Bradford County, Florida

County storm and disaster record · FIPS 12007 · population 28,233 · 294 sq mi

NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 254 records for Bradford County, Florida from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 181 days; the most frequent are severe thunderstorm wind events (125 records). The most damaging was the September 10, 2017 tropical storm ($4.8 million in 2025 dollars). FEMA has issued 34 declarations naming the county since 1998, 32 of them for natural hazards; the latest for a natural hazard was “Hurricane Milton” on October 11, 2024.

The record, 1950 to 2026

Storm records filed for the county each year (2026 to June 30, 2026). Before 1996 NOAA recorded only tornadoes (from 1950), thunderstorm wind and hail (from 1955).

  • recorded, no damage figure
  • under $100,000
  • $100,000 or more
  • $1 million or more
  • $10 million or more, or a death
  • $100 million or more, or 10 deaths
  • a year's colour: its recorded damage or deaths
  • a year with a death
  • 1955: wind and hail recorded from 1955
  • 1996: all 48 event types from 1996
Storm records
254on 181 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
Deaths recorded
012 injuries
Damage, 2025 dollars
$13Mas filed (scale steps before 1993)
Tornadoes
21strongest F2
FEMA declarations
34latest 2024

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026 (file revision 20260918); damage converted to 2025 dollars with the BLS CPI-U. Search the record at NCEI. BLS consumer price index.

What hazards hit Bradford County most?

The most frequent records are severe thunderstorm wind events: 125 since 1978. 42% of its severe thunderstorm wind events since 1978 fell in June and July. The rank column places the county among Florida's counties by days with a record per 1,000 square miles of land over each hazard's complete period.

Bradford County: records by hazard, 1950 to June 30, 2026
HazardRecordsDaysFirst, lastKilledInjuredDamageRank in state
Severe thunderstorm wind 125 94 1978-2026 0 3 $159K 12 of 67
Hail 33 24 1961-2024 0 0 – 25 of 67
Tornadoes 21 21 1971-2021 0 6 $7.0M 22 of 67
Heavy rain 17 12 2009-2024 0 0 – 14 of 67
Floods 16 13 1998-2024 0 0 $457K 28 of 67
Hurricanes and tropical storms 12 12 2004-2024 0 0 $4.8M 19 of 67
Lightning 8 7 2002-2017 0 3 $264K 28 of 67
Drought 7 7 2006-2026 0 0 $47K 23 of 67
Wildfires 6 6 1998-2026 0 0 – 11 of 67
High wind and dust storms 4 4 1998-2011 0 0 $16K 4 of 67
Fog, smoke and funnel clouds 4 4 2005-2013 0 0 – 45 of 67
Winter storms 1 1 2010-2010 0 0 – 30 of 67

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database (county and forecast-zone records attributed to the county; a zone record shows its own totals on each county it covers). Days: dates with at least one record of the hazard in the county. Ranks: days with a record per 1,000 square miles of land (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer), since 1950 for tornadoes, 1955 for hail and thunderstorm wind, 1996 for the rest.

How many tornadoes has Bradford County had?

NOAA records 21 tornadoes in Bradford County from 1971 to 2021, the strongest rated F2, with 0 deaths and 6 injuries recorded in the county. That is 22nd of 67 Florida counties and 174th of 3,080 U.S. counties by days with tornadoes per 1,000 square miles since 1950. A tornado that crossed a county line is counted in each county it touched, with the length of its path inside the county.

Counted as whole tornadoes rather than county records, the Storm Prediction Center's database holds 21 tornadoes whose track touched Bradford County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 21, the same count); along their whole tracks they killed 0 people.

Map of the strongest tornado tracks in Florida.

