Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Niceville, FL

The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Niceville, FL, 3 miles northwest of Niceville at 60 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 90°F and low of 72°F; January is the coolest, at 61°F and 38°F. August is the wettest at 9.2 inches of precipitation on average and May the driest at 3.8 inches; the year adds up to 73.6 inches over 88 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 56% of the year's precipitation (41.5 of 73.6 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 75 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (23); a normal September there has highs of 87°F and 7.0 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 52 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 36 nights a year. That 73.6 inches is more than at 124 of the 125 Florida stations used on this site (99%). Eglin Afb, 7 miles southwest, has its own station (Destin Fort Walton Airport, FL): 55.4 inches a year, 18.2 less than here, and a July average high of 91°F against 90°F.

Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 79 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Niceville: 59 thunderstorm wind reports, 15 flash floods and 5 lightning strikes. They killed 2 people and injured 24, and the NWS estimated $1.6 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on February 7, 2017. September has had the most flash floods, 5 of 15. Of the 277 Florida cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 203 have had fewer than Niceville.

Flood insurance policyholders in Niceville's ZIP code 32578 have filed 545 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1979, and were paid $7.2 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Hurricane Ivan in 2004: 177 claims (32% of all) and $3.5 million, then Hurricane Opal in 1995 with 162 and Hurricane Sally in 2020 with 50. 90% 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, 209 have fewer than Niceville.