NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Chiefland, 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
76 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Chiefland, Florida since 1851, 19 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Helene in 2024. Since 1950, 29 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 19
- Tropical storms
- 57
- Tornadoes
- 29
- EF3 or stronger
- 0
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
3 deaths in all
What the records show for Chiefland
The strongest storm to pass near Chiefland was Helene in 2024, a Category 4 hurricane with 138 mph winds when its centre passed 60 miles away. The closest pass by a hurricane was an unnamed storm in 1949, whose centre came within 2 miles. The record near Chiefland begins with an unnamed storm in 1867; the most recent system was Helene in 2024. The busiest decade was the 1880s, with 10 systems, 5 of them at hurricane strength. Of the 76 systems, 15 have come since 2000. Of the 407 Florida cities on this site, 78% have more hurricanes within 75 miles than Chiefland. The highest rating among the 29 tornadoes within 25 miles is F2, reached 5 times; the most recent, on March 12, 1993, came within 3 miles. Of the 29, 5 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 5 have come since 2000. May and October have had the most tornadoes, 5 each. The most recent tornado was on March 18, 2021. Of the 407 Florida cities, 99% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Chiefland. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 14 times since 1991, with stones up to 1.25 inches (half dollar size). Of the 407 Florida cities, 87% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Chiefland.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Chiefland
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | HeleneSep 27 | 60 mi | Category 4 (138 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2024 | DebbyAug 5 | 42 mi | Category 1 (81 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2023 | IdaliaAug 30 | 53 mi | Category 3 (116 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2022 | NicoleNov 10 | 18 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2021 | ElsaJul 7 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2020 | EtaNov 12 | 8 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2017 | IrmaSep 11 | 13 mi | Tropical storm (59 mph) | Category 5 |
| 2016 | ColinJun 7 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2013 | AndreaJun 6 | 23 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2012 | DebbyJun 26 | 23 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2008 | FayAug 22 | 20 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2006 | AlbertoJun 13 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2004 | JeanneSep 27 | 3 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2004 | FrancesSep 6 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2000 | GordonSep 18 | 15 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1996 | JosephineOct 8 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (64 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1995 | ErinAug 2 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (68 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1985 | ElenaSep 1 | 72 mi | Category 2 (109 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1984 | IsidoreSep 28 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1982 | Unnamed 1982 stormJun 18 | 36 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1976 | Unnamed 1976 stormMay 23 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1972 | AlphaMay 28 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1971 | Unnamed 1971 stormAug 16 | 36 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1968 | GladysOct 19 | 48 mi | Category 1 (91 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1966 | Unnamed 1966 stormJul 1 | 14 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1965 | Unnamed 1965 stormOct 18 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1964 | DoraSep 10 | 38 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1960 | BrendaJul 29 | 40 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1953 | Unnamed 1953 stormSep 20 | 31 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1950 | LoveOct 21 | 36 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1950 | KingOct 18 | 43 mi | Category 1 (76 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1950 | EasySep 5 | 25 mi | Category 3 (121 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 27 | 2 mi | Category 1 (75 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1947 | Unnamed 1947 stormSep 24 | 17 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1946 | Unnamed 1946 stormOct 8 | 31 mi | Tropical storm (70 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1945 | Unnamed 1945 stormJun 24 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (70 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1944 | Unnamed 1944 stormOct 19 | 62 mi | Category 1 (76 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormOct 21 | overhead | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1939 | Unnamed 1939 stormAug 12 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1937 | Unnamed 1937 stormAug 30 | 9 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1937 | Unnamed 1937 stormJul 30 | 75 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1936 | Unnamed 1936 stormAug 22 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1935 | Unnamed 1935 stormSep 4 | 32 mi | Category 2 (98 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1933 | Unnamed 1933 stormSep 5 | 13 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormSep 15 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1928 | Unnamed 1928 stormSep 17 | 52 mi | Category 1 (82 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1928 | Unnamed 1928 stormAug 9 | 35 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1926 | Unnamed 1926 stormJul 28 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (61 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1920 | Unnamed 1920 stormSep 30 | 33 mi | Tropical storm (61 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormMay 15 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1910 | Unnamed 1910 stormOct 19 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1909 | Unnamed 1909 stormJun 30 | 22 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 14 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormOct 12 | 17 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1898 | Unnamed 1898 stormAug 2 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (59 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1896 | Unnamed 1896 stormSep 29 | 6 mi | Category 3 (119 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormJun 15 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (59 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1889 | Unnamed 1889 stormJun 17 | 18 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormOct 11 | 5 mi | Category 2 (105 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormSep 9 | 2 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1886 | Unnamed 1886 stormJul 19 | 35 mi | Tropical storm (72 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1886 | Unnamed 1886 stormJun 21 | 71 mi | Category 2 (98 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1885 | Unnamed 1885 stormOct 11 | 18 mi | Tropical storm (67 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1882 | Unnamed 1882 stormOct 11 | 24 mi | Category 1 (76 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1880 | Unnamed 1880 stormOct 8 | 36 mi | Category 1 (77 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1880 | Unnamed 1880 stormSep 8 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1880 | Unnamed 1880 stormAug 30 | 40 mi | Category 1 (78 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1879 | Unnamed 1879 stormOct 27 | 32 mi | Tropical storm (68 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormSep 10 | 51 mi | Category 1 (86 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1877 | Unnamed 1877 stormOct 26 | 5 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1874 | Unnamed 1874 stormSep 28 | 13 mi | Category 1 (77 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1871 | Unnamed 1871 stormOct 5 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1871 | Unnamed 1871 stormSep 6 | 8 mi | Tropical storm (70 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1871 | Unnamed 1871 stormAug 25 | 11 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1871 | Unnamed 1871 stormAug 18 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (70 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1867 | Unnamed 1867 stormOct 6 | 14 mi | Tropical storm (67 mph) | Category 2 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Chiefland: 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 Chiefland
By decade
- 2020s1
- 2000s4
- 1990s11
- 1980s6
- 1970s5
- 1960s1
- 1950s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 12, 1993 | F2 | 3 mi | 1 mi | 3 / 10 |
| Apr 23, 1983 | F2 | 19 mi | 15 mi | 0 / 6 |
| Jun 11, 1982 | F2 | 24 mi | 13 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 3, 1970 | F2 | 22 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 8, 1957 | F2 | 19 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 30, 1993 | F1 | 13 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 16, 1989 | F1 | 11 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 8, 1982 | F1 | 5 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 8, 1982 | F1 | 16 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 11, 1971 | F1 | 19 mi | 0.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 18, 2021 | EF0 | 22 mi | 12.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 24, 2007 | EF0 | 25 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 29, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Chiefland
The Storm Prediction Center has 14 hail reports within 10 miles of Chiefland since 1991, made on 12 separate days. Of these, 6 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest, 1.25 inches (half dollar size), fell on March 20, 2018, the most recent report. March and July have the most reports, 4 each.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Chiefland
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Usher Twr, FL, 4 miles southeast of Chiefland at 33 feet. August is the warmest, with an average high of 89°F and low of 73°F; January is the coolest, at 66°F and 44°F. August is the wettest at 9.9 inches of precipitation on average and November the driest at 2.2 inches; the year adds up to 57.2 inches over 78 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 65% of the year's precipitation (37.4 of 57.2 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 76 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (22); a normal September there has highs of 87°F and 5.8 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 82 days a year, almost all from May to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 15 nights a year. That 57.2 inches is more than at 86 of the 125 Florida stations used on this site (69%). Old Town, 15 miles northwest, has its own station (Cross City 1 E, FL): 57.9 inches a year, 0.7 more than here, and an August average high of 91°F against 89°F.
Water temperature at the NOAA tide station Cedar Key, FL, 24 miles southwest, averaged 88°F in July and 59°F in January over 2021–2025. It averaged 80°F or warmer from May to September. Sea level at the Cedar Key tide gauge, 24 miles from Chiefland, has risen 0.94 ± 0.04 inches per decade from 1914 to 2025, NOAA's linear trend; at that pace it is 9.4 inches in a hundred years. That is faster than at 55 of the 144 U.S. gauges with a NOAA trend.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Water °F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 66 | 44 | 3.6 | 5 | 59 |
| Feb | 70 | 47 | 3.3 | 5 | 64 |
| Mar | 75 | 51 | 3.8 | 5 | 70 |
| Apr | 80 | 57 | 3.0 | 4 | 75 |
| May | 86 | 63 | 2.8 | 5 | 82 |
| Jun | 89 | 70 | 8.0 | 10 | 86 |
| Jul | 89 | 72 | 8.3 | 12 | 88 |
| Aug | 89 | 73 | 9.9 | 13 | 88 |
| Sep | 87 | 70 | 5.8 | 8 | 84 |
| Oct | 81 | 62 | 3.2 | 4 | 77 |
| Nov | 74 | 52 | 2.2 | 3 | 69 |
| Dec | 68 | 47 | 3.3 | 4 | 63 |
| Year | 80 | 59 | 57.2 | 78 | 75 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Usher Twr, FL (33 ft), from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals; water temperature: average of hourly readings 2021–2025 at the NOAA tide station Cedar Key, FL, from NOAA Tides & Currents. 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 Chiefland
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 52 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Chiefland: 47 thunderstorm wind reports, 3 lightning strikes and 2 heavy rain events. They killed 0 people and injured 3, and the NWS estimated $485,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 63 mph, on April 19, 2019.
June 25, 2008: lightning strike 3 miles from the centre of Chiefland — 1 injured.
NWS: “A male was struck and injured by lightning in Chiefland.”
August 31, 2014: lightning strike 2 miles from the centre of Chiefland — 1 injured.
NWS: “Levy County Department of Public Safety reported a woman had been struck by lightning in Chiefland and was transported to a hospital, although injuries appeared to be minor. Time was estimated from radar.”
October 7, 2017: lightning strike 2 miles from the centre of Chiefland — 1 injured.
NWS: “A woman who was outside during a thunderstorm was injured by lightning when the metal fence she was leaning on at the time was struck.”
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
Flood insurance policyholders in Chiefland's ZIP code 32626 have filed 67 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1984, and were paid $517,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The year with the most claims was 1998, with 21. 15% of the claims carry the name of a storm or flood event; the rest have no event name. Of the 340 Florida cities on this site with 10 or more claims, 87 have fewer than Chiefland.
Levy County, which includes Chiefland, has been named in 45 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1972, 25 of them major disasters (by incident: 21 hurricanes, 7 severe storms, 6 tropical storms, 5 fires). The latest major disaster declaration was Hurricane Milton, on October 11, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Levy County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for lightning; Relatively Moderate for hurricanes and coastal flooding; Relatively Low for tornadoes, inland flooding, strong wind and heat waves; Very Low for hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $15.3 million a year, the 53rd highest of 67 Florida counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $6.2 million (41%), 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).
Chiefland in the notable storm records: Hurricane Helene (2024)
What counts as a pass, the distances and the sources: how this storm history is built.
Cities near Chiefland
- Trenton, FL10 mi
- Old Town, FL15 mi
- Bronson, FL16 mi
- Cross City, FL19 mi
- Archer, FL20 mi
- Newberry, FL21 mi
- Bell, FL22 mi
- Williston, FL23 mi
- Morriston, FL24 mi
- Inglis, FL28 mi
- High Springs, FL30 mi
- Branford, FL33 mi
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