Every tornado record filed for Bradford County (21)
Every tornado recorded in Bradford County, newest first
DatePlaceCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2021-12-08 Starke, Bradford County EF1 0.54 mi x 200 yd 0 0 –
2020-12-24 Hampton, Bradford County EF1 4.12 mi x 100 yd 0 2 –
2018-10-10 Theressa, Bradford County EF0 16.64 mi x 25 yd 0 0 –
2017-02-07 Lawtey, Bradford County EF1 1.06 mi x 75 yd 0 2 –
2015-09-12 Starke, Bradford County EF0 2.55 mi x 33 yd 0 0 –
2010-01-21 New River, Bradford County EF1 8.7 mi x 400 yd 0 0 $4.7M
2006-08-25 Starke, Bradford County F0 0.2 mi x 30 yd 0 0 –
2004-08-12 Lawtey, Bradford County F1 1 mi x 1 yd 0 0 –
2000-03-30 Starke, Bradford County F0 5 mi x 10 yd 0 0 $51K
1994-01-03 E Of Brooker, Bradford County F0 0.1 mi x 10 yd 0 0 $10K
1988-06-10 Bradford County F0 1 mi x 30 yd 0 0 –
1987-07-23 Bradford County F0 1 mi x 30 yd 0 0 $250 step
1983-06-07 Bradford County F1 0.4 mi x 20 yd 0 0 $25K step
1982-07-12 Bradford County F0 0.5 mi x 10 yd 0 0 $3K step
1980-07-14 Bradford County F1 1 mi x 20 yd 0 1 $25K step
1978-05-04 Bradford County F0 0.1 mi x 13 yd 0 0 –
1977-08-10 Bradford County F1 1 mi x 13 yd 0 0 $25K step
1976-07-21 Bradford County F1 0.1 mi x 20 yd 0 0 $25K step
1975-02-06 Bradford County F1 12.2 mi x 100 yd 0 0 $250K step
1972-03-28 Bradford County F1 6.8 mi x 20 yd 0 0 $25K step
1971-02-07 Bradford County F2 2 mi x 33 yd 0 1 $25K step

A damage figure marked "step" is a record from before 1993: NOAA then filed damage by category, and the figure is the category as entered, in the dollars of that year, not an estimate of the loss.

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, tornado records by county (path length in the county, maximum width); ratings as published: F scale before February 1, 2007, EF scale after. Whole-track figures: NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database (1950-2025). SPC severe weather database.

When was the last damaging storm in Bradford County?

The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the March 16, 2026 thunderstorm wind ($1,000 in damage in 2025 dollars).

The 12 most recent records kept for Bradford County
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2026-06-23 Thunderstorm WindLincoln City, Bradford County 50 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-06-23 Thunderstorm WindLawtey, Bradford County 50 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-06-01 DroughtBradford County · forecast zone Bradford 0 0 –
2026-05-01 WildfireBradford County · forecast zone Bradford 0 0 –
2026-05-01 DroughtBradford County · forecast zone Bradford 0 0 –
2026-04-21 WildfireBradford County · forecast zone Bradford 0 0 –
2026-04-01 DroughtBradford County · forecast zone Bradford 0 0 –
2026-03-16 Thunderstorm WindTheressa, Bradford County 48 kt wind 0 0 $1K
2026-03-01 DroughtBradford County · forecast zone Bradford 0 0 –
2026-02-01 DroughtBradford County · forecast zone Bradford 0 0 –
2026-01-27 DroughtBradford County · forecast zone Bradford 0 0 –
2021-12-08 TornadoStarke, Bradford County EF1 0.54 mi x 200 yd 0 0 –

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database; every record of 2025-2026 is listed, earlier ones when they caused deaths, injuries or $250,000 of damage (2025 dollars), and every tornado.

