NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Laurel Hill, 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
64 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Laurel Hill, Florida since 1851, 20 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Fred in 2021. Since 1950, 103 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 20
- Tropical storms
- 44
- Tornadoes
- 103
- 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 Laurel Hill
The strongest storm to pass near Laurel Hill was an unnamed storm in 1894, a Category 3 hurricane with 121 mph winds when its centre passed 74 miles away. The closest pass by a hurricane was an unnamed storm in 1882, whose centre came within 8 miles. The record near Laurel Hill begins with an unnamed storm in 1851; the most recent system was Fred in 2021, a tropical storm 61 miles away. The 1880s and the 1900s were the busiest decades, with 7 systems each. Of the 64 systems, 9 have come since 2000. Of the 407 Florida cities on this site, 71% have more hurricanes within 75 miles than Laurel Hill. The highest rating among the 103 tornadoes within 25 miles is F2 or EF2, reached 15 times; the most recent, on May 10, 2024, came within 19 miles. The deadliest, an F2 on October 4, 1995, killed 1 person. Of the 103, 3 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 40 have come since 2000. October has had the most tornadoes, 16. The most recent tornado was on December 10, 2024. Of the 407 Florida cities, 67% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Laurel Hill. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 12 times since 1990, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Of the 407 Florida cities, 89% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Laurel Hill.
Compare Laurel Hill's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Laurel Hill
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | FredAug 17 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2020 | SallySep 16 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 2 |
| 2018 | AlbertoMay 28 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2009 | ClaudetteAug 17 | 26 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2008 | FayAug 23 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2005 | DennisJul 10 | 52 mi | Category 2 (107 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2005 | ArleneJun 11 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2001 | BarryAug 6 | 6 mi | Tropical storm (59 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2000 | HeleneSep 22 | 32 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1998 | EarlSep 3 | 73 mi | Category 1 (79 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1997 | DannyJul 20 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1995 | OpalOct 5 | 22 mi | Category 1 (92 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1995 | ErinAug 3 | 63 mi | Category 1 (87 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1994 | AlbertoJul 3 | 13 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1985 | JuanOct 31 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1975 | EloiseSep 23 | 15 mi | Category 3 (115 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1969 | Unnamed 1969 stormOct 1 | 22 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1965 | Unnamed 1965 stormJun 15 | 11 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1964 | HildaOct 5 | 26 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1959 | IreneOct 8 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1957 | DebbieSep 8 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1956 | FlossySep 25 | 35 mi | Category 1 (85 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1953 | FlorenceSep 26 | 26 mi | Category 1 (81 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1953 | AliceJun 6 | 49 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1948 | Unnamed 1948 stormJul 9 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1939 | Unnamed 1939 stormAug 13 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (67 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1937 | Unnamed 1937 stormAug 31 | 13 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1936 | Unnamed 1936 stormJul 31 | 28 mi | Category 1 (85 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormOct 6 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1929 | Unnamed 1929 stormOct 1 | 67 mi | Category 1 (81 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1928 | Unnamed 1928 stormAug 15 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1926 | Unnamed 1926 stormSep 20 | 62 mi | Category 3 (120 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1919 | Unnamed 1919 stormJul 4 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1917 | Unnamed 1917 stormSep 29 | 20 mi | Category 2 (96 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormOct 18 | 51 mi | Category 1 (91 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormSep 4 | 64 mi | Tropical storm (70 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1914 | Unnamed 1914 stormSep 18 | 15 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1911 | Unnamed 1911 stormAug 11 | 75 mi | Category 1 (81 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1907 | Unnamed 1907 stormSep 28 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1907 | Unnamed 1907 stormJun 28 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1906 | Unnamed 1906 stormJun 13 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1904 | Unnamed 1904 stormNov 3 | 30 