NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Zolfo Springs, 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 Zolfo Springs, Florida since 1851, 26 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Milton in 2024. Since 1950, 107 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 26
- Tropical storms
- 56
- Tornadoes
- 107
- EF3 or stronger
- 0
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
1 deaths in all
What the records show for Zolfo Springs
The strongest storm to pass near Zolfo Springs was an unnamed storm in 1935, a Category 4 hurricane with 138 mph winds when its centre passed 69 miles away. The closest pass by a hurricane was an unnamed storm in 1894, whose centre crossed the city. The record near Zolfo Springs begins with an unnamed storm in 1852; the most recent system was Milton in 2024, a Category 2 hurricane 23 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1870s, with 8 systems, 5 of them at hurricane strength. Of the 82 systems, 13 have come since 2000. Zolfo Springs has more hurricanes within 75 miles than 53% of the 407 Florida cities on this site. The highest rating among the 107 tornadoes within 25 miles is F2 or EF2, reached 8 times; the most recent, on October 9, 2024, came within 24 miles. The deadliest, an F2 on February 2, 1983, killed 1 person. Of the 107, 7 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 35 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 19. Of the 407 Florida cities, 62% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Zolfo Springs. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 18 times since 1967, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Of the 407 Florida cities, 81% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Zolfo Springs.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Zolfo Springs
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | MiltonOct 10 | 23 mi | Category 2 (97 mph) | Category 5 |
| 2022 | NicoleNov 10 | 36 mi | Tropical storm (64 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2022 | IanSep 29 | 15 mi | Category 2 (105 mph) | Category 5 |
| 2022 | AlexJun 4 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2017 | IrmaSep 11 | 13 mi | Category 1 (84 mph) | Category 5 |
| 2017 | EmilyJul 31 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2016 | JuliaSep 13 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2008 | FayAug 19 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (66 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2006 | ErnestoAug 30 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2004 | JeanneSep 26 | 17 mi | Category 1 (86 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2004 | FrancesSep 5 | 20 mi | Tropical storm (71 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2004 | CharleyAug 13 | 8 mi | Category 3 (114 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2001 | GabrielleSep 14 | 26 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1998 | MitchNov 5 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1995 | JerryAug 24 | 39 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1995 | ErinAug 2 | 43 mi | Tropical storm (64 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1994 | GordonNov 16 | 33 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1990 | MarcoOct 11 | 64 mi | Tropical storm (59 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1988 | KeithNov 23 | 13 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1985 | BobJul 23 | 75 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1984 | IsidoreSep 28 | 26 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1981 | DennisAug 18 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1969 | JennyOct 3 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1968 | AbbyJun 4 | 1 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1966 | Unnamed 1966 stormJul 1 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1964 | CleoAug 27 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1960 | FlorenceSep 24 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1960 | DonnaSep 11 | 8 mi | Category 1 (93 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1959 | JudithOct 18 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (59 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1959 | Unnamed 1959 stormJun 18 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1956 | Unnamed 1956 stormOct 16 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (61 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1953 | HazelOct 9 | 33 mi | Category 1 (75 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1951 | HowOct 2 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1950 | KingOct 18 | 35 mi | Category 1 (87 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1950 | EasySep 6 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 27 | 14 mi | Category 1 (90 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1946 | Unnamed 1946 stormOct 8 | 54 mi | Category 1 (86 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1945 | Unnamed 1945 stormSep 16 | 4 mi | Category 1 (86 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1945 | Unnamed 1945 stormSep 5 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1944 | Unnamed 1944 stormOct 19 | 40 mi | Category 2 (97 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormOct 6 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (70 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1939 | Unnamed 1939 stormAug 12 | 22 mi | Tropical storm (61 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1937 | Unnamed 1937 stormJul 30 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1935 | Unnamed 1935 stormSep 3 | 69 mi | Category 4 (138 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1933 | Unnamed 1933 stormSep 4 | 17 mi | Category 1 (76 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1933 | Unnamed 1933 stormJul 31 | 34 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1930 | Unnamed 1930 stormSep 9 | 46 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1928 | Unnamed 1928 stormSep 17 | 7 mi | Category 2 (105 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1928 | Unnamed 1928 stormAug 8 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1926 | Unnamed 1926 stormSep 18 | 66 mi | Category 3 (114 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1925 | Unnamed 1925 stormDec 1 | 39 mi | Tropical storm (59 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1921 | Unnamed 1921 stormOct 25 | 73 mi | Category 2 (101 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormAug 25 | 75 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormMay 14 | 1 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1910 | Unnamed 1910 stormOct 18 | 11 mi | Category 1 (81 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1909 | Unnamed 1909 stormJun 29 | 23 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1904 | Unnamed 1904 stormOct 18 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1903 | Unnamed 1903 stormSep 12 | 24 mi | Tropical storm (64 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1901 | Unnamed 1901 stormAug 11 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1899 | Unnamed 1899 stormOct 5 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1898 | Unnamed 1898 stormAug 2 | 64 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1897 | Unnamed 1897 stormSep 21 | 5 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1896 | Unnamed 1896 stormOct 9 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1894 | Unnamed 