The deadliest and costliest records

Records with deaths or injuries in Bradford County, most deaths first
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2020-12-24 Thunderstorm WindLincoln City, Bradford County Major wind damage to homes occurred in Starke and families are displaced. Possible tornado damage. 55 kt wind 0 2 –
2020-12-24 TornadoHampton, Bradford County A weak tornado touched down just SW of Stark around 6:16 pm. The vortex damaged trees, fences, and roofs on manufactured homes along its 4 mile path. Four people were displaced on Christmas Eve by the tornado. Two people were taken to the hospital as a precaution and later released. The tornado was 100 yards at its ... EF1 4.12 mi x 100 yd 0 2 –
2017-02-07 TornadoLawtey, Bradford County The Lawtey Elementary School experienced wind damage to the roof. The school was closed the following day due to wind damage. There were also numerous trees and power lines blown down and damaged in the area. Local broadcast media relayed a report that 2 people were injured in Lawtey when part of a building fell on ... EF1 1.06 mi x 75 yd 0 2 –
2007-07-16 LightningLawtey, Bradford County Two people were injured in Lawtey from a lightning strike. 0 2 –
2015-06-24 Thunderstorm WindLake Sampson, Bradford County Six trees were blown down onto a property along SW 160th Street. One tree fell on his car. A tree limb fell on the resident's head, an indirect injury while pulling on a line hung up in a tree. 50 kt wind 0 1 –
2008-07-08 LightningSampson City, Bradford County A 54 year old man was struck by lightning while sitting under a tin frame shelter open that was exposed on three sides. He suffered a minor burn on his right side. 0 1 –
1980-07-14 TornadoBradford County F1 1 mi x 20 yd 0 1 $25K step
1971-02-07 TornadoBradford County F2 2 mi x 33 yd 0 1 $25K step

A damage figure marked "step" is a record from before 1993: NOAA then filed damage by category, and the figure is the category as entered, in the dollars of that year, not an estimate of the loss.

The costliest records in Bradford County since 1993, damage in 2025 dollars
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2017-09-10 Tropical StormBradford County · forecast zone Bradford 0 0 $4.8M
2010-01-21 TornadoNew River, Bradford County EF1 8.7 mi x 400 yd 0 0 $4.7M
1998-03-01 FloodBradford County and Clay County · forecast zone Bradford 0 0 $308K
2000-03-30 TornadoStarke, Bradford County F0 5 mi x 10 yd 0 0 $51K

Before 1993 NOAA filed damage by category, not amount, so the list above starts in 1993. The highest category filed here before then (entered as $250K, in the dollars of the day) holds: February 6, 1975 (tornado, Bradford County).

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: deaths and injuries direct and indirect; damage is property plus crops as estimated by the National Weather Service, converted to 2025 dollars.

Is it getting more frequent?

Records per decade for Bradford County's most frequent hazards. Counts rose everywhere after 1996, when NOAA began recording every event type, so compare decades within a hazard's complete period only (the shaded cells come before it).

Bradford County: records per decade (the 2020s to June 30, 2026)
Hazard1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020-26
Severe thunderstorm wind001414256615
Hail0111413103
Tornadoes00651342
Heavy rain––––02411
Floods––––2284
Hurricanes and tropical storms––––0354

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records per calendar decade; zone records from the CZ_TYPE field (Z).

What time of year?

42% of its severe thunderstorm wind events since 1978 fell in June and July. The two busiest months are in violet.

The values, month by month

Jan 8 · Feb 20 · Mar 28 · Apr 20 · May 39 · Jun 42 · Jul 45 · Aug 16 · Sep 14 · Oct 16 · Nov 1 · Dec 5 (records).

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began.

Federal disaster declarations for Bradford County

FEMA's register lists 34 declarations that include Bradford County: 17 major disasters, 14 emergencies and 3 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for hurricane (16) and tropical storm (5).

