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NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database

Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit St Petersburg, FL

Every tropical system within 75 miles since 1851 and every tornado within 25 miles since 1950.

80 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of St Petersburg, Florida since 1851, 30 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Milton in 2024. Since 1950, 300 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 6 of them rated EF3 or stronger.

Hurricanes
30

within 75 mi, since 1851

Tropical storms
50

below hurricane strength

Tornadoes
300

within 25 mi, since 1950

EF3 or stronger
6

20 deaths in all

Tropical storms and hurricanes near St Petersburg

Tropical systems that passed within 75 miles of St Petersburg, Florida, newest first
YearStormClosestStrength when closestPeak
2024MiltonOct 1026 miCategory 3 (112 mph)Category 5
2022NicoleNov 1055 miTropical storm (56 mph)Category 1
2022IanSep 2972 miCategory 3 (115 mph)Category 5
2021ElsaJul 749 miTropical storm (64 mph)Category 1
2020EtaNov 1250 miTropical storm (62 mph)Category 4
2017IrmaSep 1136 miCategory 1 (78 mph)Category 5
2017EmilyJul 3120 miTropical storm (56 mph)Tropical storm
2007BarryJun 263 miTropical storm (46 mph)Tropical storm
2004JeanneSep 2641 miTropical storm (67 mph)Category 3
2004FrancesSep 630 miTropical storm (63 mph)Category 4
2004CharleyAug 1354 miCategory 3 (114 mph)Category 4
2001GabrielleSep 1433 miTropical storm (61 mph)Category 1
2000GordonSep 1769 miCategory 1 (74 mph)Category 1
1995JerryAug 2468 miTropical storm (40 mph)Tropical storm
1995ErinAug 241 miTropical storm (62 mph)Category 2
1990MarcoOct 1112 miTropical storm (54 mph)Tropical storm
1988KeithNov 2332 miTropical storm (60 mph)Category 1
1984IsidoreSep 2851 miTropical storm (52 mph)Tropical storm
1982Unnamed 1982 stormJun 1850 miTropical storm (43 mph)Tropical storm
1974Unnamed 1974 stormJun 256 miTropical storm (55 mph)Tropical storm
1968GladysOct 1843 miCategory 2 (97 mph)Category 2
1968AbbyJun 460 miTropical storm (53 mph)Category 1
1966Unnamed 1966 stormJul 121 miTropical storm (46 mph)Tropical storm
1966AlmaJun 949 miCategory 2 (104 mph)Category 3
1960DonnaSep 1153 miCategory 1 (90 mph)Category 4
1959Unnamed 1959 stormJun 1816 miTropical storm (46 mph)Category 1
1950EasySep 640 miCategory 1 (79 mph)Category 3
1949Unnamed 1949 stormAug 2740 miCategory 1 (75 mph)Category 4
1947Unnamed 1947 stormSep 2327 miTropical storm (63 mph)Tropical storm
1946Unnamed 1946 stormOct 86 miCategory 1 (83 mph)Category 2
1945Unnamed 1945 stormSep 1655 miCategory 1 (85 mph)Category 4
1945Unnamed 1945 stormSep 555 miTropical storm (40 mph)Tropical storm
1945Unnamed 1945 stormJun 2455 miCategory 1 (81 mph)Category 2
1944Unnamed 1944 stormOct 1922 miCategory 2 (97 mph)Category 4
1941Unnamed 1941 stormOct 2067 miTropical storm (47 mph)Tropical storm
1941Unnamed 1941 stormOct 637 miCategory 1 (76 mph)Category 3
1939Unnamed 1939 stormAug 1229 miTropical storm (60 mph)Category 1
1937Unnamed 1937 stormJul 2922 miTropical storm (63 mph)Tropical storm
1935Unnamed 1935 stormSep 428 miCategory 3 (124 mph)Category 5
1933Unnamed 1933 stormSep 441 miTropical storm (64 mph)Category 4
1933Unnamed 1933 stormJul 3155 miTropical storm (46 mph)Category 1
1930Unnamed 1930 stormSep 912 miTropical storm (43 mph)Category 4
1928Unnamed 1928 stormSep 1740 miCategory 2 (97 mph)Category 5
1928Unnamed 1928 stormAug 1338 miTropical storm (60 mph)Category 1
1928Unnamed 1928 stormAug 954 miTropical storm (46 mph)Category 2
1926Unnamed 1926 stormSep 1950 miCategory 3 (120 mph)Category 4
1921Unnamed 1921 stormOct 2520 miCategory 3 (115 mph)Category 4
1920Unnamed 1920 stormSep 3074 miTropical storm (63 mph)Category 1
1916Unnamed 1916 stormMay 1545 miTropical storm (44 mph)Tropical storm
1910Unnamed 1910 stormOct 1847 miCategory 1 (76 mph)Category 4
1909Unnamed 1909 stormJun 2951 miTropical storm (40 mph)Tropical storm
1904Unnamed 1904 stormOct 1872 miTropical storm (40 mph)Category 1
1903Unnamed 1903 stormSep 1212 miTropical storm (59 mph)Category 1
1901Unnamed 1901 stormAug 1151 miTropical storm (55 mph)Category 1
1899Unnamed 1899 stormOct 510 miTropical storm (55 mph)Tropical storm
1899Unnamed 1899 stormJul 3153 miTropical storm (71 mph)Category 2
1898Unnamed 1898 stormAug 215 miTropical storm (40 mph)Category 1
1897Unnamed 1897 stormSep 2157 miTropical storm (56 mph)Tropical storm
1896Unnamed 1896 stormSep 2963 miCategory 3 (127 mph)Category 3
1894Unnamed 1894 stormSep 2661 miCategory 1 (85 mph)Category 3
1892Unnamed 1892 stormOct 2411 miTropical storm (52 mph)Tropical storm
1889Unnamed 1889 stormJun 1775 miTropical storm (52 mph)Category 1
1888Unnamed 1888 stormSep 836 miTropical storm (45 mph)Tropical storm
1888Unnamed 1888 stormAug 1769 miCategory 1 (89 mph)Category 3
1887Unnamed 1887 stormOct 3022 miTropical storm (46 mph)Category 1
1886Unnamed 1886 stormJul 1830 miCategory 1 (81 mph)Category 1
1885Unnamed 1885 stormOct 1169 miTropical storm (69 mph)Tropical storm
1882Unnamed 1882 stormOct 1075 miCategory 1 (81 mph)Category 4
1880Unnamed 1880 stormOct 859 miCategory 1 (81 mph)Category 1
1880Unnamed 1880 stormAug 3059 miTropical storm (69 mph)Category 2
1879Unnamed 1879 stormOct 2771 miTropical storm (69 mph)Category 1
1878Unnamed 1878 stormSep 930 miTropical storm (59 mph)Category 2
1874Unnamed 1874 stormSep 2862 miCategory 1 (81 mph)Category 1
1873Unnamed 1873 stormSep 237 miTropical storm (58 mph)Tropical storm
1872Unnamed 1872 stormOct 237 miTropical storm (58 mph)Category 1
1871Unnamed 1871 stormAug 1769 miCategory 1 (81 mph)Category 3
1859Unnamed 1859 stormOct 283 miCategory 1 (92 mph)Category 1
1859Unnamed 1859 stormOct 1867 miTropical storm (46 mph)Tropical storm
1858Unnamed 1858 stormSep 1411 miTropical storm (68 mph)Category 2
1852Unnamed 1852 stormSep 1215 miCategory 1 (79 mph)Category 1

Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in St Petersburg: 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 St Petersburg

By decade

  • 2020s17
  • 2010s29
  • 2000s25
  • 1990s80(1 EF3+)
  • 1980s40
  • 1970s56(2 EF3+)
  • 1960s40(1 EF3+)
  • 1950s13(2 EF3+)
Strongest tornadoes near St Petersburg, Florida
DateRatingDistancePathKilled / injured
Apr 4, 1966F410 mi135.8 mi11 / 530
Apr 15, 1958F49 mi0.1 mi0 / 7
Oct 3, 1992F33 mi2.6 mi3 / 75
May 4, 1978F39 mi1.5 mi3 / 94
Jan 24, 1979F324 mi7 mi0 / 0
Oct 31, 1958F318 mi3.6 mi0 / 4
Dec 7, 1996F223 mi2 mi1 / 0
Oct 3, 1992F29 mi3 mi1 / 0
Oct 11, 2023EF217 mi4.97 mi0 / 0
Dec 16, 2020EF26 mi13.11 mi0 / 0
Jul 12, 1992F217 mi4.5 mi0 / 6
Dec 11, 1983F2in town8 mi0 / 0

The strongest 12 of 300, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.

How to read this page

A storm is listed when the centre of its track passed within 75 miles of St Petersburg while it was at least a tropical storm, which is the reach of damaging wind and rain for a typical hurricane. Being on the list does not mean the city took a direct hit; the "closest" column says how near the centre came. Tornadoes are counted when any part of the path came within 25 miles.

Tornado records before the 1990s are thinner, because weak tornadoes in open country often went unreported before Doppler radar and mobile phones. A rise in the decade counts is mostly better reporting, not a change in the weather.

Tracks come from the National Hurricane Center's HURDAT2 database, tornadoes from the Storm Prediction Center's database. Both are the official federal records and both are revised as old storms are re-analysed.

Other cities in Florida