Glades County, Florida
County storm and disaster record · FIPS 12043 · population 12,052 · 807 sq mi
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 240 records for Glades County, Florida from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 219 days; the most frequent are drought records (55 records). 121 of them are forecast-zone records, which the National Weather Service files once per zone: a county covered by several zones receives each one, so a single storm can add several records on the same day. The deadliest single record is the September 28, 2022 hurricane, filed for the forecast zone Glades, which covers the county: 2 deaths. FEMA has issued 37 declarations naming the county since 1965, 35 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
- 240on 219 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
- Deaths recorded
- 515 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $68Mas filed (scale steps before 1993)
- Tornadoes
- 27strongest EF3
- FEMA declarations
- 37latest 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 Glades County most?
The most frequent records are drought records: 55 since 2001. 42% of its drought records since 2001 fell in April and May. 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.
| Hazard | Records | Days | First, last | Killed | Injured | Damage | Rank in state |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drought | 55 | 55 | 2001-2026 | 0 | 0 | – | 2 of 67 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 38 | 36 | 1958-2025 | 0 | 0 | $1.5M | 65 of 67 |
| Extreme cold | 32 | 32 | 1996-2026 | 0 | 0 | $1.7M | 11 of 67 |
| Hail | 27 | 27 | 1995-2025 | 0 | 0 | – | 57 of 67 |
| Tornadoes | 27 | 21 | 1970-2024 | 0 | 14 | $22M | 58 of 67 |
| Hurricanes and tropical storms | 16 | 16 | 1998-2024 | 2 | 0 | $42M | 51 of 67 |
| Floods | 15 | 14 | 1997-2021 | 0 | 0 | $218K | 58 of 67 |
| Fog, smoke and funnel clouds | 12 | 12 | 1997-2024 | 0 | 0 | – | 44 of 67 |
| Wildfires | 12 | 12 | 1999-2026 | 0 | 0 | $94K | 16 of 67 |
| High wind and dust storms | 3 | 3 | 1998-2005 | 2 | 0 | $90K | 33 of 67 |
| Lightning | 2 | 2 | 2002-2012 | 1 | 1 | $33K | 62 of 67 |
| Heat | 1 | 1 | 2009-2009 | 0 | 0 | – | 35 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 Glades County had?
NOAA records 27 tornadoes in Glades County from 1970 to 2024, the strongest rated EF3, with 0 deaths and 14 injuries recorded in the county. 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 26 tornadoes whose track touched Glades County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 27: they file a crossing tornado once per county segment, and the two databases differ on some tracks); along their whole tracks they killed 1 person, 0 of them in Glades County.
| Date | Tornado | Rating | Path | Killed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982-06-17 20:15, as SPC files it | LaBelle | F2 | 8 mi | 1 |
| 2024-10-09 12:24, as SPC files it | Unnamed | EF3 | 15.46 mi | 0 |
Map of the strongest tornado tracks in Florida.