1894 stormSep 25 | overhead | Category 1 (89 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormOct 24 | 24 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormSep 8 | 9 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 17 | 63 mi | Category 1 (81 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1887 | Unnamed 1887 stormOct 30 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1880 | Unnamed 1880 stormAug 29 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (71 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormSep 8 | 40 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1876 | Unnamed 1876 stormOct 20 | 67 mi | Category 2 (96 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1873 | Unnamed 1873 stormOct 7 | 29 mi | Category 2 (106 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1873 | Unnamed 1873 stormSep 23 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1872 | Unnamed 1872 stormOct 23 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1871 | Unnamed 1871 stormAug 25 | 60 mi | Category 1 (86 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1871 | Unnamed 1871 stormAug 17 | 35 mi | Category 1 (89 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1870 | Unnamed 1870 stormOct 21 | 66 mi | Category 1 (79 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1861 | Unnamed 1861 stormNov 1 | 43 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1859 | Unnamed 1859 stormOct 28 | 41 mi | Category 1 (90 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1859 | Unnamed 1859 stormOct 18 | 20 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1858 | Unnamed 1858 stormSep 14 | 33 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1852 | Unnamed 1852 stormSep 12 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 1 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Zolfo Springs: 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 Zolfo Springs
By decade
- 2020s5
- 2010s12
- 2000s18
- 1990s23
- 1980s19
- 1970s20
- 1960s7
- 1950s3
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 2, 1983 | F2 | 20 mi | 1 mi | 1 / 6 |
| Oct 9, 2024 | EF2 | 24 mi | 2.85 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Dec 12, 1983 | F2 | 20 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Jun 17, 1982 | F2 | 22 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 9 |
| Feb 3, 1970 | F2 | 20 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jan 26, 1958 | F2 | 20 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Dec 18, 1951 | F2 | 24 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Dec 18, 1951 | F2 | 19 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 9, 2024 | EF1 | 12 mi | 0.99 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 10, 2017 | EF1 | 8 mi | 0.03 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 24, 2016 | EF1 | 21 mi | 8.58 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 24, 2012 | EF1 | 21 mi | 5.31 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 107, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Zolfo Springs
The Storm Prediction Center has 18 hail reports within 10 miles of Zolfo Springs since 1967, made on 16 separate days. Of these, 8 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2 inches (hen egg size), fell on April 11, 2021. The most recent report is from November 2, 2022. April and June have the most reports, 5 each.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Zolfo Springs
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Wauchula, FL, 6 miles northwest of Zolfo Springs at 60 feet. August is the warmest, with an average high of 92°F and low of 73°F; January is the coolest, at 73°F and 48°F. June and August are the wettest at 8.5 inches of precipitation on average and November the driest at 2.0 inches; the year adds up to 52.1 inches over 71 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 69% of the year's precipitation (36.1 of 52.1 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 82 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (25); a normal September there has highs of 90°F and 6.3 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 117 days a year, almost all from April to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 5 nights a year. That 52.1 inches is more than at 37 of the 125 Florida stations used on this site (30%). Avon Park, 15 miles northeast, has its own station (Avon Park 2 W, FL): 52.8 inches a year, 0.7 more than here, and the same August average high, 92°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 73 | 48 | 2.3 | 3 |
| Feb | 76 | 50 | 2.2 | 3 |
| Mar | 80 | 53 | 3.0 | 3 |
| Apr | 84 | 58 | 2.9 | 4 |
| May | 89 | 64 | 3.5 | 5 |
| Jun | 91 | 70 | 8.5 | 11 |
| Jul | 92 | 72 | 7.7 | 11 |
| Aug | 92 | 73 | 8.5 | 11 |
| Sep | 90 | 72 | 6.3 | 9 |
| Oct | 86 | 65 | 3.1 | 5 |
| Nov | 80 | 56 | 2.0 | 3 |
| Dec | 75 | 51 | 2.1 | 3 |
| Year | 84 | 61 | 52.1 | 71 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Wauchula, FL (60 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 Zolfo Springs
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 31 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Zolfo Springs: 24 thunderstorm wind reports, 5 floods and 2 lightning strikes. They killed 0 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $2.0 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 69 mph, on June 27, 2004.
January 17, 2016: thunderstorm wind 2 miles from the centre of Zolfo Springs — 1 injured.
NWS: “A Hardee County 911 operator relayed a report of a downed powerline on Colin Road near Wauchula. A resident came in contact with a live wire and was injured.”
September 12, 2017: flood 8 miles from the centre of Zolfo Springs — $1.6 million damage.
August 18, 2017: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Zolfo Springs — $100,000 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 Zolfo Springs's ZIP code 33890 have filed 44 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1979, and were paid $3.1 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Hurricane Ian in 2022: 21 claims (48% of all) and $2.3 million, then Hurricane Irma in 2017 with 10. 84% 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, 62 have fewer than Zolfo Springs.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Hurricane Ian2022 | 21 | $2.3 million |
| Hurricane Irma2017 | 10 | $514,000 |
Hardee County, which includes Zolfo Springs, has been named in 36 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1977, 20 of them major disasters (by incident: 16 hurricanes, 5 severe storms, 4 fires, 4 tropical storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Hurricane Milton, on October 11, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Hardee County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Very High for strong wind; Relatively Moderate for hurricanes and lightning; Relatively Low for tornadoes; Very Low for hail, inland flooding and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $25.4 million a year, the 42nd highest of 67 Florida counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $10.2 million (40%), is from strong wind.
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 Zolfo Springs
- Wauchula, FL7 mi
- Avon Park, FL15 mi
- Bowling Green, FL16 mi
- Sebring, FL18 mi
- Fort Meade, FL18 mi
- Arcadia, FL21 mi
- Frostproof, FL23 mi
- Lake Placid, FL25 mi
- Babson Park, FL26 mi
- Bartow, FL29 mi
- Mulberry, FL32 mi
- Lake Wales, FL32 mi
All Florida cities →All hurricanes since 1851 →Compare Zolfo Springs with another place →