Counties with the most tornadoes in Florida

It’s been a busy year for tornadoes in the US. As many as 1,155 tornadoes have landed across the country since the start of the year, more than the average for this time of year, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

A single day can skyrocket the number of tornadoes. On March 31, 2023, 163 tornadoes struck the Midwest and South. Tornado activity typically peaks in spring and early summer, and the pace of tornadoes typically slows in late summer. A smaller second tornado season occurs in the fall, especially in the Gulf Coast states.

Stacker used data from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information to find the Florida counties that have experienced the most tornadoes since 2000. While data dates back to the 1950s, the National Weather Service’s tornado tracking became more robust and accurate in the 1990s. Because counties can vary in size, they are ranked by the number of tornadoes per 100 square miles. Counties that had fewer than five tornadoes are not included.

The counties that experience the most tornadoes are not all in the infamous Tornado Alley. Adjusted for county area, the ten counties that have experienced the most tornadoes since 2000 are from nine different states, all in the Southeast except for Cleveland County, Oklahoma.

Research has shown that Tornado Alley is shifting due to warming caused by climate change. In the future, the Southeast could become the region that receives the bulk of the country’s tornadoes. This is a worrying trend because the South is more populous than the Great Plains and has a higher concentration of RVs than other parts of the country, making the storms potentially more deadly and costly.

As of August 2023, 75 people have died from tornadoes this year, and over 60% of those deaths occurred in RVs.

The best way to stay protected during tornadoes is to have multiple ways to get storm updates, including social media, radio, television, and sirens, and immediately seek shelter in a basement or indoor room with no windows if a tornado Alert escalated to an alert.

Read on to learn which Florida counties have the most tornadoes.

• Tornadoes since 2000: 10 (1.24 per 100 square miles)
• #1.604 nationwide
• Tornadoes this year as of May 31: 0

• Tornadoes since 2000: 11 (1.26 per 100 square miles)
• #1,581 nationwide
• Tornadoes this year as of May 31: 0

• Tornadoes since 2000: 6 (1.27 per 100 square miles)
• #1,570 nationwide
• Tornadoes this year as of May 31: 0

• Tornadoes since 2000: 26 (1.30 per 100 square miles)
• #1,552 nationwide
• Tornadoes this year as of May 31: 0

• Tornadoes since 2000: 8 (1.34 per 100 square miles)
• #1,525 nationwide
• Tornadoes this year as of May 31: 0

• Tornadoes since 2000: 10 (1.37 per 100 square miles)
• #1,503 nationwide
• Tornadoes this year as of May 31: 0

• Tornadoes since 2000: 8 (1.41 per 100 square miles)
• #1,475 nationwide
• Tornadoes this year as of May 31: 2

• Tornadoes since 2000: 8 (1.42 per 100 square miles)
• #1,469 nationwide
• Tornadoes this year as of May 31: 0

• Tornadoes since 2000: 9 (1.55 per 100 square miles)
• #1,393 nationwide
• Tornadoes this year as of May 31: 0

• Tornadoes since 2000: 13 (1.56 per 100 square miles)
• #1,391 nationwide
• Tornadoes this year as of May 31: 2

• Tornadoes since 2000: 11 (1.58 per 100 square miles)
• #1,371 nationwide
• Tornadoes this year as of May 31: 1

• Tornadoes since 2000: 5 (1.62 per 100 square miles)
• #1.340 nationwide
• Tornadoes this year as of May 31: 0

• Tornadoes since 2000: 11 (1.70 per 100 square miles)
• #1,282 nationwide
• Tornadoes this year as of May 31: 0

• Tornadoes since 2000: 16 (1.77 per 100 square miles)
• #1.231 nationwide
• Tornadoes this year as of May 31: 0

• Tornadoes since 2000: 17 (1.81 per 100 square miles)
• #1.197 nationwide
• Tornadoes this year as of May 31: 0

• Tornadoes since 2000: 10 (1.94 per 100 square miles)
• #1.106 nationwide
• Tornadoes this year as of May 31: 1

• Tornadoes since 2000: 13 (2.04 per 100 square miles)
• #1,029 nationwide
• Tornadoes this year as of May 31: 0

• Tornadoes since 2000: 37 (2.06 per 100 square miles)
• #1.015 nationwide
• Tornadoes this year as of May 31: 0

• Tornadoes since 2000: 10 (2.09 per 100 square miles)
• #994 nationwide
• Tornadoes this year as of May 31: 0

