Sunset, FL Tornado History — 173 Tornadoes Since 1950
How many tornadoes has Sunset, FL had?
Sunset has had 173 tornadoes on record within 25 miles since 1950, including 2 violent (EF3+) tornadoes.
When was the most recent tornado near Sunset?
The most recent tornado within 25 miles of Sunset was an EF1 on October 9, 2024.
When is tornado season in Sunset?
June is historically the peak month for tornadoes near Sunset, with 33 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 Sunset
The last 20 years of confirmed tornadoes within 25 miles — 35 total, averaging 1.8 per year over this window.
Preliminary tornado reports near Sunset 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Preliminary reports are revised, merged, and sometimes withdrawn — historically about 23% are consolidated downward once surveys complete.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 Sunset. 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 Sunset
1 fatality has been recorded within 25 miles of Sunset since 1950, across 1 event. 174 injuries have been reported across all events. 2003 was the deadliest year on record.
The deadliest single event was a F2 on March 27, 2003, which caused 1 fatality along a 6.0-mile track.
Notable Tornadoes Near Sunset
About Tornadoes in Sunset
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.
Around Sunset, Florida, spotters and forecast offices have been documenting tornadoes since mid-century, and the record they assembled stretches from the 1950s into the 2020s. The community sits on the low, humid terrain of the Florida peninsula, where warm water on both coasts keeps the atmosphere primed for rotating storms in nearly any season.
The archive holds consequential entries. An F3 tornado tracked 7.8 miles through the area on April 10, 1956, injuring 20 people, and a second F3 on June 18, 1959, injured 77 along a 12.7-mile path. A wintertime F2 on February 3, 1998, ran 21 miles during a strong El Niño pattern. An F2 on March 27, 2003, killed one person and injured 14, cutting a damage swath some 600 yards wide. In autumn 2024, an EF1 traced 2.93 miles as tropical moisture streamed over the region on October 9.
The seasonal rhythm sets this part of Florida apart from the Plains. Sea-breeze collisions ignite summer thunderstorms that spin up brief tornadoes; autumn hurricanes and tropical storms can spawn them in outer rainbands; and cool-season fronts, sharpened by the subtropical jet, drive squall lines that produce damaging wintertime touchdowns. The event listings and breakdowns elsewhere on this page draw on the NOAA Storm Prediction Center, the source agency behind the tornado record here.