NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Zephyrhills, 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
68 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Zephyrhills, Florida since 1851, 22 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Milton in 2024. Since 1950, 196 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 1 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 22
- Tropical storms
- 46
- Tornadoes
- 196
- EF3 or stronger
- 1
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
11 deaths in all
What the records show for Zephyrhills
The strongest storm to pass near Zephyrhills was an unnamed storm in 1935, a Category 3 hurricane with 117 mph winds when its centre passed 68 miles away. The closest pass by a hurricane was Irma in 2017, whose centre came within 2 miles. The record near Zephyrhills begins with an unnamed storm in 1852; the most recent system was Milton in 2024, a Category 2 hurricane 36 miles away. The 1870s and the 1940s were the busiest decades, with 7 systems each. Of the 68 systems, 10 have come since 2000. Of the 407 Florida cities on this site, 60% have more hurricanes within 75 miles than Zephyrhills. The strongest of the 196 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on April 4, 1966; its path came within 11 miles, and it killed 11 people. Of the 196, 18 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 41 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 33. The most recent tornado was on August 8, 2025. Zephyrhills has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 80% of the 407 Florida cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 34 times since 1969, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Of the 407 Florida cities, 53% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Zephyrhills.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Zephyrhills
Of the 68 tracks on the map, 25 were moving northeast as they passed Zephyrhills, 18 north and 15 northwest. The unnamed 1935 storm, the strongest pass, was heading north; its centre passed 68 miles west of Zephyrhills. Within 75 miles of Zephyrhills, 30 of the 68 came ashore, 13 of them as hurricanes. In the last 30 seasons (1996–2025), 10 came near Zephyrhills: 3.3 a decade, against 4.0 a decade from 1851 to 1995.
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | MiltonOct 10 | 36 mi | Category 2 (96 mph) | Category 5 |
| 2022 | NicoleNov 10 | 13 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2022 | IanSep 29 | 72 mi | Category 1 (93 mph) | Category 5 |
| 2020 | EtaNov 12 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (59 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2017 | IrmaSep 11 | 2 mi | Category 1 (75 mph) | Category 5 |
| 2017 | EmilyJul 31 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2004 | JeanneSep 26 | 2 mi | Tropical storm (67 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2004 | FrancesSep 5 | 12 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2004 | CharleyAug 13 | 37 mi | Category 1 (89 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2001 | GabrielleSep 14 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1995 | JerryAug 24 | 21 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1995 | ErinAug 2 | 3 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1990 | MarcoOct 11 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1988 | KeithNov 23 | 46 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1984 | IsidoreSep 28 | 8 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1982 | Unnamed 1982 stormJun 18 | 49 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1968 | GladysOct 19 | 43 mi | Category 1 (93 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1968 | BrendaJun 19 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1968 | AbbyJun 4 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1966 | Unnamed 1966 stormJul 1 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1965 | Unnamed 1965 stormOct 18 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1960 | DonnaSep 11 | 28 mi | Category 1 (78 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1959 | Unnamed 1959 stormJun 18 | 2 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1953 | Unnamed 1953 stormSep 20 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1950 | KingOct 18 | 47 mi | Category 1 (82 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1950 | EasySep 6 | overhead | Tropical storm (72 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 27 | 2 mi | Category 1 (75 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1947 | Unnamed 1947 stormSep 23 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1946 | Unnamed 1946 stormOct 8 | 21 mi | Category 1 (78 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1945 | Unnamed 1945 stormSep 16 | 28 mi | Category 1 (82 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1945 | Unnamed 1945 stormJun 24 | 38 mi | Category 1 (75 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1944 | Unnamed 1944 stormOct 19 | 2 mi | Category 1 (89 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormOct 20 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1939 | Unnamed 1939 stormAug 12 | 12 mi | Tropical storm (59 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1937 | Unnamed 1937 stormJul 30 | 16 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1935 | Unnamed 1935 stormSep 4 | 68 mi | Category 3 (117 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1933 | Unnamed 1933 stormSep 4 | 2 mi | Tropical storm (64 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1930 | Unnamed 1930 stormSep 9 | 33 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1928 | Unnamed 1928 stormSep 17 | 5 mi | Category 1 (91 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1928 | Unnamed 1928 stormAug 9 | 12 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1921 | Unnamed 1921 stormOct 25 | 15 mi | Category 2 (98 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1920 | Unnamed 1920 stormSep 30 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (61 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormMay 15 | 6 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1910 | Unnamed 1910 stormOct 18 | 17 mi | Tropical storm (70 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1909 | Unnamed 1909 stormJun 29 | 8 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1906 | Unnamed 1906 stormOct 21 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1903 | Unnamed 1903 stormSep 12 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1899 | Unnamed 1899 stormOct 5 | 3 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1898 | Unnamed 1898 stormAug 2 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1897 | Unnamed 1897 stormSep 21 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1894 | Unnamed 1894 stormSep 26 | 37 mi | Category 1 (77 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormOct 24 | 34 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1889 | Unnamed 1889 stormJun 17 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormSep 8 | 7 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1887 | Unnamed 1887 stormOct 30 | 14 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1886 | Unnamed 1886 stormJul 18 | 47 mi | Category 1 (81 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1880 | Unnamed 1880 stormOct 8 | 55 mi | Category 1 (81 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1880 | Unnamed 1880 stormAug 30 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1879 | Unnamed 1879 stormOct 27 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormSep 10 | 36 mi | Category 2 (104 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1874 | Unnamed 1874 stormSep 28 | 69 mi | Category 1 (81 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1873 | Unnamed 1873 stormSep 23 | 12 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1872 | Unnamed 1872 stormOct 23 | 3 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1871 | Unnamed 1871 stormAug 25 | 36 mi | Tropical storm (67 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1871 | Unnamed 1871 stormAug 17 | 28 mi | Category 1 (81 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1859 | Unnamed 1859 stormOct 28 | 18 mi | Category 1 (90 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1858 | Unnamed 1858 stormSep 14 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1852 | Unnamed 1852 stormSep 12 | 9 mi | Tropical storm (68 mph) | Category 1 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Zephyrhills: a hurricane's worst winds sit within a few dozen miles of its centre, and inland cities are usually past that.
