 8 systems, 5 of them at hurricane strength. Of the 73 systems, 12 have come since 2000. Babson Park has more hurricanes within 75 miles than 48% of the 407 Florida cities on this site. The highest rating among the 132 tornadoes within 25 miles is F2 or EF2, reached 12 times; the most recent, on June 24, 2012, came within 12 miles. The deadliest, an F2 on May 8, 1979, killed 1 person. Of the 132, 8 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 35 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 27. The most recent tornado was on October 9, 2024. Babson Park has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 57% of the 407 Florida cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 31 times since 1991, with stones up to 4.5 inches (grapefruit size). Of the 407 Florida cities, 59% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Babson Park.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Babson Park
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | MiltonOct 10 | 9 mi | Category 1 (89 mph) | Category 5 |
| 2022 | NicoleNov 10 | 10 mi | Tropical storm (64 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2022 | IanSep 29 | 25 mi | Category 1 (85 mph) | Category 5 |
| 2017 | IrmaSep 11 | 31 mi | Category 1 (81 mph) | Category 5 |
| 2017 | EmilyJul 31 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2016 | JuliaSep 13 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2008 | FayAug 20 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2006 | ErnestoAug 30 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2004 | JeanneSep 26 | 9 mi | Category 1 (85 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2004 | FrancesSep 5 | 6 mi | Tropical storm (72 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2004 | CharleyAug 13 | 10 mi | Category 2 (97 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2001 | GabrielleSep 14 | 20 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1995 | JerryAug 24 | 14 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1995 | ErinAug 2 | 17 mi | Tropical storm (66 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1994 | GordonNov 16 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1988 | KeithNov 23 | 2 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1985 | BobJul 24 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1984 | IsidoreSep 28 | overhead | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1981 | DennisAug 18 | 35 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1979 | DavidSep 4 | 64 mi | Category 2 (98 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1968 | DollyAug 10 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1968 | BrendaJun 19 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1968 | AbbyJun 4 | 10 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1964 | CleoAug 28 | 49 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1960 | FlorenceSep 24 | 36 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1960 | DonnaSep 11 | 16 mi | Category 1 (85 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1959 | JudithOct 18 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1959 | Unnamed 1959 stormJun 18 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1956 | Unnamed 1956 stormOct 16 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (59 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1953 | HazelOct 9 | 46 mi | Category 1 (74 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1951 | HowOct 2 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1950 | KingOct 18 | 17 mi | Category 1 (86 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1950 | EasySep 6 | 43 mi | Tropical storm (67 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 27 | 11 mi | Category 1 (87 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1946 | Unnamed 1946 stormOct 8 | 63 mi | Category 1 (82 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1945 | Unnamed 1945 stormSep 16 | 14 mi | Category 1 (84 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1944 | Unnamed 1944 stormOct 19 | 44 mi | Category 1 (92 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1939 | Unnamed 1939 stormAug 12 | 5 mi | Tropical storm (61 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1937 | Unnamed 1937 stormJul 30 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1933 | Unnamed 1933 stormSep 4 | 9 mi | Category 1 (74 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1933 | Unnamed 1933 stormJul 31 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1930 | Unnamed 1930 stormSep 9 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1928 | Unnamed 1928 stormSep 17 | 19 mi | Category 2 (104 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1928 | Unnamed 1928 stormAug 8 | 18 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1925 | Unnamed 1925 stormDec 1 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (59 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1921 | Unnamed 1921 stormOct 26 | 59 mi | Category 1 (90 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormMay 14 | 21 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1910 | Unnamed 1910 stormOct 18 | 22 mi | Category 1 (76 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1909 | Unnamed 1909 stormJun 29 | overhead | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1903 | Unnamed 1903 stormSep 12 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1901 | Unnamed 1901 stormAug 11 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1899 | Unnamed 1899 stormOct 5 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1898 | Unnamed 1898 stormAug 2 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1897 | Unnamed 1897 stormSep 21 | 6 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1896 | Unnamed 1896 stormOct 9 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1894 | Unnamed 1894 stormSep 26 | 7 mi | Category 1 (82 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormOct 24 | 4 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormSep 8 | 17 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1887 | Unnamed 1887 stormOct 30 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1880 | Unnamed 1880 stormAug 29 | 38 mi | Category 1 (74 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormSep 8 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1876 | Unnamed 1876 stormOct 20 | 67 mi | Category 1 (93 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1873 | Unnamed 1873 stormOct 7 | 38 mi | Category 2 (101 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1873 | Unnamed 1873 stormSep 23 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1872 | Unnamed 1872 stormOct 23 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1871 | Unnamed 1871 stormAug 25 | 34 mi | Category 1 (84 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1871 | Unnamed 1871 stormAug 17 | 12 mi | Category 1 (86 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1870 | Unnamed 1870 stormOct 21 | 74 mi | Category 1 (77 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1861 | Unnamed 1861 stormNov 1 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1859 | Unnamed 1859 stormOct 28 | 25 mi | Category 1 (89 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1859 | Unnamed 1859 stormOct 18 | 46 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1858 | Unnamed 1858 stormSep 14 | 23 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1852 | Unnamed 1852 stormSep 12 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (59 mph) | Category 1 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Babson Park: a hurricane's worst winds sit within a few dozen miles of its centre, and inland cities are usually past that.
