Haines City, FL Tornado History — 160 Tornadoes Since 1950
How many tornadoes has Haines City, FL had?
Haines City has had 160 tornadoes on record within 25 miles since 1950, including 2 violent (EF3+) tornadoes.
When was the most recent tornado near Haines City?
The most recent tornado within 25 miles of Haines City was an EF0 on September 26, 2024.
When is tornado season in Haines City?
June is historically the peak month for tornadoes near Haines City, with 32 on record. Spring through early summer (April–June) generally sees the highest activity across most of the central and southern United States.
At a Glance
Recent Tornado Activity Near Haines City
The last 20 years of confirmed tornadoes within 25 miles — 24 total, averaging 1.2 per year over this window.
Tornadoes by Decade
Tornadoes by Enhanced Fujita Rating
F0–F5 ratings (pre-2007) are grouped with their EF equivalents. The Enhanced Fujita scale replaced the original Fujita scale in February 2007.
Tornadoes by Month
Casualties on Record Near Haines City
37 fatalities have been recorded within 25 miles of Haines City since 1950, across 3 events. 784 injuries have been reported across all events. 1998 was the deadliest year on record.
The deadliest single event was a F3 on February 23, 1998, which caused 25 fatalities along a 28.0-mile track.
Notable Tornadoes Near Haines City
About Tornadoes in Haines City
This overview was written July 29, 2026. The tornado counts and notable-event figures elsewhere on this page reflect the latest data and may differ from this summary.
Haines City sits on the high sand ridge of Polk County in Florida's interior, roughly midway between Tampa and Orlando, and tornadoes have crossed this stretch of the peninsula in both of central Florida's storm seasons.
On April 4, 1966, an F4 tornado swept across the peninsula on a 135.8-mile track, killing 11 people and injuring 530; a second long-track tornado that same day, rated F2, followed a 123.3-mile path through the region. On February 23, 1998, an F3 tornado cut a 28-mile path near the city, killing 25 people and injuring 150. On May 8, 1979, an F2 ran 4 miles, killing 1 person, injuring 40, and causing $27,500,000 in property damage.
More recent seasons have brought damaging tornadoes as well. An EF2 on June 25, 2012 tracked 6.22 miles, another EF2 struck on September 10, 2017, and on October 19, 2019 an EF2 carved an 11.45-mile path up to 525 yards wide, causing $10,000,000 in property damage. Many of the area's brief, weaker tornadoes spin up with June and July sea-breeze thunderstorms, while its significant tornadoes have often arrived with the potent winter and early-spring systems that sweep the peninsula from December through March.