Sunny Isles Beach, FL Tornado History — 228 Tornadoes Since 1950
How many tornadoes has Sunny Isles Beach, FL had?
Sunny Isles Beach has had 228 tornadoes on record within 25 miles since 1950, including 4 violent (EF3+) tornadoes.
When was the most recent tornado near Sunny Isles Beach?
The most recent tornado within 25 miles of Sunny Isles Beach was an Unrated on February 18, 2024.
When is tornado season in Sunny Isles Beach?
June is historically the peak month for tornadoes near Sunny Isles Beach, with 38 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 Sunny Isles Beach
The last 20 years of confirmed tornadoes within 25 miles — 51 total, averaging 2.5 per year over this window.
Preliminary tornado reports near Sunny Isles Beach since December 29, 2025
These is a preliminary report, not confirmed tornadoes. It has not yet been through an NWS damage survey, and is 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Preliminary reports are revised, merged, and sometimes withdrawn — historically about 23% are consolidated downward once surveys complete.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 Sunny Isles Beach. 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 Sunny Isles Beach
2 fatalities have been recorded within 25 miles of Sunny Isles Beach since 1950, across 2 events. 224 injuries have been reported across all events. 2003 was the deadliest year on record.
The deadliest single event was a F3 on March 1, 1980, which caused 1 fatality along a 7.8-mile track.
Notable Tornadoes Near Sunny Isles Beach
About Tornadoes in Sunny Isles Beach
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.
The F3 tornado of March 2, 1980 — a 7.8-mile track up to 500 yards wide that killed one person and injured 33 — struck at winter's end rather than in high summer, and its timing captures how tornadoes come to Sunny Isles Beach, Florida. Cool-season cold fronts sweeping off the Gulf of Mexico trail squall lines across the peninsula, an El Niño-strengthened subtropical jet adds shear in some winters, and the warm months bring sea-breeze collisions, waterspouts drifting ashore, and spinning rainbands from tropical systems.
The higher-end entries in the local history cluster in the 1950s and 1960s. An F3 on April 10, 1956 injured 20 people along a 7.8-mile path, another F3 on June 18, 1959 hurt 77 while traveling 12.7 miles, and an F3 on February 23, 1965 left 6 injured. Later, an F2 on March 17, 1983 held together for 52.5 miles, an unusually long track for Florida.
Recent decades have leaned toward briefer, lower-rated touchdowns. An F2 crossed the area on February 3, 1998, and an F2 on March 27, 2003 killed one person and injured 14. An EF2 on October 19, 2011 tracked just 1.11 miles. A small tornado in February 2024 covered about 0.19 miles. The NOAA Storm Prediction Center maintains the underlying database, and the event list elsewhere on this page draws from that same source.