NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Ocala, 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
78 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Ocala, Florida since 1851, 18 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Nicole in 2022. Since 1950, 94 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 4 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 18
- Tropical storms
- 60
- Tornadoes
- 94
- EF3 or stronger
- 4
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
13 deaths in all
What the records show for Ocala
The strongest storm to pass near Ocala was an unnamed storm in 1896, a Category 3 hurricane with 120 mph winds when its centre passed 54 miles away. The closest pass by a hurricane was an unnamed storm in 1871, whose centre came within 2 miles. The record near Ocala begins with an unnamed storm in 1852; the most recent system was Nicole in 2022, a tropical storm 34 miles away. The 1870s and the 1880s were the busiest decades, with 9 systems each. Of the 78 systems, 13 have come since 2000. Of the 407 Florida cities on this site, 85% have more hurricanes within 75 miles than Ocala. The highest rating among the 94 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3 or EF3, reached 4 times; the most recent, on February 2, 2007, came within 19 miles. The deadliest, an EF3 on February 2, 2007, killed 8 people. Of the 94, 17 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 30 have come since 2000. March has had the most tornadoes, 14. The most recent tornado was on July 22, 2022. Of the 407 Florida cities, 75% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Ocala. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 76 times since 1974, with stones up to 4.5 inches (grapefruit size). Ocala has more hail reports within 10 miles than 79% of the 407 Florida cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Ocala
Of the 78 tracks on the map, 29 were moving northeast as they passed Ocala, 19 north and 17 northwest. The unnamed 1896 storm, the strongest pass, was heading northeast and came ashore 57 miles west of Ocala. Within 75 miles of Ocala, 31 of the 78 came ashore, 12 of them as hurricanes. In the last 30 seasons (1996–2025), 13 came near Ocala: 4.3 a decade, against 4.5 a decade from 1851 to 1995.
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | NicoleNov 10 | 34 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2020 | EtaNov 12 | 39 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2017 | IrmaSep 11 | 22 mi | Tropical storm (64 mph) | Category 5 |
| 2016 | JuliaSep 13 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2013 | AndreaJun 7 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2012 | DebbyJun 26 | 64 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2008 | FayAug 22 | 28 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2004 | JeanneSep 26 | 28 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2004 | FrancesSep 6 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2004 | CharleyAug 14 | 55 mi | Category 1 (86 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2002 | EdouardSep 5 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2001 | GabrielleSep 15 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2000 | GordonSep 18 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (59 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1995 | JerryAug 24 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1995 | ErinAug 2 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (62 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1984 | IsidoreSep 28 | 1 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1982 | Unnamed 1982 stormJun 18 | 11 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1968 | GladysOct 19 | 3 mi | Category 1 (89 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1968 | BrendaJun 19 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1968 | AbbyJun 6 | 75 mi | Tropical storm (66 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1966 | Unnamed 1966 stormJul 1 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1965 | Unnamed 1965 stormOct 18 | 10 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1964 | DoraSep 10 | 59 mi | Category 1 (78 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1964 | CleoAug 28 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (62 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1960 | DonnaSep 11 | 48 mi | Category 1 (79 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1959 | Unnamed 1959 stormJun 18 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1953 | Unnamed 1953 stormSep 20 | 34 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1950 | KingOct 18 | 16 mi | Category 1 (78 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1950 | EasySep 6 | 32 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 27 | 35 mi | Category 1 (75 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1947 | Unnamed 1947 stormSep 23 | 30 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1946 | Unnamed 1946 stormOct 8 | 15 mi | Tropical storm (71 