NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit University Park, 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
75 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of University Park, Florida since 1851, 26 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Milton in 2024. Since 1950, 182 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 4 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 26
- Tropical storms
- 49
- Tornadoes
- 182
- EF3 or stronger
- 4
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
4 deaths in all
What the records show for University Park
The strongest storm to pass near University Park was an unnamed storm in 1935, a Category 4 hurricane with 130 mph winds when its centre passed 27 miles away. The closest pass by a hurricane was an unnamed storm in 1944, whose centre came within 2 miles. The record near University Park begins with an unnamed storm in 1852; the most recent system was Milton in 2024, a Category 3 hurricane 4 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1940s, with 8 systems, 5 of them at hurricane strength. Of the 75 systems, 13 have come since 2000. University Park has more hurricanes within 75 miles than 53% of the 407 Florida cities on this site. The strongest of the 182 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on April 15, 1958; its path came within 21 miles. The deadliest, an EF2 on January 17, 2016, killed 2 people. Of the 182, 19 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 43 have come since 2000. July has had the most tornadoes, 30. The most recent tornado was on October 11, 2023. University Park has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 77% of the 407 Florida cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 63 times since 1969, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). University Park has more hail reports within 10 miles than 72% of the 407 Florida cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near University Park
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | MiltonOct 10 | 4 mi | Category 3 (113 mph) | Category 5 |
| 2022 | NicoleNov 10 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (61 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2022 | IanSep 28 | 47 mi | Category 3 (128 mph) | Category 5 |
| 2021 | ElsaJul 7 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2020 | EtaNov 11 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (66 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2018 | GordonSep 3 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (62 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2017 | IrmaSep 11 | 33 mi | Category 1 (83 mph) | Category 5 |
| 2017 | EmilyJul 31 | 7 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2007 | BarryJun 2 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2004 | JeanneSep 26 | 52 mi | Category 1 (77 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2004 | FrancesSep 5 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (66 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2004 | CharleyAug 13 | 33 mi | Category 3 (128 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2001 | GabrielleSep 14 | 7 mi | Tropical storm (64 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1995 | ErinAug 2 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1994 | GordonNov 16 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1990 | MarcoOct 11 | 18 mi | Tropical storm (59 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1988 | KeithNov 23 | 3 mi | Tropical storm (61 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1985 | BobJul 23 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1984 | IsidoreSep 28 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1968 | GladysOct 18 | 72 mi | Category 2 (97 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1968 | AbbyJun 4 | 35 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1966 | Unnamed 1966 stormJul 1 | 28 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1966 | AlmaJun 9 | 51 mi | Category 2 (104 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1960 | DonnaSep 11 | 36 mi | Category 2 (98 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1959 | JudithOct 18 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1959 | Unnamed 1959 stormJun 18 | 46 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1953 | HazelOct 9 | 51 mi | Category 1 (86 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1951 | HowOct 2 | 49 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1950 | EasySep 4 | 55 mi | Category 2 (98 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 27 | 51 mi | Category 1 (82 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1947 | Unnamed 1947 stormSep 23 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1947 | Unnamed 1947 stormSep 18 | 56 mi | Category 2 (98 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1946 | Unnamed 1946 stormOct 8 | 10 mi | Category 1 (86 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1945 | Unnamed 1945 stormSep 16 | 42 mi | Category 1 (86 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1945 | Unnamed 1945 stormSep 5 | 39 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1944 | Unnamed 1944 stormOct 19 | 2 mi | Category 2 (101 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormOct 6 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (72 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1939 | Unnamed 1939 stormAug 12 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (59 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1937 | Unnamed 1937 stormJul 29 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1936 | Unnamed 1936 stormJul 29 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (64 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1935 | Unnamed 1935 stormSep 4 | 27 mi | Category 4 (130 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1933 | Unnamed 1933 stormSep 4 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (70 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1933 | Unnamed 1933 stormJul 31 | 28 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1930 | Unnamed 1930 stormSep 9 | 15 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1928 | Unnamed 1928 stormSep 17 | 40 mi | Category 2 (98 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1928 | Unnamed 1928 stormAug 13 | 35 mi | Tropical storm (62 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1928 | Unnamed 1928 stormAug 9 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1926 | Unnamed 1926 stormSep 19 | 35 mi | Category 3 (117 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1925 | Unnamed 1925 stormDec 1 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (61 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1921 | Unnamed 1921 stormOct 25 | 47 mi | Category 3 (115 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormMay 14 | 43 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1910 | Unnamed 1910 stormOct 18 | 34 mi | Category 1 (85 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1909 | Unnamed 1909 stormJun 29 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1904 | Unnamed 1904 stormOct 18 | 43 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1903 | Unnamed 1903 stormSep 12 | 5 mi | Tropical storm (61 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1901 | Unnamed 1901 stormAug 11 | 30 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1899 | Unnamed 1899 stormOct 5 | 39 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1899 | Unnamed 1899 stormJul 31 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (66 