Every tornado record filed for Glades County (27)
| Date | Place | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-10-09 | Moore Haven, Glades County | EF3 15.46 mi x 250 yd | 0 | 3 | $19M |
| 2024-10-09 | Lakeport, Glades County | EF1 6.28 mi x 120 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2024-10-09 | Goodno, Glades County | EF1 10.29 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $14K |
| 2024-10-09 | Benbow, Glades County | EF1 3.84 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2022-09-28 | Moore Haven, Glades County | EF0 1.09 mi x 75 yd | 0 | 0 | $50K |
| 2016-02-16 | Moore Haven, Glades County | EF1 1.77 mi x 75 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2012-07-12 | Moore Haven, Glades County | EF0 0.1 mi x 10 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2012-06-24 | Palmdale, Glades County | EF0 0.01 mi x 20 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2012-06-24 | Tasmania, Glades County | EF0 0.01 mi x 10 yd | 0 | 0 | $6K |
| 2011-10-18 | Lakeport, Glades County | EF0 1.94 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2011-10-18 | Lakeport, Glades County | EF0 1.02 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $66K |
| 2009-06-10 | Lakeport, Glades County | EF0 0.51 mi x 10 yd | 0 | 0 | $69K |
| 2002-07-29 | Moore Haven, Glades County | F1 1 mi x 20 yd | 0 | 0 | $33K |
| 2002-05-31 | Moore Haven, Glades County | F0 0.5 mi x 15 yd | 0 | 0 | $41K |
| 1998-06-21 | Moore Haven, Glades County | F0 0.2 mi x 25 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1998-06-17 | Palmdale, Glades County | F0 0.1 mi x 25 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1998-02-02 | Lakeport, Glades County | F1 0.2 mi x 25 yd | 0 | 0 | $181K |
| 1997-06-20 | Ortona, Glades County | F0 0.2 mi x 25 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1997-05-03 | Buckhead Ridge, Glades County | F0 1.5 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 2 | $46K |
| 1994-09-19 | Moore Haven, Glades County | F0 0.1 mi x 10 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1989-06-09 | Glades County | F0 0.2 mi x 10 yd | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
| 1985-08-31 | Glades County | F0 0.5 mi x 10 yd | 0 | 0 | $3K step |
| 1982-06-17 | Glades County | F2 4 mi x 17 yd | 0 | 3 | $250K step |
| 1975-03-19 | Glades County | F1 0.2 mi x 10 yd | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
| 1972-06-18 | Labelle, Glades County | F2 0.7 mi x 150 yd | 0 | 6 | $195K step |
| 1970-07-11 | Glades County | 0 | 0 | $3K step | |
| 1970-07-11 | Glades County | 0 | 0 | $3K 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 Glades County?
The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the July 13, 2025 thunderstorm wind ($2,000 in damage in 2025 dollars).
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-01 | DroughtGlades County · forecast zone Glades | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-05-01 | DroughtGlades County · forecast zone Glades | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-04-01 | DroughtGlades County · forecast zone Glades | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-03-01 | DroughtGlades County · forecast zone Glades | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-02-12 | WildfireGlades County · forecast zone Glades | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-02-07 | WildfireGlades County · forecast zone Glades | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-02-02 | Frost/FreezeGlades County · forecast zone Glades | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-02-01 | Frost/FreezeGlades County · forecast zone Glades | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-02-01 | DroughtGlades County · forecast zone Glades | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-01-06 | DroughtGlades County · forecast zone Glades | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-07-13 | Thunderstorm WindLakeport, Glades County | 52 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $2K |
| 2025-06-01 | DroughtGlades County · forecast zone Glades | 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
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-09-28 | Hurricane (Typhoon)Glades County · forecast zone Glades Highest winds over Glades County occurred over western and northern sections of the where sustained winds likely reached the threshold of hurricane force, with gusts of least 80 mph. Maximum wind gusts were in the 60-70 mph range over eastern sections of the county. Estimated highest number of customers people without ... | 2 | 0 | – | |
| 1998-12-26 | High WindGlades County · forecast zone Glades A wind shift line that had been generated by thunderstorms in the eastern Gulf of Mexico propagated east across Lake Okeechobee with wind gusts near 40 knots. A bass fishing boat in 16 feet of water just east of Lake Port capsized and two persons drowned. | 2 | 0 | $27K | |
| 2012-06-08 | LightningLakeport, Glades County A 51 year old male died when he was struck by lightning while boating on Lake Okeechobee during a fishing tournament. In addition, 1 other male on the boat was knocked unconscious and later was examined at a local hospital and released. | 1 | 1 | – | |
| 1972-06-18 | TornadoLabelle, Glades County A tornado moved northward from Hendry County, tearing up citrus groves before hitting two trailer parks near LaBelle. Ten units were destroyed and 6 persons were injured. Property damage was estimated at $190,000, with $5,000 in crop damage. Note: this event was added in 2018, following a reanalysis by NWS Melbourne. | F2 0.7 mi x 150 yd | 0 | 6 | $195K step |
| 2024-10-09 | TornadoMoore Haven, Glades County A severe tornado was initially observed in images captured over the western Lake Okeechobee littoral shelf from the Harney Pond WeatherSTEM camera around 1:30 PM EST in Glades County. The debris from the littoral shelf and associated vegetation was lofted in the air producing a tornadic debris signature detectable by ... | EF3 15.46 mi x 250 yd | 0 | 3 | $19M |
| 1982-06-17 | TornadoGlades County | F2 4 mi x 17 yd | 0 | 3 | $250K step |
| 1997-05-03 | TornadoBuckhead Ridge, Glades County | F0 1.5 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 2 | $46K |
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.