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1945 | Unnamed 1945 stormSep 16 | 34 mi | Category 1 (77 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1945 | Unnamed 1945 stormJun 24 | 13 mi | Tropical storm (59 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1944 | Unnamed 1944 stormOct 19 | 16 mi | Category 1 (78 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormOct 21 | 43 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1939 | Unnamed 1939 stormAug 12 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (61 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1937 | Unnamed 1937 stormAug 30 | 18 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1937 | Unnamed 1937 stormJul 30 | 31 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1936 | Unnamed 1936 stormAug 22 | 20 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1933 | Unnamed 1933 stormSep 5 | 40 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1928 | Unnamed 1928 stormSep 17 | 5 mi | Category 1 (83 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1928 | Unnamed 1928 stormAug 9 | 43 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1926 | Unnamed 1926 stormJul 28 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (70 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1921 | Unnamed 1921 stormOct 26 | 39 mi | Category 1 (89 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1920 | Unnamed 1920 stormSep 30 | 5 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormMay 15 | overhead | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 2 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1910 | Unnamed 1910 stormOct 18 | 15 mi | Tropical storm (59 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1909 | Unnamed 1909 stormJun 29 | 39 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1906 | Unnamed 1906 stormOct 21 | 39 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormOct 12 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1899 | Unnamed 1899 stormOct 5 | 39 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1897 | Unnamed 1897 stormSep 21 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1896 | Unnamed 1896 stormSep 29 | 54 mi | Category 3 (120 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1894 | Unnamed 1894 stormSep 26 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (71 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1889 | Unnamed 1889 stormJun 17 | 26 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormOct 11 | 39 mi | Category 2 (101 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormSep 9 | 40 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1887 | Unnamed 1887 stormOct 30 | 36 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1886 | Unnamed 1886 stormJul 19 | 12 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1885 | Unnamed 1885 stormOct 11 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1882 | Unnamed 1882 stormOct 11 | 72 mi | Category 1 (74 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1880 | Unnamed 1880 stormOct 8 | 8 mi | Category 1 (76 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1880 | Unnamed 1880 stormAug 30 | 39 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1879 | Unnamed 1879 stormOct 27 | 9 mi | Tropical storm (64 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormSep 10 | 4 mi | Category 1 (83 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1877 | Unnamed 1877 stormOct 26 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1874 | Unnamed 1874 stormSep 28 | 34 mi | Category 1 (75 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1873 | Unnamed 1873 stormSep 23 | 30 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1872 | Unnamed 1872 stormOct 23 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1871 | Unnamed 1871 stormSep 6 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (61 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1871 | Unnamed 1871 stormAug 25 | 16 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1871 | Unnamed 1871 stormAug 18 | 2 mi | Category 1 (78 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1867 | Unnamed 1867 stormOct 7 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1859 | Unnamed 1859 stormOct 28 | 73 mi | Category 1 (89 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1858 | Unnamed 1858 stormSep 14 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1852 | Unnamed 1852 stormSep 12 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (66 mph) | Category 1 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Ocala: a hurricane's worst winds sit within a few dozen miles of its centre, and inland cities are usually past that.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Ocala
By decade
- 2020s6
- 2010s5
- 2000s19(2 EF3+)
- 1990s21
- 1980s19(1 EF3+)
- 1970s19(1 EF3+)
- 1960s4
- 1950s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 2, 2007 | EF3 | 21 mi | 10.5 mi | 8 / 10 |
| Apr 9, 1983 | F3 | 23 mi | 10 mi | 3 / 2 |
| Dec 31, 1975 | F3 | 4 mi | 2 mi | 1 / 26 |
| Feb 2, 2007 | EF3 | 19 mi | 5.67 mi | 0 / 15 |
