St. Petersburg, FL Tornado History — 301 Tornadoes Since 1950
How many tornadoes has St. Petersburg, FL had?
St. Petersburg has had 301 tornadoes on record within 25 miles since 1950, including 6 violent (EF3+) tornadoes.
When was the most recent tornado near St. Petersburg?
The most recent tornado within 25 miles of St. Petersburg was an EF0 on September 25, 2025.
When is tornado season in St. Petersburg?
July is historically the peak month for tornadoes near St. Petersburg, with 58 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 St. Petersburg
The last 20 years of confirmed tornadoes within 25 miles — 53 total, averaging 2.6 per year over this window.
Preliminary tornado reports near St. Petersburg since December 29, 2025
These are 2 preliminary reports, not confirmed tornadoes. They have not yet been through an NWS damage survey, and are not counted in the confirmed totals above.
Preliminary reports are revised, merged, and sometimes withdrawn — historically about 23% are consolidated downward once surveys complete. Ratings are omitted until a survey assigns one.
Confirmed records above are complete through December 29, 2025. NOAA publishes the confirmed archive annually, so tornadoes after that date appear here first and move into the totals above once finalized.
Within 25 miles of St. Petersburg. Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center preliminary storm reports, updated daily.
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 St. Petersburg
20 fatalities have been recorded within 25 miles of St. Petersburg since 1950, across 6 events. 881 injuries have been reported across all events. 1966 was the deadliest year on record.
The deadliest single event was a F4 on April 4, 1966, which caused 11 fatalities along a 135.8-mile track.
Notable Tornadoes Near St. Petersburg
About Tornadoes in St. Petersburg
This overview was written August 10, 2026. The tornado counts and notable-event figures elsewhere on this page reflect the latest data and may differ from this summary.
Sea breezes off the Gulf of Mexico and Tampa Bay converge above the narrow Pinellas peninsula, and that recurring collision of humid airmasses is the opening ingredient in Saint Petersburg's tornado climatology. Through the summer wet season the convergence fires nearly every afternoon, spinning up brief funnels and waterspouts that sometimes come ashore. In the cooler months the rhythm shifts: a stronger jet stream, sharper cold fronts, and the occasional landfalling tropical system supply the deep wind shear summer lacks, and it is under those setups that the area has experienced violent tornadoes.
The NOAA Storm Prediction Center's file on the city bears that out. In 1958, an April 15 F4 injured 7 people even though its track covered barely 0.1 miles. On April 4, 1966, another F4 tore across the region along a 135.8-mile path, killing 11 people and injuring 530. And on October 3, 1992, an F3 killed 3 residents and injured 75 while a companion F2 that same day claimed 1 more life.
Recent decades preserve the seasonal split. A cool-season squall line spawned an EF2 on December 16, 2020, that tracked 13.11 miles through the bay area, while a short-lived EF0 touched down on September 25, 2025, in the humid heart of the wet season. The event list elsewhere on this page traces that rhythm back to the early 1950s.