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004-09-04 | Hurricane (Typhoon)Glades County · forecast zone Glades | 0 | 0 | $39M | |
| 2024-10-09 | TornadoMoore Haven, Glades County | EF3 15.46 mi x 250 yd | 0 | 3 | $19M |
| 2004-09-25 | Hurricane (Typhoon)Glades County · forecast zone Glades | 0 | 0 | $3.1M | |
| 1998-02-02 | TornadoLakeport, Glades County | F1 0.2 mi x 25 yd | 0 | 0 | $181K |
| 2002-05-31 | Thunderstorm WindOrtona, Glades County | 70 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $82K |
| 2009-06-10 | TornadoLakeport, Glades County | EF0 0.51 mi x 10 yd | 0 | 0 | $69K |
| 2011-10-18 | TornadoLakeport, Glades County | EF0 1.02 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $66K |
| 2022-09-28 | TornadoMoore Haven, Glades County | EF0 1.09 mi x 75 yd | 0 | 0 | $50K |
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: June 17, 1982 (tornado, Glades 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 Glades 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).
| Hazard | 1950s | 1960s | 1970s | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020-26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drought | – | – | – | – | 0 | 21 | 17 | 17 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 17 | 8 | 2 |
| Extreme cold | – | – | – | – | 2 | 19 | 6 | 5 |
| Hail | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 14 | 7 | 3 |
| Tornadoes | 0 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 6 | 3 | 6 | 5 |
| Hurricanes and tropical storms | – | – | – | – | 2 | 7 | 1 | 6 |
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 drought records since 2001 fell in April and May. The two busiest months are in violet.
The values, month by month
Jan 21 · Feb 20 · Mar 14 · Apr 24 · May 37 · Jun 40 · Jul 20 · Aug 18 · Sep 21 · Oct 9 · Nov 5 · Dec 11 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began.
Federal disaster declarations for Glades County
FEMA's register lists 37 declarations that include Glades County: 21 major disasters, 13 emergencies and 3 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for hurricane (20) and fire (5).
| Declared | Number | Type | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-10-11 | DR-4834 | Hurricane | Hurricane Milton |
| 2024-10-07 | EM-3622 | Hurricane | Hurricane Milton |
| 2024-08-10 | DR-4806 | Tropical Storm | Hurricane Debby |
| 2024-08-03 | EM-3605 | Tropical Storm | Tropical Storm Debby |
| 2022-12-13 | DR-4680 | Hurricane | Hurricane Nicole |
| 2022-11-08 | EM-3587 | Tropical Storm | Tropical Storm Nicole |
| 2022-09-29 | DR-4673 | Hurricane | Hurricane Ian |
| 2022-09-24 | EM-3584 | Hurricane | Tropical Storm Ian |
| 2020-03-25 | DR-4486 | Biological | Covid-19 Pandemic |
| 2020-03-13 | EM-3432 | Biological | Covid-19 |
| 2019-08-30 | EM-3419 | Hurricane | Hurricane Dorian |
| 2017-09-10 | DR-4337 | Hurricane | Hurricane Irma |
| 2017-09-05 | EM-3385 | Hurricane | Hurricane Irma |
| 2016-10-06 | EM-3377 | Hurricane | Hurricane Matthew |
| 2012-10-18 | DR-4084 | Hurricane | Hurricane Isaac |
| 2008-08-24 | DR-1785 | Severe Storm | Tropical Storm Fay |
| 2008-08-21 | EM-3288 | Severe Storm | Tropical Storm Fay |
| 2007-06-27 | FM-2696 | Fire | Okeechobee Fire Complex |
| 2005-10-24 | DR-1609 | Hurricane | Hurricane Wilma |
| 2005-09-05 | EM-3220 | Hurricane | Hurricane Katrina Evacuation |
| 2004-09-26 | DR-1561 | Hurricane | Hurricane Jeanne |
| 2004-09-04 | DR-1545 | Hurricane | Hurricane Frances |
| 2004-08-13 | DR-1539 | Hurricane | Tropical Storm Bonnie and Hurricane Charley |
| 2001-02-19 | FM-2354 | Fire | Fl - Okeechobee Complex Fire |
