NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Crystal River, 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
75 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Crystal River, Florida since 1851, 24 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Debby in 2024. Since 1950, 71 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 1 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 24
- Tropical storms
- 51
- Tornadoes
- 71
- EF3 or stronger
- 1
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
3 deaths in all
What the records show for Crystal River
The strongest storm to pass near Crystal River was an unnamed storm in 1896, a Category 3 hurricane with 127 mph winds when its centre passed 35 miles away. The closest pass by a hurricane was an unnamed storm in 1886, whose centre crossed the city. The record near Crystal River begins with an unnamed storm in 1852; the most recent system was Debby in 2024, a Category 1 hurricane 74 miles away. The 1870s and the 1880s were the busiest decades, with 9 systems each. Of the 75 systems, 12 have come since 2000. Of the 407 Florida cities on this site, 52% have more hurricanes within 75 miles than Crystal River. The strongest of the 71 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F3 on April 9, 1983; its path came within 14 miles, and it killed 3 people. Of the 71, 11 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 18 have come since 2000. July has had the most tornadoes, 14. The most recent tornado was on June 16, 2024. Of the 407 Florida cities, 88% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Crystal River. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 41 times since 1964, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Crystal River has more hail reports within 10 miles than 51% of the 407 Florida cities.
Compare Crystal River's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Crystal River
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | DebbyAug 5 | 74 mi | Category 1 (81 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2022 | NicoleNov 10 | 4 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2021 | ElsaJul 7 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2020 | EtaNov 12 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2017 | IrmaSep 11 | 9 mi | Tropical storm (66 mph) | Category 5 |
| 2013 | AndreaJun 6 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2012 | DebbyJun 26 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2008 | FayAug 22 | 49 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2004 | JeanneSep 26 | 3 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2004 | FrancesSep 6 | 40 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2001 | GabrielleSep 14 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2000 | GordonSep 18 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (66 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1995 | JerryAug 24 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1995 | ErinAug 2 | 35 mi | Tropical storm (64 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1990 | MarcoOct 11 | 49 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1985 | ElenaSep 1 | 73 mi | Category 2 (109 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1984 | IsidoreSep 28 | 23 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1982 | Unnamed 1982 stormJun 18 | overhead | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1971 | Unnamed 1971 stormAug 16 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1968 | GladysOct 19 | 10 mi | Category 1 (93 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1966 | Unnamed 1966 stormJul 1 | 30 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1965 | Unnamed 1965 stormOct 18 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1960 | DonnaSep 11 | 67 mi | Category 1 (77 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1959 | Unnamed 1959 stormJun 18 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1953 | Unnamed 1953 stormSep 20 | 6 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1950 | LoveOct 21 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (61 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1950 | KingOct 18 | 48 mi | Category 1 (78 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1950 | EasySep 5 | 12 mi | Category 3 (115 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 27 | 4 mi | Category 1 (75 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1947 | Unnamed 1947 stormSep 23 | 6 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1946 | Unnamed 1946 stormOct 8 | 10 mi | Category 1 (74 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1945 | Unnamed 1945 stormSep 16 | 58 mi | Category 1 (79 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1945 | Unnamed 1945 stormJun 24 | 15 mi | Tropical storm (72 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1944 | Unnamed 1944 stormOct 19 | 38 mi | Category 1 (82 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormOct 20 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1939 | Unnamed 1939 stormAug 12 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (61 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1937 | Unnamed 1937 stormAug 30 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1937 | Unnamed 1937 stormJul 30 | 36 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1936 | Unnamed 1936 stormAug 22 | 46 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1935 | Unnamed 1935 stormSep 4 | 48 mi | Category 2 (101 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1933 | Unnamed 1933 stormSep 5 | 8 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1928 | Unnamed 1928 stormSep 17 | 28 mi | Category 1 (85 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1928 | Unnamed 1928 stormAug 9 | 15 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1921 | Unnamed 1921 stormOct 25 | 37 mi | Category 1 (93 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1920 | Unnamed 1920 stormSep 30 | 7 mi | Tropical storm (61 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormMay 15 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1910 | Unnamed 1910 stormOct 18 | 43 mi | Tropical storm (61 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1909 | Unnamed 1909 stormJun 29 | 8 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1906 | Unnamed 1906 stormOct 21 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormOct 12 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1899 | Unnamed 1899 stormOct 5 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1898 | Unnamed 1898 stormAug 2 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1896 | Unnamed 1896 stormSep 29 | 35 mi | Category 3 (127 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1894 | Unnamed 1894 stormSep 26 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1889 | Unnamed 1889 stormJun 17 | 21 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormOct 11 | 34 mi | Category 2 (107 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormSep 9 | 8 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1887 | Unnamed 1887 stormOct 30 | 39 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1886 | Unnamed 1886 stormJul 19 | overhead | Category 1 (78 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1885 | Unnamed 1885 stormOct 11 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1882 | Unnamed 1882 stormOct 11 | 57 mi | Category 1 (81 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1880 | Unnamed 1880 stormOct 8 | 4 mi | Category 1 (78 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1880 | Unnamed 1880 stormAug 30 | 13 mi | Tropical storm (70 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1879 | Unnamed 1879 stormOct 27 | 8 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormSep 10 | 14 mi | Category 1 (91 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1877 | Unnamed 1877 stormOct 26 | 35 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1874 | Unnamed 1874 stormSep 28 | 22 mi | Category 1 (81 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1873 | Unnamed 1873 stormSep 23 | 39 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1872 | Unnamed 1872 stormOct 23 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1871 | Unnamed 1871 stormSep 6 | 31 mi | Category 1 (78 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1871 | Unnamed 1871 stormAug 25 | 12 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1871 | Unnamed 1871 stormAug 18 | 30 mi | Category 1 (78 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1867 | Unnamed 1867 stormOct 6 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (66 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1859 | Unnamed 1859 stormOct 28 | 70 mi | Category 1 (90 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1852 | Unnamed 1852 stormSep 12 | 60 mi | Category 1 (74 mph) | Category 1 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Crystal River: 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 Crystal River
By decade
- 2020s4
- 2010s4
- 2000s10
- 1990s23
- 1980s17(1 EF3+)
- 1970s10
- 1960s2
- 1950s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 9, 1983 | F3 | 14 mi | 10 mi | 3 / 2 |
| Oct 12, 2023 | EF2 | 2 mi | 5.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 29, 2001 | F2 | 15 mi | 22 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 3, 1998 | F2 | 8 mi | 4.5 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Jun 25, 1988 | F2 | 18 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 11, 1982 | F2 | 15 mi | 13 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 12, 2022 | EF1 | 13 mi | 26.65 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 20, 2015 | EF1 | 23 mi | 1.94 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 24, 2012 | EF1 | 14 mi | 4.99 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 15, 2004 | F1 | 13 mi | 4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 11, 2004 | F1 | 14 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 15, 2002 | F1 | 10 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 71, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Crystal River
The Storm Prediction Center has 41 hail reports within 10 miles of Crystal River since 1964, made on 34 separate days. Of these, 20 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2 inches (hen egg size), fell on May 18, 2003. The most recent report is from February 4, 2024. May and June have the most reports, 13 each.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Crystal River
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Inverness 3 SE, FL, 19 miles southeast of Crystal River at 58 feet. July and August are the warmest, with an average high of 91°F and low of 71°F; January is the coolest, at 69°F and 43°F. August is the wettest at 8.7 inches of precipitation on average and November the driest at 1.8 inches; the year adds up to 52.4 inches over 76 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 67% of the year's precipitation (35.1 of 52.4 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 75 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (24); a normal September there has highs of 89°F and 5.8 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 112 days a year, almost all from April to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 16 nights a year. That 52.4 inches is more than at 40 of the 125 Florida stations used on this site (32%). Inglis, 12 miles north, has its own station (Usher Twr, FL): 57.2 inches a year, 4.8 more than here, and a July average high of 89°F against 91°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 69 | 43 | 3.0 | 5 |
| Feb | 72 | 46 | 2.7 | 4 |
| Mar | 77 | 49 | 3.3 | 4 |
| Apr | 82 | 55 | 2.7 | 4 |
| May | 88 | 62 | 3.1 | 4 |
| Jun | 90 | 69 | 8.1 | 10 |
| Jul | 91 | 71 | 7.8 | 12 |
| Aug | 90 | 71 | 8.7 | 12 |
| Sep | 89 | 69 | 5.8 | 9 |
| Oct | 84 | 61 | 2.9 | 5 |
| Nov | 77 | 52 | 1.8 | 3 |
| Dec | 72 | 46 | 2.5 | 4 |
| Year | 82 | 58 | 52.4 | 76 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Inverness 3 SE, FL (58 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 Crystal River
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 50 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Crystal River: 39 thunderstorm wind reports, 4 floods, 4 lightning strikes and 3 heavy rain events. They killed 0 people and injured 9, and the NWS estimated $11.5 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 82 mph, on July 29, 2002.
February 23, 2004: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Crystal River — 2 injured, $300,000 damage.
NWS: “5 miles by 3 miles across in north central Citrus county. Citrus County Emergency Management conducted a survey and found the damage was caused by straight line winds.”
March 12, 2022: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Crystal River — 2 injured, $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
Flood insurance policyholders in Crystal River's 2 ZIP codes have filed 4,442 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $280.8 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Hurricane Helene in 2024: 1,071 claims (24% of all) and $117.2 million, then Blizzard of 1993 in 1993 with 935 and Hurricane Idalia in 2023 with 725. 96% 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, 319 have fewer than Crystal River.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Hurricane Helene2024 | 1,071 | $117.2 million |
| Blizzard of 19931993 | 935 | $29.2 million |
| Hurricane Idalia2023 | 725 | $83.5 million |
| Hurricane Hermine2016 | 723 | $37.5 million |
| Hurricane Josephine1996 | 548 | $8.7 million |
| Tropical Storm Alberto2006 | 66 | $1.1 million |
Citrus County, which includes Crystal River, has been named in 41 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1968, 23 of them major disasters (by incident: 21 hurricanes, 6 severe storms, 6 tropical storms, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Hurricane Milton, on October 11, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Citrus County a Relatively High rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Very High for hurricanes; Relatively High for coastal flooding and lightning; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, inland flooding and strong wind; Relatively Low for heat waves; Very Low for hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $112.1 million a year, the 27th highest of 67 Florida counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $82.1 million (73%), 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 Crystal River
- Beverly Hills, FL8 mi
- Lecanto, FL9 mi
- Homosassa, FL11 mi
- Citrus Springs, FL11 mi
- Inglis, FL12 mi
- Hernando, FL13 mi
- Dunnellon, FL15 mi
- Inverness, FL17 mi
- Weeki Wachee, FL20 mi
- Floral City, FL22 mi
- Morriston, FL26 mi
- Lake Panasoffkee, FL28 mi
All Florida cities →All hurricanes since 1851 →Compare Crystal River with another place →