Declarations including Bradford County, newest first
DeclaredNumberTypeTitle
2024-10-11DR-4834HurricaneHurricane Milton
2024-10-07EM-3622HurricaneHurricane Milton
2024-09-28DR-4828HurricaneHurricane Helene
2024-09-24EM-3615Tropical StormTropical Storm Helene
2024-08-10DR-4806Tropical StormHurricane Debby
2024-08-03EM-3605Tropical StormTropical Storm Debby
2023-08-31DR-4734HurricaneHurricane Idalia
2023-08-28EM-3596Tropical StormTropical Storm Idalia
2022-12-13DR-4680HurricaneHurricane Nicole
2022-11-08EM-3587Tropical StormTropical Storm Nicole
2022-09-29DR-4673HurricaneHurricane Ian
2022-09-24EM-3584HurricaneTropical Storm Ian
2021-07-04EM-3561Severe StormTropical Storm Elsa
2020-03-25DR-4486BiologicalCovid-19 Pandemic
2020-03-13EM-3432BiologicalCovid-19
2019-08-30EM-3419HurricaneHurricane Dorian
2018-10-09EM-3405HurricaneHurricane Michael
2017-09-10DR-4337HurricaneHurricane Irma
2017-09-05EM-3385HurricaneHurricane Irma
2016-10-08DR-4283HurricaneHurricane Matthew
2012-07-03DR-4068Severe StormTropical Storm Debby
2008-08-24DR-1785Severe StormTropical Storm Fay
2008-08-21EM-3288Severe StormTropical Storm Fay
2007-05-07FM-2689FireSuwannee Fire Complex
2005-09-05EM-3220HurricaneHurricane Katrina Evacuation
2004-09-26DR-1561HurricaneHurricane Jeanne
2004-09-04DR-1545HurricaneHurricane Frances
2004-08-13DR-1539HurricaneTropical Storm Bonnie and Hurricane Charley
2001-02-05DR-1359FreezingSevere Freeze
2000-06-05FM-2306FireFl, Suwannee Fire Complex
1999-04-27EM-3139FireFl-Fires 04/15/99
1999-04-20FM-2258FireFl-Fires 04/13/99
1998-06-18DR-1223FireExtreme Fire Hazard
1998-01-06DR-1195Severe StormSevere Storms, High Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding

Source: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2), declarations through October 2, 2026; one declaration is counted once however many areas it names. OpenFEMA dataset page.

How many floods has Bradford County had?

NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 16 flood or flash flood records for Bradford County from 1998 to 2024, on 13 days, with 0 deaths. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Bradford County ranks 987th of 2,942 U.S. counties.

Named storms on Bradford County's flood and tropical record
StormBeganRecordsDeaths in the county
Hurricane Irma2017-09-1010

The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $4.2 million on 184 claims filed in Bradford County; the most in one year was 89 in 2017. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.

The values, year by year

1980: 1 · 1983: 2 · 1985: 1 · 1992: 1 · 1993: 2 · 1996: 1 · 1998: 25 · 2004: 15 · 2005: 1 · 2006: 1 · 2007: 1 · 2008: 1 · 2009: 1 · 2010: 1 · 2012: 25 · 2013: 4 · 2015: 2 · 2016: 1 · 2017: 89 · 2018: 1 · 2020: 1 · 2021: 2 · 2023: 1 · 2024: 3 · 2025: 1; the other years: 0.

Source: FEMA OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims, as of September 8, 2026; claims by year of loss, payments in the dollars of the year paid. OpenFEMA dataset page.

FEMA's modeled risk for Bradford County

FEMA's National Risk Index rates Bradford County Very Low overall, with an expected annual loss of $10.8 million. These are FEMA's model estimates of future loss from 18 hazards, not a count of what happened; they can differ from the record above.

National Risk Index ratings for Bradford County (December 2025 release), by FEMA's rating, then score
HazardRisk ratingExpected annual lossModeled frequency
HurricaneRelatively Moderate$4.9Monce in about 5 years (modeled)
LightningRelatively Moderate$647K83 a year (modeled)
WildfireRelatively Low$402Konce in about 277 years (modeled)
Heat WaveRelatively Low$314K3.6 modeled event-days a year
TornadoRelatively Low$840Konce in about 6 years (modeled)
Strong WindRelatively Low$140K1.1 a year (modeled)
EarthquakeVery Low$114Konce in about 1,101 years (modeled)
Riverine FloodingVery Low$3.3Monce in about 2 years (modeled)

Source: FEMA National Risk Index, county table, December 2025 release. FEMA's National Risk Index map.

Counties that share a border with Bradford County

  1. Alachua County 920
  2. Putnam County 730
  3. Clay County 664
  4. Baker County 309
  5. Bradford County 254
  6. Union County 164

Source: U.S. Census Bureau county adjacency file; NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1950. The Census Bureau's adjacency file.

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