Check hail and hurricane history for any address
Tornadoes within 25 miles of Zephyrhills
By decade
- 2020s4
- 2010s11
- 2000s26
- 1990s51
- 1980s24
- 1970s51
- 1960s21(1 EF3+)
- 1950s8
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 4, 1966 | F4 | 11 mi | 135.8 mi | 11 / 530 |
| Oct 18, 2019 | EF2 | 12 mi | 11.45 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 10, 2017 | EF2 | 19 mi | 0.59 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Dec 25, 2006 | F2 | 10 mi | 0.83 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Feb 2, 1983 | F2 | 13 mi | 4 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Dec 1, 1978 | F2 | 5 mi | 0.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Dec 1, 1978 | F2 | 18 mi | 0.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jan 8, 1978 | F2 | 16 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Oct 31, 1973 | F2 | 22 mi | 27.9 mi | 0 / 17 |
| Mar 17, 1973 | F2 | 2 mi | 0.3 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Mar 31, 1972 | F2 | 24 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 29, 1971 | F2 | 21 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 196, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Zephyrhills
The Storm Prediction Center has 34 hail reports within 10 miles of Zephyrhills since 1969, made on 31 separate days. Of these, 11 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), was reported on 2 days, most recently March 27, 2003. The most recent report is from May 20, 2013. June has the most reports, 10.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Zephyrhills
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Saint Leo, FL, 8 miles northwest of Zephyrhills at 190 feet. August is the warmest, with an average high of 90°F and low of 73°F; January is the coolest, at 70°F and 49°F. June and August are the wettest at 8.3 inches of precipitation on average and November the driest at 1.9 inches; the year adds up to 53.6 inches over 77 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 68% of the year's precipitation (36.3 of 53.6 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 68 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (25); a normal September there has highs of 88°F and 6.6 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 114 days a year, almost all from April to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 3 nights a year. That 53.6 inches is more than at 56 of the 125 Florida stations used on this site (45%). Thonotosassa, 13 miles southwest, has its own station (Plant City, FL): 56.2 inches a year, 2.6 more than here, and an August average high of 94°F against 90°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 70 | 49 | 3.1 | 5 |
| Feb | 73 | 52 | 2.4 | 4 |
| Mar | 78 | 55 | 3.2 | 4 |
| Apr | 83 | 60 | 3.1 | 4 |
| May | 88 | 66 | 3.0 | 4 |
| Jun | 89 | 71 | 8.3 | 11 |
| Jul | 90 | 73 | 8.1 | 12 |
| Aug | 90 | 73 | 8.3 | 13 |
| Sep | 88 | 71 | 6.6 | 9 |
| Oct | 83 | 65 | 3.1 | 5 |
| Nov | 77 | 57 | 1.9 | 3 |
| Dec | 72 | 52 | 2.5 | 4 |
| Year | 82 | 62 | 53.6 | 77 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Saint Leo, FL (190 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 Zephyrhills
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 60 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Zephyrhills: 55 thunderstorm wind reports, 3 heavy rain events and 2 lightning strikes. They killed 0 people and injured 2, and the NWS estimated $1.1 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 69 mph, on January 9, 1997.
August 31, 2009: lightning strike 4 miles from the centre of Zephyrhills — 1 injured.
NWS: “Lightning struck the boom of a 130 foot drag line crane and injured the man operating the crane on Yonkers Boulevard in Zephyrhills. The man was airlifted to a Tampa hospital and was complaining of tingling in his fingers.”
August 1, 2010: lightning strike 3 miles from the centre of Zephyrhills — 1 injured.
NWS: “Lightning struck a barbed-wire fence in a cow pasture and injured a 9-year-old boy who was reaching through the fence to pet a cow. The boy briefly lost consciousness and couldn't move his right side after the strike.”
March 24, 2016: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Zephyrhills — $145,000 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 Zephyrhills's 3 ZIP codes have filed 195 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1979, and were paid $8.0 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Hurricane Milton in 2024: 87 claims (45% of all) and $6.8 million, then Hurricane Frances in 2004 with 13. 71% 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, 141 have fewer than Zephyrhills.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Hurricane Milton2024 | 87 | $6.8 million |
| Hurricane Frances2004 | 13 | $235,000 |
Pasco County, which includes Zephyrhills, has been named in 44 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1968, 27 of them major disasters (by incident: 21 hurricanes, 6 severe storms, 5 tropical storms, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Hurricane Milton, on October 11, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Pasco County a Relatively High rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Very High for hurricanes and lightning; Relatively High for tornadoes, inland flooding and coastal flooding; Relatively Moderate for strong wind and heat waves; Very Low for hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $199.3 million a year, the 14th highest of 67 Florida counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $77.7 million (39%), 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 Zephyrhills
- Wesley Chapel, FL8 mi
- San Antonio, FL9 mi
- Dade City, FL11 mi
- Thonotosassa, FL13 mi
- Riverview, FL14 mi
- Plant City, FL15 mi
- Dover, FL17 mi
- Temple Terrace, FL18 mi
- Seffner, FL18 mi
- Land O Lakes, FL18 mi
- Lutz, FL19 mi
- Lakeland, FL19 mi
All Florida cities →All hurricanes since 1851 →Compare Zephyrhills with another place →