| Jan 7, 1995 | F2 | 10 mi | 12 mi | 1 / 20 |
| Mar 29, 2001 | F2 | 2 mi | 22 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 3, 1998 | F2 | 20 mi | 4.5 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Mar 12, 1993 | F2 | in town | 15 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 25, 1988 | F2 | 24 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 9, 1983 | F2 | 3 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 11, 1982 | F2 | 17 mi | 13 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 19, 1978 | F2 | 8 mi | 5.6 mi | 0 / 14 |
The strongest 12 of 94, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Ocala
The Storm Prediction Center has 76 hail reports within 10 miles of Ocala since 1974, made on 63 separate days. Of these, 38 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 4.5 inches (grapefruit size), fell on May 13, 2007. The most recent report is from May 29, 2025. July has the most reports, 18.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Ocala
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Ocala, FL, 5 miles east of Ocala at 75 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 92°F and low of 72°F; January is the coolest, at 71°F and 46°F. June is the wettest at 7.4 inches of precipitation on average and November the driest at 2.1 inches; the year adds up to 51.6 inches over 79 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 64% of the year's precipitation (33.2 of 51.6 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 78 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (27); a normal September there has highs of 90°F and 6.5 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 110 days a year, almost all from April to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 8 nights a year. That 51.6 inches is more than at 32 of the 125 Florida stations used on this site (26%). Oxford, 16 miles south, has its own station (Inverness 3 SE, FL): 52.4 inches a year, 0.8 more than here, and a July average high of 91°F against 92°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 71 | 46 | 3.4 | 5 |
| Feb | 74 | 48 | 2.9 | 5 |
| Mar | 79 | 52 | 3.7 | 5 |
| Apr | 84 | 57 | 2.2 | 4 |
| May | 89 | 64 | 3.5 | 5 |
| Jun | 91 | 70 | 7.4 | 11 |
| Jul | 92 | 72 | 6.9 | 12 |
| Aug | 92 | 73 | 7.1 | 12 |
| Sep | 90 | 70 | 6.5 | 9 |
| Oct | 84 | 63 | 3.2 | 5 |
| Nov | 77 | 54 | 2.1 | 3 |
| Dec | 72 | 48 | 2.7 | 4 |
| Year | 83 | 60 | 51.6 | 79 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Ocala, FL (75 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 Ocala
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 329 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Ocala: 216 thunderstorm wind reports, 88 heavy rain events, 11 floods, 11 lightning strikes and 3 flash floods. They killed 3 people and injured 10, and the NWS estimated $1.2 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 75 mph, on August 6, 1996.
July 5, 2019: lightning strike 8 miles from the centre of Ocala — 1 killed, 1 injured.
May 20, 2013: thunderstorm wind 5 miles from the centre of Ocala — 1 killed.
NWS: “A tree was blown down onto two cars. One man was killed.”
May 29, 2025: thunderstorm wind 4 miles from the centre of Ocala — 1 killed.
NWS: “Marion County Emergency Management reported one fatality resulting from a snapped tree at Matheny Fire & Emergency on SW 46th Ave. in Ocala.”
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 Ocala's 9 ZIP codes have filed 137 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1979, and were paid $4.5 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Hurricane Irma in 2017: 39 claims (28% of all) and $2.4 million. 50% 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, 127 have fewer than Ocala.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Hurricane Irma2017 | 39 | $2.4 million |
Marion County, which includes Ocala, has been named in 38 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1968, 21 of them major disasters (by incident: 19 hurricanes, 5 tropical storms, 4 fires, 4 severe storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Hurricane Milton, on October 11, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Marion County a Relatively High rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Very High for lightning; Relatively High for hurricanes, tornadoes and strong wind; Relatively Moderate for inland flooding and heat waves; Very Low for hail and coastal flooding. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $128.4 million a year, the 24th highest of 67 Florida counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $52.6 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).
What counts as a pass, the distances and the sources: how this storm history is built.
Cities near Ocala
- Belleview, FL9 mi
- Anthony, FL12 mi
- Summerfield, FL13 mi
- Silver Springs, FL15 mi
- Oxford, FL16 mi
- Reddick, FL16 mi
- Ocklawaha, FL17 mi
- Citra, FL18 mi
- The Villages, FL18 mi
- Dunnellon, FL18 mi
- Weirsdale, FL18 mi
- Lady Lake, FL20 mi
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