NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Baker, 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
61 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Baker, Florida since 1851, 19 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Sally in 2020. Since 1950, 83 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 1 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 19
- Tropical storms
- 42
- Tornadoes
- 83
- EF3 or stronger
- 1
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
20 deaths in all
What the records show for Baker
The strongest storm to pass near Baker was Eloise in 1975, a Category 3 hurricane with 117 mph winds when its centre passed 29 miles away. The closest pass by a hurricane was Opal in 1995, whose centre came within 9 miles. The record near Baker begins with an unnamed storm in 1856; the most recent system was Sally in 2020, a tropical storm 33 miles away. The 1880s and the 2000s were the busiest decades, with 7 systems each. Of the 61 systems, 9 have come since 2000. Of the 407 Florida cities on this site, 78% have more hurricanes within 75 miles than Baker. The strongest of the 83 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F3 on March 31, 1962; its path came within 23 miles, and it killed 17 people. Of the 83, 7 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 34 have come since 2000. May and October have had the most tornadoes, 12 each. The most recent tornado was on May 10, 2024. Of the 407 Florida cities, 82% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Baker. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 7 times since 1972, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Of the 407 Florida cities, 95% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Baker.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Baker
Of the 61 tracks on the map, 22 were moving northeast as they passed Baker, 18 north and 14 northwest. Eloise (1975), the strongest pass, was heading north and came ashore 40 miles southeast of Baker. Within 75 miles of Baker, 42 of the 61 came ashore, 20 of them as hurricanes. In the last 30 seasons (1996–2025), 10 came near Baker: 3.3 a decade, against 3.5 a decade from 1851 to 1995.
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | SallySep 16 | 33 mi | Tropical storm (64 mph) | Category 2 |
| 2018 | AlbertoMay 28 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2009 | ClaudetteAug 17 | 12 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2008 | FayAug 23 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2005 | DennisJul 10 | 36 mi | Category 2 (105 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2005 | ArleneJun 11 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2004 | IvanSep 16 | 65 mi | Category 1 (93 mph) | Category 5 |
| 2001 | BarryAug 6 | 10 mi | Tropical storm (59 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2000 | HeleneSep 22 | 21 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1997 | DannyJul 20 | 46 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1995 | OpalOct 4 | 9 mi | Category 1 (94 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1995 | ErinAug 3 | 49 mi | Category 1 (82 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1994 | AlbertoJul 3 | 26 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1985 | JuanOct 31 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1975 | EloiseSep 23 | 29 mi | Category 3 (117 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1969 | Unnamed 1969 stormOct 1 | 7 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1965 | Unnamed 1965 stormJun 15 | 16 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1964 | HildaOct 5 | 22 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1959 | IreneOct 8 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1957 | DebbieSep 8 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1956 | FlossySep 24 | 37 mi | Category 1 (92 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1953 | FlorenceSep 26 | 37 mi | Category 1 (81 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1953 | AliceJun 6 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1950 | BakerAug 31 | 72 mi | Category 1 (78 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1948 | Unnamed 1948 stormJul 9 | 9 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1939 | Unnamed 1939 stormAug 13 | 11 mi | Tropical storm (64 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1939 | Unnamed 1939 stormJun 16 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1937 | Unnamed 1937 stormAug 31 | 36 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1936 | Unnamed 1936 stormJul 31 | 14 mi | Category 1 (83 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormOct 6 | 33 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1929 | Unnamed 1929 stormOct 1 | 75 mi | Category 1 (81 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1926 | Unnamed 1926 stormSep 20 | 51 mi | Category 3 (117 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1919 | Unnamed 1919 stormJul 4 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1917 | Unnamed 1917 stormSep 29 | 27 mi | Category 2 (104 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormOct 18 | 37 mi | Category 1 (93 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1914 | Unnamed 1914 stormSep 18 | 16 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1911 | Unnamed 1911 stormAug 11 | 62 mi | Category 1 (81 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1907 | Unnamed 1907 stormJun 28 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1906 | Unnamed 1906 stormJun 13 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1904 | Unnamed 1904 stormNov 3 | 33 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1903 | Unnamed 1903 stormSep 14 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormOct 10 | 15 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1901 | Unnamed 1901 stormSep 17 | 26 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1899 | Unnamed 1899 stormAug 2 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1898 | Unnamed 1898 stormAug 3 | 10 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1896 | Unnamed 1896 stormJul 7 | 30 mi | Category 2 (96 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1894 | Unnamed 1894 stormAug 8 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 3 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (70 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1889 | Unnamed 1889 stormSep 23 | 6 mi | Tropical storm (62 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1887 | Unnamed 1887 stormOct 19 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1887 | Unnamed 1887 stormJul 27 | 20 mi | Category 1 (78 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1885 | Unnamed 1885 stormSep 28 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1885 | Unnamed 1885 stormAug 30 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1882 | Unnamed 1882 stormSep 10 | 16 mi | Category 3 (110 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1880 | Unnamed 1880 stormAug 31 | 20 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1879 | Unnamed 1879 stormOct 16 | 10 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1877 | Unnamed 1877 stormSep 19 | 33 mi | Category 1 (79 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1875 | Unnamed 1875 stormSep 27 | 75 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1860 | Unnamed 1860 stormAug 12 | 30 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1859 | Unnamed 1859 stormSep 16 | 49 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1856 | Unnamed 1856 stormAug 31 | 66 mi | Category 2 (104 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Baker: a hurricane's worst winds sit within a few dozen miles of its centre, and inland cities are usually past that.