• Tornadoes since 2000: 15 (2.18 per 100 square miles)
• #941 nationwide
• Tornadoes this year as of May 31: 0

• Tornadoes since 2000: 12 (2.21 per 100 square miles)
• #926 nationwide
• Tornadoes this year as of May 31: 0

• Tornadoes since 2000: 15 (2.25 per 100 square miles)
• #889 nationwide
• Tornadoes this year as of May 31: 1

• Tornadoes since 2000: 25 (2.27 per 100 square miles)
• #871 nationwide
• Tornadoes this year as of May 31: 0

• Tornadoes since 2000: 23 (2.27 per 100 square miles)
• #869 nationwide
• Tornadoes this year as of May 31: 0

• Tornadoes since 2000: 12 (2.39 per 100 square miles)
• #799 nationwide
• Tornadoes this year as of May 31: 0

• Tornadoes since 2000: 22 (2.40 per 100 square miles)
• #790 nationwide
• Tornadoes this year as of May 31: 0

• Tornadoes since 2000: 14 (2.40 per 100 square miles)
• #785 nationwide
• Tornadoes this year as of May 31: 0

• Tornadoes since 2000: 15 (2.47 per 100 square miles)
• #739 nationwide
• Tornadoes this year as of May 31: 2

• Tornadoes since 2000: 47 (2.48 per 100 square miles)
• #737 nationwide
• Tornadoes this year as of May 31: 1

• Tornadoes since 2000: 27 (2.60 per 100 square miles)
• #681 nationwide
• Tornadoes this year as of May 31: 6

• Tornadoes since 2000: 25 (2.69 per 100 square miles)
• #635 nationwide
• Tornadoes this year as of May 31: 0

• Tornadoes since 2000: 27 (2.75 per 100 square miles)
• #613 nationwide
• Tornadoes this year as of May 31: 0

• Tornadoes since 2000: 29 (2.84 per 100 square miles)
• #570 nationwide
• Tornadoes this year as of May 31: 0

• Tornadoes since 2000: 14 (2.88 per 100 square miles)
• #555 nationwide
• Tornadoes this year as of May 31: 0

• Tornadoes since 2000: 9 (3.06 per 100 square miles)
• #475 nationwide
• Tornadoes this year as of May 31: 0

• Tornadoes since 2000: 24 (3.15 per 100 square miles)
• #442 nationwide
• Tornadoes this year as of May 31: 0

• Tornadoes since 2000: 18 (3.24 per 100 square miles)
• No. 401 nationally
• Tornadoes this year as of May 31: 0

• Tornadoes since 2000: 19 (3.32 per 100 square miles)
• #373 nationwide
• Tornadoes this year as of May 31: 0

• Tornadoes since 2000: 26 (3.48 per 100 square miles)
• #332 nationwide
• Tornadoes this year as of May 31: 0

• Tornadoes since 2000: 26 (3.50 per 100 square miles)
• #324 nationwide
• Tornadoes this year as of May 31: 0

• Tornadoes since 2000: 23 (3.50 per 100 square miles)
• #323 nationwide
• Tornadoes this year as of May 31: 0

• Tornadoes since 2000: 19 (3.55 per 100 square miles)
• #313 nationwide
• Tornadoes this year as of May 31: 0

• Tornadoes since 2000: 29 (3.82 per 100 square miles)
• #262 nationwide
• Tornadoes this year as of May 31: 2

• Tornadoes since 2000: 47 (3.88 per 100 square miles)
• #251 nationwide
• Tornadoes this year as of May 31: 3

• Tornadoes since 2000: 78 (3.96 per 100 square miles)
• #240 nationwide
• Tornadoes this year as of May 31: 3

• Tornadoes since 2000: 42 (4.14 per 100 square miles)
• #207 nationwide
• Tornadoes this year as of May 31: 1

• Tornadoes since 2000: 30 (4.41 per 100 square miles)
• No. 169 nationally
• Tornadoes this year as of May 31: 1

• Tornadoes since 2000: 40 (5.10 per 100 square miles)
• No. 101 nationally
• Tornadoes this year as of May 31: 0

• Tornadoes since 2000: 32 (5.33 per 100 square miles)
• #86 nationwide
• Tornadoes this year as of May 31: 0

• Tornadoes since 2000: 33 (12.05 per 100 square miles)
• #2 nationwide
• Tornadoes this year as of May 31: 0