| 2001-02-05 | DR-1359 | Freezing | Severe Freeze |
| 1999-10-20 | DR-1306 | Hurricane | Fl-Hurricane Irene-Dr-Req |
| 1999-10-15 | EM-3150 | Hurricane | Tropical Storm Irene - Florida |
| 1999-09-22 | DR-1300 | Hurricane | Hurricane Floyd Major Disaster Declarations |
| 1999-04-27 | EM-3139 | Fire | Fl-Fires 04/15/99 |
| 1999-04-15 | FM-2251 | Fire | Okeechobee Fire Complex |
| 1998-09-25 | EM-3131 | Hurricane | Hurricane Grorges |
| 1998-06-18 | DR-1223 | Fire | Extreme Fire Hazard |
| 1998-01-06 | DR-1195 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, High Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding |
| 1993-03-13 | DR-982 | Tornado | Tornadoes, Flooding, High Winds & Tides, Freezing |
| 1990-01-15 | DR-851 | Freezing | Severe Freeze |
| 1977-01-31 | DR-526 | Freezing | Severe Winter Weather |
| 1965-09-14 | DR-209 | Hurricane | Hurricane Betsy |
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 Glades County had?
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 15 flood or flash flood records for Glades County from 1997 to 2021, on 14 days, with 0 deaths. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Glades County ranks 1612th of 2,942 U.S. counties.
| Storm | Began | Records | Deaths in the county |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hurricane Ian | 2022-09-28 | 1 | 2 |
| Hurricane Jeanne | 2004-09-25 | 1 | 0 |
| Hurricane Frances | 2004-09-04 | 1 | 0 |
The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $394,000 on 56 claims filed in Glades County; the most in one year was 15 in 2008. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.
The values, year by year
1985: 1 · 1993: 2 · 1996: 1 · 1998: 1 · 2002: 1 · 2004: 8 · 2005: 10 · 2006: 1 · 2008: 15 · 2009: 2 · 2010: 1 · 2011: 1 · 2012: 4 · 2017: 5 · 2022: 2 · 2024: 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 Glades County
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Glades County Relatively Low overall, with an expected annual loss of $8.8 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.
| Hazard | Risk rating | Expected annual loss | Modeled frequency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lightning | Relatively High | $544K | 100 a year (modeled) |
| Hurricane | Relatively Moderate | $3.1M | once in about 3 years (modeled) |
| Strong Wind | Relatively Moderate | $555K | once in about 2 years (modeled) |
| Wildfire | Relatively Low | $569K | once in about 106 years (modeled) |
| Drought | Relatively Low | $138K | 21 modeled event-days a year |
| Cold Wave | Relatively Low | $459K | 2.8 a year (modeled) |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively Low | $3.2M | once in about 2 years (modeled) |
| Heat Wave | Very Low | $80K | 3.6 modeled event-days a year |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index, county table, December 2025 release. FEMA's National Risk Index map.
Counties that share a border with Glades County
Source: U.S. Census Bureau county adjacency file; NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1950. The Census Bureau's adjacency file.
Next
- Tornadoes in FloridaEvery Florida tornado since 1950 and the counties with the most per square mile
- Drought in FloridaThe state's drought records, by county, year and month
- The Florida recordEvery hazard in the state, its deadliest events and its federal declarations
- FEMA's risk rating for each hazard in Glades CountyThe hazard risk calculator: 18 hazards beside the county's record
- Download Glades County's FEMA declarations (CSV)37 rows: every declaration that named the county, for your own analysis