Check hail and hurricane history for any address
Tornadoes within 25 miles of Baker
By decade
- 2020s10
- 2010s5
- 2000s19
- 1990s10
- 1980s15
- 1970s13
- 1960s9(1 EF3+)
- 1950s2
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 31, 1962 | F3 | 23 mi | 6.9 mi | 17 / 100 |
| Oct 4, 1995 | F2 | 10 mi | 1.8 mi | 1 / 3 |
| May 26, 1973 | F2 | 8 mi | 105.4 mi | 1 / 4 |
| Jan 5, 1962 | F2 | 9 mi | 2.5 mi | 1 / 30 |
| May 10, 2024 | EF2 | 4 mi | 23.96 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 15, 2011 | EF2 | 24 mi | 22.95 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 17, 2008 | EF2 | 17 mi | 14.42 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 1, 1983 | F2 | 24 mi | 0.3 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Dec 15, 1972 | F2 | 24 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Oct 27, 1972 | F2 | 6 mi | 0.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jan 12, 1972 | F2 | 24 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 1 |
| May 8, 1971 | F2 | 11 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 83, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Baker
The Storm Prediction Center has 7 hail reports within 10 miles of Baker since 1972. Of these, 6 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), fell on March 18, 1972. The most recent report is from June 25, 2025.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Baker
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Crestview Bob Sikes Airport, FL, 12 miles southeast of Baker at 190 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 92°F and low of 71°F; January is the coolest, at 63°F and 39°F. July is the wettest at 7.9 inches of precipitation on average and May and October the driest at 4.1 inches; the year adds up to 63.7 inches over 78 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 53% of the year's precipitation (33.8 of 63.7 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 61 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (18); a normal September there has highs of 89°F and 5.1 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 98 days a year, almost all from May to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 39 nights a year. That 63.7 inches is more than at 107 of the 125 Florida stations used on this site (86%). Milton, 25 miles southwest, has its own station (Whiting Field NAS, FL): 63.3 inches a year, 0.4 less than here, and a July average high of 91°F against 92°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 63 | 39 | 5.7 | 6 |
| Feb | 67 | 41 | 4.6 | 6 |
| Mar | 73 | 47 | 5.7 | 6 |
| Apr | 79 | 53 | 4.9 | 5 |
| May | 87 | 61 | 4.1 | 5 |
| Jun | 91 | 69 | 6.0 | 8 |
| Jul | 92 | 71 | 7.9 | 11 |
| Aug | 92 | 71 | 6.4 | 10 |
| Sep | 89 | 67 | 5.1 | 6 |
| Oct | 81 | 56 | 4.1 | 4 |
| Nov | 72 | 45 | 4.3 | 5 |
| Dec | 65 | 41 | 4.9 | 6 |
| Year | 79 | 55 | 63.7 | 78 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Crestview Bob Sikes Airport, FL (190 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 Baker
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 33 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Baker: 28 thunderstorm wind reports, 3 flash floods and 2 lightning strikes. They killed 1 person and injured 0, and the NWS estimated $332,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 96 mph, on May 10, 2024.
July 10, 2017: lightning strike 8 miles from the centre of Baker — 1 killed.
NWS: “A lightning strike killed a camper at the Wilderness Landing campground along the Blackwater River.”
July 2, 2007: lightning strike 9 miles from the centre of Baker — $150,000 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
Okaloosa County, which includes Baker, has been named in 42 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1970, 28 of them major disasters (by incident: 24 hurricanes, 6 severe storms, 5 floods, 4 tropical storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Hurricane Helene, on September 28, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Okaloosa County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Very High for hurricanes and lightning; Relatively High for tornadoes; Relatively Moderate for inland flooding, coastal flooding, strong wind and heat waves; Very Low for hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $134.5 million a year, the 21st highest of 67 Florida counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $87.2 million (65%), 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 Baker
- Crestview, FL12 mi
- Laurel Hill, FL16 mi
- Florala, AL23 mi
- Milton, FL25 mi
- Jay, FL27 mi
- Valparaiso, FL28 mi
- Hurlburt Field, FL28 mi
- Niceville, FL29 mi
- Gulf Breeze, FL30 mi
- Eglin Afb, FL30 mi
- Brewton, AL30 mi
- Shalimar, FL30 mi
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