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1898 | Unnamed 1898 stormAug 2 | 35 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1897 | Unnamed 1897 stormSep 21 | 34 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1896 | Unnamed 1896 stormOct 9 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1894 | Unnamed 1894 stormSep 25 | 43 mi | Category 1 (92 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormOct 24 | 18 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormSep 8 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 17 | 46 mi | Category 1 (86 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1887 | Unnamed 1887 stormOct 30 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1886 | Unnamed 1886 stormJul 18 | 52 mi | Category 1 (81 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormSep 9 | 11 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1873 | Unnamed 1873 stormOct 7 | 57 mi | Category 3 (110 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1873 | Unnamed 1873 stormSep 23 | 32 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1872 | Unnamed 1872 stormOct 23 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1859 | Unnamed 1859 stormOct 28 | 27 mi | Category 1 (92 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1859 | Unnamed 1859 stormOct 18 | 43 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1858 | Unnamed 1858 stormSep 14 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (68 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1852 | Unnamed 1852 stormSep 12 | 44 mi | Category 1 (77 mph) | Category 1 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in University Park: 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 University Park
By decade
- 2020s10
- 2010s16
- 2000s17
- 1990s53
- 1980s23(1 EF3+)
- 1970s39(1 EF3+)
- 1960s13
- 1950s11(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 15, 1958 | F4 | 21 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 7 |
| Mar 17, 1985 | F3 | 22 mi | 3 mi | 2 / 45 |
| Jan 24, 1979 | F3 | 12 mi | 7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 31, 1958 | F3 | 11 mi | 3.6 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Jan 17, 2016 | EF2 | 18 mi | 9.2 mi | 2 / 4 |
| Jan 17, 2016 | EF2 | 10 mi | 1.15 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Feb 1, 1972 | F2 | 6 mi | 3.3 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Feb 1, 1972 | F2 | 19 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Dec 3, 1971 | F2 | 20 mi | 5.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Dec 3, 1971 | F2 | 16 mi | 4.9 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Feb 3, 1970 | F2 | 23 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jan 6, 1970 | F2 | 23 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 3 |
The strongest 12 of 182, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in University Park
The Storm Prediction Center has 63 hail reports within 10 miles of University Park since 1969, made on 50 separate days. Of these, 21 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), was reported on 5 days, most recently May 21, 1999. The most recent report is from October 15, 2022. May has the most reports, 17.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in University Park
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Bradenton 5 ESE, FL, 4 miles northwest of University Park at 20 feet. August is the warmest, with an average high of 92°F and low of 76°F; January is the coolest, at 72°F and 52°F. August is the wettest at 10.1 inches of precipitation on average and November the driest at 1.8 inches; the year adds up to 56.3 inches over 74 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 71% of the year's precipitation (40.1 of 56.3 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 75 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (26); a normal September there has highs of 90°F and 7.4 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 116 days a year, almost all from April to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 1 nights a year. That 56.3 inches is more than at 81 of the 125 Florida stations used on this site (65%). Sarasota, 6 miles south, has its own station (Sarasota Bradenton Airport, FL): 49.2 inches a year, 7.1 less than here, and the same August average high, 92°F.
Water temperature at the NOAA tide station Port Manatee, FL, 17 miles north, averaged 89°F in July and 62°F in January over 2021–2025. It averaged 80°F or warmer from May to September. Sea level at the Port Manatee tide gauge, 17 miles from University Park, has risen 2.15 ± 0.13 inches per decade from 1976 to 2025, NOAA's linear trend; at that pace it is 21.5 inches in a hundred years. That is faster than at 123 of the 144 U.S. gauges with a NOAA trend.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Water °F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 72 | 52 | 2.8 | 4 | 62 |
| Feb | 75 | 55 | 2.0 | 3 | 66 |
| Mar | 78 | 58 | 3.1 | 4 | 72 |
| Apr | 83 | 63 | 2.5 | 3 | 77 |
| May | 88 | 69 | 3.5 | 5 | 83 |
| Jun | 91 | 74 | 9.0 | 10 | 86 |
| Jul | 92 | 75 | 8.9 | 12 | 89 |
| Aug | 92 | 76 | 10.1 | 13 | 88 |
| Sep | 90 | 74 | 7.4 | 9 | 86 |
| Oct | 85 | 68 | 2.9 | 4 | 79 |
| Nov | 79 | 60 | 1.8 | 3 | 72 |
| Dec | 74 | 55 | 2.3 | 3 | 67 |
| Year | 83 | 65 | 56.3 | 74 | 77 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Bradenton 5 ESE, FL (20 ft), from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals; water temperature: average of hourly readings 2021–2025 at the NOAA tide station Port Manatee, FL, from NOAA Tides & Currents. 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 University Park
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 115 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of University Park: 80 thunderstorm wind reports, 11 floods, 11 heavy rain events, 11 lightning strikes and 2 flash floods. They killed 3 people and injured 60, and the NWS estimated $15.3 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 75 mph, on January 9, 2024.
July 16, 2014: lightning strike 10 miles from the centre of University Park — 1 killed.
August 26, 2016: lightning strike 5 miles from the centre of University Park — 1 killed.
September 7, 2021: lightning strike 5 miles from the centre of University Park — 1 killed.
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
Manatee County, which includes University Park, has been named in 50 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1968, 30 of them major disasters (by incident: 23 hurricanes, 7 severe storms, 5 tropical storms, 4 fires). The latest major disaster declaration was Hurricane Milton, on October 11, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Manatee County a Relatively High rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Very High for hurricanes, coastal flooding and lightning; Relatively High for tornadoes and inland flooding; Relatively Moderate for strong wind and heat waves; Relatively Low for hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $254.7 million a year, the 12th highest of 67 Florida counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $154.3 million (61%), 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 University Park
- Lakewood Ranch, FL5 mi
- Sarasota, FL6 mi
- Bradenton, FL7 mi
- Ellenton, FL9 mi
- Longboat Key, FL11 mi
- Palmetto, FL12 mi
- Parrish, FL13 mi
- Myakka City, FL15 mi
- Osprey, FL15 mi
- Holmes Beach, FL16 mi
- Nokomis, FL18 mi
- Ruskin, FL21 mi
All Florida cities →All hurricanes since 1851 →Compare University Park with another place →