NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Sanford, 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
82 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Sanford, Florida since 1851, 22 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Milton in 2024. Since 1950, 132 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 4 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 22
- Tropical storms
- 60
- Tornadoes
- 132
- EF3 or stronger
- 4
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
32 deaths in all
What the records show for Sanford
The strongest storm to pass near Sanford was an unnamed storm in 1893, a Category 3 hurricane with 121 mph winds when its centre passed 54 miles away. The closest pass by a hurricane was Charley in 2004, whose centre came within 2 miles. The record near Sanford begins with an unnamed storm in 1852; the most recent system was Milton in 2024, a Category 1 hurricane 41 miles away. The 1960s and the 2000s were the busiest decades, with 8 systems each. Of the 82 systems, 14 have come since 2000. Of the 407 Florida cities on this site, 60% have more hurricanes within 75 miles than Sanford. The highest rating among the 132 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3 or EF3, reached 4 times; the most recent, on February 2, 2007, came within 15 miles. Of the 132, 14 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 28 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 23. The most recent tornado was on May 26, 2025. Sanford has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 57% of the 407 Florida cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 127 times since 1971, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Sanford has more hail reports within 10 miles than 92% of the 407 Florida cities.
Compare Sanford's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Sanford
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | MiltonOct 10 | 41 mi | Category 1 (79 mph) | Category 5 |
| 2022 | NicoleNov 10 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (59 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2022 | IanSep 29 | 49 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 5 |
| 2017 | IrmaSep 11 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (71 mph) | Category 5 |
| 2016 | MatthewOct 7 | 58 mi | Category 3 (120 mph) | Category 5 |
| 2016 | JuliaSep 13 | 10 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2008 | FayAug 22 | 35 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2006 | ErnestoAug 31 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2005 | TammyOct 5 | 43 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2004 | JeanneSep 26 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (71 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2004 | FrancesSep 5 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (68 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2004 | CharleyAug 14 | 2 mi | Category 1 (86 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2002 | EdouardSep 5 | 43 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2001 | GabrielleSep 15 | 13 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1995 | JerryAug 24 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1995 | ErinAug 2 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1988 | KeithNov 23 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1988 | ChrisAug 28 | 64 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1985 | BobJul 24 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (62 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1984 | IsidoreSep 28 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1982 | Unnamed 1982 stormJun 18 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1981 | DennisAug 19 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1979 | DavidSep 4 | 33 mi | Category 2 (98 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1968 | GladysOct 19 | 50 mi | Category 1 (87 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1968 | DollyAug 10 | 46 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1968 | BrendaJun 19 | 13 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1968 | AbbyJun 6 | 40 mi | Tropical storm (70 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1965 | Unnamed 1965 stormOct 18 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1964 | CleoAug 28 | 13 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1962 | AlmaAug 27 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1960 | DonnaSep 11 | 10 mi | Category 1 (79 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1959 | Unnamed 1959 stormJun 18 | 8 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1956 | Unnamed 1956 stormOct 16 | 39 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1950 | KingOct 18 | 18 mi | Category 1 (81 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1950 | EasySep 6 | 23 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 27 | 68 mi | Category 1 (77 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1946 | Unnamed 1946 stormOct 8 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (72 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1945 | Unnamed 1945 stormSep 16 | 22 mi | Category 1 (78 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1945 | Unnamed 1945 stormJun 24 | 40 mi | Tropical storm (61 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1944 | Unnamed 1944 stormOct 19 | 41 mi | Category 1 (79 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1939 | Unnamed 1939 stormAug 12 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (59 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1937 | Unnamed 1937 stormAug 30 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (66 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1937 | Unnamed 1937 stormJul 30 | 22 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1936 | Unnamed 1936 stormAug 21 | 20 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1933 | Unnamed 1933 stormSep 4 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (67 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1930 | Unnamed 1930 stormSep 10 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1928 | Unnamed 1928 stormSep 17 | 51 mi | Category 1 (84 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1928 | Unnamed 1928 stormAug 9 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1926 | Unnamed 1926 stormJul 28 | 29 mi | Category 1 (92 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1925 | Unnamed 1925 stormDec 1 | 64 mi | Tropical storm (66 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1921 | Unnamed 1921 stormOct 26 | 6 mi | Category 1 (84 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1921 | Unnamed 1921 stormOct 16 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1920 | Unnamed 1920 stormSep 30 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormMay 15 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 1 | 18 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1910 | Unnamed 1910 stormOct 18 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1909 | Unnamed 1909 stormAug 31 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1909 | Unnamed 1909 stormJun 29 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1906 | Unnamed 1906 stormOct 21 | 15 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1899 | Unnamed 1899 stormOct 5 | 16 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1897 | Unnamed 1897 stormSep 21 | 12 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1894 | Unnamed 1894 stormSep 26 | 9 mi | Tropical storm (70 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 12 | 54 mi | Category 3 (121 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 27 | 61 mi | Category 3 (120 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormOct 24 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormSep 8 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1887 | Unnamed 1887 stormOct 30 | 14 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1886 | Unnamed 1886 stormJul 19 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (66 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1885 | Unnamed 1885 stormAug 24 | 50 mi | Category 2 (99 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1880 | Unnamed 1880 stormOct 8 | 60 mi | Category 1 (75 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1880 | Unnamed 1880 stormAug 29 | 31 mi | Category 1 (74 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1879 | Unnamed 1879 stormOct 27 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormSep 10 | 51 mi | Category 1 (78 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1877 | Unnamed 1877 stormOct 27 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1873 | Unnamed 1873 stormSep 23 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1872 | Unnamed 1872 stormOct 23 | 12 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1871 | Unnamed 1871 stormAug 25 | 28 mi | Category 1 (74 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1871 | Unnamed 1871 stormAug 17 | 38 mi | Category 1 (81 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1861 | Unnamed 1861 stormNov 1 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (64 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1859 | Unnamed 1859 stormOct 28 | 29 mi | Category 1 (86 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1858 | Unnamed 1858 stormSep 14 | 15 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1852 | Unnamed 1852 stormSep 12 | 34 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Sanford: 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 Sanford
By decade
- 2020s12
- 2010s6
- 2000s10(1 EF3+)
- 1990s16(2 EF3+)
- 1980s25(1 EF3+)
- 1970s44
- 1960s12
- 1950s7
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 2, 2007 | EF3 | 15 mi | 26.03 mi | 13 / 51 |
| Feb 22, 1998 | F3 | 4 mi | 16 mi | 13 / 36 |
| Feb 22, 1998 | F3 | 15 mi | 18 mi | 3 / 70 |
| Mar 19, 1981 | F3 | 17 mi | 8 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Mar 12, 1993 | F2 | 12 mi | 30 mi | 1 / 60 |
| Apr 15, 1987 | F2 | 19 mi | 3 mi | 1 / 7 |
| Apr 2, 1959 | F2 | 15 mi | 0.1 mi | 1 / 9 |
| Mar 10, 2025 | EF2 | 6 mi | 4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 18, 2020 | EF2 | 17 mi | 4.59 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Dec 25, 2006 | F2 | 17 mi | 2.8 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Feb 22, 1998 | F2 | 22 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 2, 1983 | F2 | 12 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 9 |
The strongest 12 of 132, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Sanford
The Storm Prediction Center has 127 hail reports within 10 miles of Sanford since 1971, made on 82 separate days. Of these, 80 were 1 inch across or larger, and 11 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on May 21, 2020. The most recent report is from June 6, 2022. May has the most reports, 35.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Sanford
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Sanford, FL, 2 miles north of Sanford at 12 feet. August is the warmest, with an average high of 92°F and low of 75°F; January is the coolest, at 70°F and 49°F. June and July are the wettest at 8.2 inches of precipitation on average and November the driest at 2.0 inches; the year adds up to 54.1 inches over 82 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 69% of the year's precipitation (37.2 of 54.1 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 82 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (23); a normal September there has highs of 89°F and 6.4 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 109 days a year, almost all from April to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 3 nights a year. That 54.1 inches is more than at 60 of the 125 Florida stations used on this site (48%). Winter Springs, 7 miles south, has its own station (Orlando Sanford Airport, FL): 49.8 inches a year, 4.3 less than here, and an August average high of 93°F against 92°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 70 | 49 | 2.8 | 4 |
| Feb | 73 | 52 | 2.5 | 4 |
| Mar | 77 | 56 | 3.2 | 5 |
| Apr | 82 | 61 | 2.5 | 4 |
| May | 87 | 67 | 3.4 | 6 |
| Jun | 90 | 72 | 8.2 | 12 |
| Jul | 92 | 74 | 8.2 | 11 |
| Aug | 92 | 75 | 8.1 | 12 |
| Sep | 89 | 73 | 6.4 | 10 |
| Oct | 84 | 67 | 4.3 | 6 |
| Nov | 77 | 59 | 2.0 | 4 |
| Dec | 72 | 53 | 2.5 | 4 |
| Year | 82 | 63 | 54.1 | 82 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Sanford, FL (12 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 Sanford
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 148 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Sanford: 130 thunderstorm wind reports, 8 lightning strikes, 5 heavy rain events, 3 floods and 2 flash floods. They killed 4 people and injured 7, and the NWS estimated $72.0 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 92 mph, on March 19, 2003.
August 18, 2022: lightning strike 8 miles from the centre of Sanford — 1 killed, 2 injured.
October 8, 2018: thunderstorm wind 4 miles from the centre of Sanford — 1 killed, 1 injured.
NWS: “The large circulation around Hurricane Michael located near the western tip of Cuba combined with high pressure to the north caused quick-moving showers with gusty winds to move west across central Florida from the Atlantic. As these showers moved over inland lakes, wind gusts of 30 to 40 mph occurred.”
May 19, 2009: flood 8 miles from the centre of Sanford — 1 killed, $68.6 million 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 Sanford's 2 ZIP codes have filed 318 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1983, and were paid $6.4 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Hurricane Ian in 2022: 104 claims (33% of all) and $3.7 million, then Tropical Storm Fay in 2008 with 65 and Hurricane Irma in 2017 with 30. 78% 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, 175 have fewer than Sanford.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Hurricane Ian2022 | 104 | $3.7 million |
| Tropical Storm Fay2008 | 65 | $536,000 |
| Hurricane Irma2017 | 30 | $1.0 million |
| Hurricane Milton2024 | 19 | $638,000 |
Seminole County, which includes Sanford, has been named in 39 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1977, 23 of them major disasters (by incident: 20 hurricanes, 4 fires, 4 severe storms, 4 tropical storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Hurricane Milton, on October 11, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Seminole County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for hurricanes, tornadoes, strong wind and lightning; Relatively Moderate for inland flooding; Relatively Low for heat waves; Very Low for hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $129.2 million a year, the 23rd highest of 67 Florida counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $66.2 million (51%), is from inland flooding.
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.