Florida high wind and dust storms

Every recorded high wind record since 1996 · 58 counties with a record

NOAA's Storm Events Database records 315 high wind and dust records in Florida from 1996 through June 30, 2026, about 10 a year since 2000. The deadliest was the August 13, 2004 high wind in Orange County: 4 deaths and $2.0 billion in damage in 2025 dollars across 3 records. Florida ranks 49th of 52 states and territories by count and 50th of 51 per square mile.

High wind and dust storms in Florida, 1996 to 2026

Wind records per year (NOAA Storm Events); 2026 to June 30, 2026.

recorded, no damage figure
under $1 million
$1 million or more
$10 million or more
$100 million or more, or 10 deaths
$1 billion or more, or 100 deaths
a year's colour: its recorded damage or deaths
a year with a death

Records: 3151996 to June 30, 2026
A year since 2000: 10average
Deaths: 1832 injuries
Damage, 2025 dollars: $5.4Bas filed
Busiest year: 200445 records

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; deaths and damage as filed, damage in 2025 dollars. Search the record at NCEI.

Are high wind and dust records common in Florida?

Florida averages about 10 high wind and dust records a year since 2000, 49th of 52 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 2004 (45). Per 10,000 square miles of land, Florida records 59 high wind and dust records since 1996, 50th of 51 states and territories by that measure.

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1996, per 10,000 square miles of land area (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer; places under 1,000 square miles not ranked). Damage colours: Storm Events damage, 2025 dollars.

Which counties in Florida have the most high wind and dust records?

Per square mile, Flagler County leads Florida: 18 days with a high wind record since 1996, 37.0 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, Flagler County has the most wind records (28 since 1996); large counties collect more records simply by covering more ground, so the ranking counts days with a record per unit of area (a storm filed for several forecast zones adds several records but one day).

Flagler County 37.0 (28)
Pinellas County 29.2 (8)
Duval County 22.3 (20)
Bradford County 13.6 (4)
Seminole County 12.9 (4)
Lee County 12.8 (11)
Hillsborough County 9.8 (10)
Manatee County 9.4 (7)
Pasco County 9.4 (8)
Sarasota County 9.0 (6)
Charlotte County 8.8 (7)
Hernando County 8.5 (4)

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, days with a record in the county since 1996 per 1,000 square miles of land (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer); in brackets, the count of records.

When is the windy season in Florida?

Florida's high wind and dust records by month. The busiest month is October (42 records).

The values, month by month

Jan 32 · Feb 30 · Mar 37 · Apr 40 · May 15 · Jun 6 · Jul 2 · Aug 13 · Sep 34 · Oct 42 · Nov 33 · Dec 31 (records).

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began, since 1996.

What were the deadliest high wind and dust records in Florida?

Florida: the storms with the most deaths since 1996
Date	Record	Character	Killed	Injured	Damage
2004-08-13	High WindOrange County · forecast zone Orange One storm episode: 3 records in 3 places; the totals are the episode's. Hurricane Charley made landfall over southwest Florida as a category four hurricane with estimated sustained wind speeds of 150 mph. Moving north northeast at about 25 mph Charley crossed central Florida maintaining hurricane intensity through Osceola, Orange, Seminole, and Volusia counties. In Osceola County, ...	91 kt wind	4	0	$2.0B
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
2004-08-13	High WindPolk County · forecast zone Polk One storm episode: 3 records in 3 places; the totals are the episode's. The collective effects of Hurricane Charley in southwest and west central Florida during August 13th resulted in 8 direct fatalities, 16 indirect fatalities, 792 injuries, eight tornadoes, an eight foot storm surge in Lee County, an estimated $11.2 billion in property damage (estimated to be about twice that of the ...	68 kt wind	1	12	$1.7B
2014-03-13	Strong WindIndian River County · forecast zone Indian River A sudden wind increase following passage of a cold front led to steepening waves over open waters. A fishing boat within the Stick Marsh in Indian River County was swamped by the waves, estimated at two to three feet. There were three occupants onboard the boat. One person succumbed to the cold water and likely died ...	26 kt wind	1	2	–
1997-07-05	High WindTaylor County · forecast zone Taylor An outflow of strong winds from thunderstorms caused 5 to 7 boats to capsize around the Steinhatchee River entrance to the Gulf of Mexico. One man received chemical burns over 80% of his body from the gasoline that poured from his capsized boat. His wife died from cardiac arrest while in the water.		1	1	$18K
2012-06-26	Strong WindLake County · forecast zone Lake Tropical Storm Debby, located over the northeast Gulf of Mexico, created rough water conditions due to 20 mph winds with gusts to 35 mph. Two canoes went out on Lake Dorr with one adult in each canoe, and a total of five children divided between the two canoes. One canoe returned to shore to drop off the children, ...	35 kt wind	1	0	–
2011-11-28	Strong WindBrevard County · forecast zone Brevard Gusty southeast winds created choppy two-to-three foot seas on the Indian River. A man fishing alone on the river within a 13-foot flat-bottom watercraft near Titusville was tossed from the boat by the rough seas and drowned. The man was not wearing a life jacket.	25 kt wind	1	0	–
2000-01-14	High WindPalm Beach County · forecast zone Coastal Palm Beach Sustained winds of 20 to 30 mph with gusts near 45 mph buffeted south Florida following the passage of a cold front. A 50-year old man was killed when the winds toppled a concrete wall around 3 pm at a liquor store construction site in Boynton Beach. Power outages from falling branches left 26,000 electrical customers ...	40 kt wind	1	0	$171K
1998-02-02	High WindMonroe County · forecast zone Monroe/Lower Keys 35 year old man crushed between boat and dock.		1	0	–
2019-11-05	Strong WindPalm Beach County · forecast zone Coastal Palm Beach County Multiple media outlets reported that a woman was injured after a tree branch fell on her during a morning walk. There were gusty winds around 35 mph at the time behind a cold front passage. The woman died 4 days later as a result of the injury.	30 kt wind	1	0	–