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1903 | Unnamed 1903 stormSep 14 | 32 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormOct 11 | 26 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1901 | Unnamed 1901 stormSep 17 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1899 | Unnamed 1899 stormAug 2 | 43 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1898 | Unnamed 1898 stormAug 3 | 3 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1896 | Unnamed 1896 stormJul 7 | 22 mi | Category 1 (92 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1894 | Unnamed 1894 stormOct 9 | 74 mi | Category 3 (121 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 3 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (68 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1889 | Unnamed 1889 stormSep 23 | 11 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1887 | Unnamed 1887 stormOct 19 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1887 | Unnamed 1887 stormJul 27 | 9 mi | Category 1 (75 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1885 | Unnamed 1885 stormSep 28 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1885 | Unnamed 1885 stormAug 30 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1882 | Unnamed 1882 stormSep 10 | 8 mi | Category 2 (104 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1880 | Unnamed 1880 stormAug 31 | 31 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1879 | Unnamed 1879 stormOct 16 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1877 | Unnamed 1877 stormSep 19 | 33 mi | Category 1 (75 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1875 | Unnamed 1875 stormSep 27 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1860 | Unnamed 1860 stormAug 12 | 26 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1859 | Unnamed 1859 stormSep 16 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1856 | Unnamed 1856 stormAug 31 | 59 mi | Category 2 (100 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1851 | Unnamed 1851 stormAug 23 | 71 mi | Category 3 (112 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Laurel Hill: 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 Laurel Hill
By decade
- 2020s12
- 2010s11
- 2000s17
- 1990s20
- 1980s17
- 1970s17
- 1960s8
- 1950s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 4, 1995 | F2 | 17 mi | 1.8 mi | 1 / 3 |
| May 26, 1973 | F2 | 9 mi | 105.4 mi | 1 / 4 |
| Jan 5, 1962 | F2 | 15 mi | 2.5 mi | 1 / 30 |
| May 10, 2024 | EF2 | 19 mi | 23.96 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 15, 2011 | EF2 | 23 mi | 22.95 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 17, 2008 | EF2 | 23 mi | 14.42 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 15, 2006 | F2 | 18 mi | 15.81 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 1, 1983 | F2 | 11 mi | 0.3 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Apr 12, 1980 | F2 | 21 mi | 31.1 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Oct 27, 1972 | F2 | 13 mi | 0.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 8, 1971 | F2 | 16 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jan 5, 1962 | F2 | 25 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 103, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Laurel Hill
The Storm Prediction Center has 12 hail reports within 10 miles of Laurel Hill since 1990, made on 11 separate days. Of these, 4 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), was reported on 2 days, most recently May 2, 2003. The most recent report is from May 29, 2010. March and May have the most reports, 5 each.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Laurel Hill
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Crestview Bob Sikes Airport, FL, 13 miles southwest of Laurel Hill 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 64 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (20); 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%). Defuniak Springs, 24 miles southeast, has its own station (De Funiak Springs 1 E, FL): 64.7 inches a year, 1.0 more than here, and the same July average high, 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 Laurel Hill
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 63 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Laurel Hill: 51 thunderstorm wind reports, 8 flash floods and 4 floods. They killed 1 person and injured 0, and the NWS estimated $14.1 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 72 mph, on July 23, 2002. Of the 277 Florida cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 169 have had fewer than Laurel Hill.
March 28, 2009: flash flood 9 miles from the centre of Laurel Hill — 1 killed.
September 16, 2020: flash flood 6 miles from the centre of Laurel Hill — $11.0 million damage.
April 30, 2014: flood 4 miles from the centre of Laurel Hill — $1.8 million damage.
NWS: “Disastrous flooding occurred across Walton county at the end of the month due to a combination of very heavy rainfall and already saturated conditions. Many roads in the county sustained damage, and some structures were impacted by flooding including several businesses.”
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 Laurel Hill, 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 Laurel Hill
- Florala, AL9 mi
- Crestview, FL14 mi
- Baker, FL16 mi
- Defuniak Springs, FL24 mi
- Kinston, AL25 mi
- Samson, AL25 mi
- Opp, AL26 mi
- Andalusia, AL26 mi
- Westville, FL30 mi
- Valparaiso, FL30 mi
- Niceville, FL31 mi
- Geneva, AL34 mi
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