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Florida · County tornado history

Bay County, Florida tornadoes

NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center has recorded 91 tornadoes in Bay County, Florida from 1950 through 2024, about 1.2 a year. That ranks it 14 of 67 counties in Florida with a recorded tornado. The most recent was an EF2 on January 9, 2024.

By Twisters.us · Updated · How we count

Tornadoes since 1950
91
Since 2000
34
Strongest
EF3, January 9, 2024
Most recent
EF2, January 9, 2024
Peak month
April (14)
Per 1,000 sq mi
103
FEMA tornado risk
Relatively High

F0/EF0 1 2 3 4 5 · Lines run from where each tornado touched down to where it lifted; dots are short paths. Neighboring counties are outlined.

When tornadoes hit Bay County

April has brought the most, 14 of 91. About 44% touched down between 4 am and 10 am (Central Standard Time, as the Storm Prediction Center records it). Winter tornadoes (December to February) make up 25% of the total, a sign of the cool-season storms common in the South.

By decade

More tornadoes in recent decades mostly reflects better detection and reporting (Doppler radar, storm spotters, damage surveys), especially for weak EF0 tornadoes, not necessarily more storms. The 2020s bar covers only 2020 to 2024.

How strong they were

Rating Estimated 3-second gust Tornadoes
F0 / EF0 Light damage: 65 to 85 mph (EF scale) 40
F1 / EF1 Moderate: 86 to 110 mph 33
F2 / EF2 Considerable: 111 to 135 mph 16
F3 / EF3 Severe: 136 to 165 mph 2
F4 / EF4 Devastating: 166 to 200 mph 0
F5 / EF5 Incredible: over 200 mph 0

Tornadoes before February 2007 were rated on the original Fujita (F) scale; since then the National Weather Service uses the Enhanced Fujita (EF) scale. Wind speeds above are EF-scale estimates from damage, not measurements. See what the EF scale means.

The strongest tornadoes in Bay County

Date Rating Path length Path width Deaths Injuries
December 10, 1967 F3 7.1 mi 250 yd 1 50
January 9, 2024 EF3 5.2 mi 550 yd
January 12, 1975 F2 168.5 mi 100 yd 1 33
November 22, 1953 F2 0.1 mi 10 yd 22
January 2, 1999 F2 3.8 mi 100 yd 7
February 20, 1952 F2 1.5 mi 73 yd 4
April 16, 1954 F2 2 mi 10 yd 3
January 9, 2024 EF2 12.9 mi 600 yd 2
April 6, 1953 F2 0.1 mi 10 yd
April 12, 1953 F2 0.1 mi 10 yd

Deaths and injuries are for each tornado’s whole path, which can cross other counties.

The deadliest

The deadliest tornado to touch Bay County was an F3 on December 10, 1967. It killed 1 person and injured 50 along its 7.1-mile path.

Most recent tornadoes

Date Rating Path length Path width Deaths Injuries
January 9, 2024 EF2 0.9 mi 150 yd
January 9, 2024 EF1 9.8 mi 450 yd
January 9, 2024 EF2 12.9 mi 600 yd 2
January 9, 2024 EF3 5.2 mi 550 yd
January 9, 2024 EF0 0.2 mi 50 yd
April 27, 2023 EF1 0.8 mi 75 yd
March 17, 2023 EF0 5.2 mi 25 yd
March 18, 2022 EF2 1.6 mi 75 yd

The official database ends with 2024. For storms since then, see the Storm Prediction Center’s reports and your local National Weather Service office.

FEMA’s tornado risk rating

FEMA’s National Risk Index rates the tornado risk in Bay County as relatively high, with a score of 94 out of 100 compared with every other U.S. county. It estimates about 0.77 tornadoes a year here and an expected annual loss of about $11,004,314 to buildings, people and farming. The index mixes how often tornadoes strike with what is exposed and how well a community can recover, so a busy rural county can rate lower than a less active city.

Neighboring counties

Staying safe

When a tornado warning is issued, act at once. Go to a basement, storm shelter or safe room. With none, use a small windowless room on the lowest floor, as far from outside walls as you can, and cover your head and neck. Mobile homes and cars are not safe places to ride out a tornado: leave early for a sturdy building or shelter. Read the full tornado safety guide and the National Weather Service advice linked below.

Sources

Sources last checked 1 November 2026.

Frequently asked questions

How many tornadoes has Bay County had?

91 from 1950 through 2024 in NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center database, 34 of them since 2000.

When was the last tornado in Bay County?

The most recent in the official record was an EF2 on January 9, 2024. Later storms are not yet in the final database.

What was the strongest tornado in Bay County?

An EF3 on January 9, 2024, with a 5.2-mile path.

When is tornado season in Bay County?

April has had the most tornadoes here. Across the U.S. the peak runs from spring into early summer, and the South also sees tornadoes in late fall and winter.