Tornadoes within 25 miles of Babson Park
By decade
- 2020s8
- 2010s9
- 2000s18
- 1990s35
- 1980s23
- 1970s20
- 1960s13
- 1950s6
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 8, 1979 | F2 | 19 mi | 4 mi | 1 / 40 |
| Jun 24, 2012 | EF2 | 12 mi | 6.22 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 9, 1998 | F2 | 2 mi | 10.4 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Dec 27, 1997 | F2 | 19 mi | 5.8 mi | 0 / 18 |
| Feb 8, 1986 | F2 | 19 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 17, 1973 | F2 | 21 mi | 0.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 4, 1966 | F2 | 16 mi | 123.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 6, 1964 | F2 | 19 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 29, 1963 | F2 | 8 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Feb 19, 1963 | F2 | 6 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Dec 18, 1951 | F2 | 3 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Dec 18, 1951 | F2 | 17 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 132, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Babson Park
The Storm Prediction Center has 31 hail reports within 10 miles of Babson Park since 1991, made on 28 separate days. Of these, 18 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4.5 inches (grapefruit size), fell on March 30, 1996. The most recent report is from April 26, 2023. May has the most reports, 10.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Babson Park
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Mountain Lake, FL, 9 miles northwest of Babson Park at 125 feet. August is the warmest, with an average high of 93°F and low of 73°F; January is the coolest, at 75°F and 50°F. June is the wettest at 8.9 inches of precipitation on average and November the driest at 1.8 inches; the year adds up to 52.9 inches over 78 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 70% of the year's precipitation (36.8 of 52.9 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 73 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (23); a normal September there has highs of 91°F and 6.9 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 128 days a year, almost all from March to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 4 nights a year. That 52.9 inches is more than at 46 of the 125 Florida stations used on this site (37%). Frostproof, 5 miles south, has its own station (Avon Park 2 W, FL): 52.8 inches a year, the same as here, and an August average high of 92°F against 93°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 75 | 50 | 2.6 | 5 |
| Feb | 78 | 53 | 2.2 | 4 |
| Mar | 82 | 56 | 2.8 | 4 |
| Apr | 86 | 61 | 2.4 | 4 |
| May | 90 | 66 | 3.6 | 6 |
| Jun | 92 | 71 | 8.9 | 12 |
| Jul | 93 | 73 | 7.8 | 11 |
| Aug | 93 | 73 | 8.1 | 12 |
| Sep | 91 | 72 | 6.9 | 9 |
| Oct | 86 | 66 | 3.3 | 5 |
| Nov | 80 | 58 | 1.8 | 3 |
| Dec | 76 | 53 | 2.5 | 3 |
| Year | 85 | 63 | 52.9 | 78 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Mountain Lake, FL (125 ft), from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals. Normals describe the station; the farther a place is from it, and the bigger the difference in height, the more its weather can differ.
Floods, thunderstorm wind and lightning near Babson Park
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 29 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Babson Park: 25 thunderstorm wind reports, 3 heavy rain events and 1 lightning strike. They killed 0 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $411,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 70 mph, on June 21, 2008.
June 25, 2007: lightning strike 7 miles from the centre of Babson Park — 1 injured.
March 30, 1996: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of Babson Park — $180,000 damage.
June 15, 2001: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of Babson Park — $100,000 damage.
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, events whose starting point is on record, 1996 to June 30, 2026. Damage is the NWS estimate in the dollars of the year, not insured losses, and NWS notes that some reports are unverified.
Flood insurance claims, disaster declarations and FEMA risk ratings
Polk County, which includes Babson Park, has been named in 42 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1977, 24 of them major disasters (by incident: 18 hurricanes, 7 fires, 5 severe storms, 4 tropical storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Hurricane Milton, on October 11, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Polk County a Relatively High rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Very High for hurricanes, strong wind and lightning; Relatively High for tornadoes and inland flooding; Relatively Moderate for hail and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $212.6 million a year, the 13th highest of 67 Florida counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $92.3 million (43%), is from hurricanes.
Claims: FEMA, OpenFEMA Dataset FIMA NFIP Redacted Claims – v3, summed over ZIP codes; payments in the dollars of each year, not adjusted for inflation. Declarations: Disaster Declarations Summaries – v2, by county. Retrieved October 25, 2026. This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).
Risk ratings: FEMA, National Risk Index county table, December 2025 (v1.20), retrieved October 26, 2026; ratings compare counties nationwide, are meant for planning and are no substitute for a local risk assessment. This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's National Risk Index dataset API or downloadable datasets but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).
What counts as a pass, the distances and the sources: how this storm history is built.
Cities near Babson Park
- Frostproof, FL5 mi
- Lake Wales, FL5 mi
- Dundee, FL14 mi
- Avon Park, FL16 mi
- Fort Meade, FL17 mi
- Eagle Lake, FL17 mi
- Winter Haven, FL17 mi
- Bartow, FL19 mi
- Haines City, FL20 mi
- Lake Alfred, FL22 mi
- Auburndale, FL23 mi
- Sebring, FL26 mi
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