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: deaths direct and indirect, as filed by the National Weather Service, summed over each storm (one episode, or one named storm filed by several offices). Storm names from the titles of FEMA declarations that name the storm's counties.

The costliest high wind and dust records in Florida

Florida: the most damaging storms since 1993, 2025 dollars
Date	Record	Character	Killed	Injured	Damage
2004-08-13	High WindOrange County · forecast zone Orange One storm episode: 3 records in 3 places; the totals are the episode's.	91 kt wind	4	0	$2.0B
2004-08-13	High WindPolk County · forecast zone Polk One storm episode: 3 records in 3 places; the totals are the episode's.	68 kt wind	1	12	$1.7B
2004-09-25	High WindHighlands County · forecast zone Highlands One storm episode: 4 records in 4 places; the totals are the episode's.	61 kt wind	0	0	$1.1B
2004-09-05	High WindPolk County · forecast zone Polk One storm episode: 4 records in 4 places; the totals are the episode's.	60 kt wind	0	0	$199M
2004-09-26	Strong WindLake County · forecast zone Lake One storm episode: 5 records in 5 places; the totals are the episode's.	41 kt wind	1	0	$185M
2004-09-04	High WindOrange County · forecast zone Orange One storm episode: 5 records in 5 places; the totals are the episode's.	60 kt wind	0	0	$147M
2005-10-24	High WindOkeechobee County · forecast zone Okeechobee	80 kt wind	0	0	$42M
2021-12-21	Strong WindOkeechobee County · forecast zone Okeechobee	43 kt wind	0	0	$1.1M

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: property and crop damage as estimated by the National Weather Service, in 2025 dollars.

Are high wind and dust records becoming more frequent in Florida?

Florida's count per decade against the whole country's, and its share. NOAA recorded every event type only from 1996, so earlier decades are not comparable; the share of the national total is the fairer comparison across decades.

High wind and dust storms: Florida and the United States by decade (2020s to June 30, 2026)
Decade	Florida	United States	Florida's share
1996-99	47	14,026	0.34%
2000s	112	37,254	0.30%
2010s	79	41,748	0.19%
2020-26	77	36,300	0.21%

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.

The most recent high wind and dust records in Florida

The 12 most recent records, to June 30, 2026
Date	Record	Character	Killed	Damage
2026-03-24	Strong WindDuval County · forecast zone Western Duval	35 kt wind	0	$1K
2026-01-31	High WindSumter County · forecast zone Sumter	43 kt wind	0	$10K
2026-01-18	High WindSt. Lucie County · forecast zone Coastal St. Lucie	53 kt wind	0	–
2026-01-18	High WindBrevard County · forecast zone Mainland Southern Brevard	50 kt wind	0	–
2026-01-18	High WindBrevard County · forecast zone Northern Brevard Barrier Islands	51 kt wind	0	–
2026-01-18	High WindBrevard County · forecast zone Mainland Northern Brevard	51 kt wind	0	–
2025-10-04	Strong WindAlachua County · forecast zone Eastern Alachua	26 kt wind	0	$100
2025-08-28	Strong WindPalm Beach County · forecast zone Inland Palm Beach County	43 kt wind	0	–
2025-05-24	Strong WindPalm Beach County · forecast zone Inland Palm Beach County	40 kt wind	0	–
2021-12-21	Strong WindOkeechobee County · forecast zone Okeechobee	43 kt wind	0	$1.1M
2019-11-05	Strong WindPalm Beach County · forecast zone Coastal Palm Beach County	30 kt wind	1	–
2016-02-24	Strong WindLake County · forecast zone Lake	31 kt wind	1	–

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; the newest months are revised by NCEI as reports arrive. Search the record at NCEI.