Highlands County

Every recorded tornado

1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond the county. Deaths recorded within Highlands County: 2.
2. Weak tornadoes were under-recorded before Doppler radar coverage became national in the early 1990s, so earlier decades read low. Ratings use the Fujita scale before February 2007 and the Enhanced Fujita scale after.

Storm Prediction Center severe weather database, 1950 to 2025.

Every storm within 100 miles

1. Tropical storms and hurricanes (34 kt or more, still tropical) at closest approach. Post-tropical remnants with gale-force winds are listed but not counted. Direct: track within 50 miles; near: within 100 miles. Distance is measured to the county boundary for counties and to the city centre for cities, using positions interpolated hourly between HURDAT2 fixes.

National Hurricane Center HURDAT2, 1851 to 2025.

Every large fire

1. Large fires mapped by the Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity program since 1984: 1,000 acres or more in the West, 500 or more in the East. Prescribed burns are excluded. Acres here are the part of each perimeter inside this place.

Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity (USGS and U.S. Forest Service), 1984 to 2026.

Smoke overhead

1. A smoke day is a date on which a smoke plume traced by NOAA Hazard Mapping System analysts from satellite imagery covered this place's point (the county's population centre or the city centre). Counts here are of medium or heavy smoke. Since 2018 analysts have often drawn light smoke as one area over most of the continent, so light-smoke counts are not comparable from year to year. The plumes show smoke anywhere in the air above, not air quality at the ground, and smoke hidden by cloud is missed.

NOAA Hazard Mapping System smoke analysis, 2011 to 2026, retrieved October 30, 2026.

Claims by ZIP code

This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).

OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims v3, refreshed August 4, 2026. NOAA Storm Events through 2026.

1. The Palmer Drought Severity Index is computed by NOAA each month from the county's average temperature and precipitation, relative to the county's own climate. Zero is normal; -3 or lower is severe drought and -4 or lower extreme drought. It describes the long-term balance of moisture, not water supply or crop losses.

NOAA NCEI nClimDiv county Palmer Drought Severity Index, 1895 to September 2026, issued October 6, 2026.

More event types since 1996

Costliest events since 1996

1. Sep 25, 2004High Wind, Highlands$452 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Hurricane Jeanne followed the nearly the same path across Florida as Hurricane Frances three weeks earlier and was the unprecedented fourth hurricane to damage Florida during the 2004 hurricane season. The hurricane moved ashore along the east coast of Florida near Stuart late on September 25th with an eye 30 to 40 miles across. Jeanne took a course north of Lake Okeechobee and decreased to a tropical storm in eastern Polk County around 9 AM EDT on the 26th. The center of Jeanne curved north of Tampa Bay during the afternoon and travelled north along the coastal counties before exiting north through Levy County around 10 PM. In Highlands County there were 140 homes destroyed and…

2. Sep 10, 2017Hurricane (Typhoon), Highlands$360 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   In Highlands County, the highest wind reported from Hurricane Irma was a (3 second average) gust to 85 knots at Archbold Bio Station during the evening on the 10th. Elsewhere, the AWOS in Sebring registered a 5 second average gust to 75 knots. Rainfall was generally around 5 inches or greater, with the highest rain total being 10.31 inches at the CoCoRaHS station FL-HL-13 in Sebring. The wind resulted in damage to numerous homes, as well as knocking over trees and power lines. Highlands County Emergency Management reported that 144 homes or businesses were destroyed by Irma, 963 sustained major damage, 2408 had minor damage, and an additional 9623 were affected.||The total…

3. Aug 13, 2004High Wind, Highlands$78.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   The collective effects of Hurricane Charley in southwest and west central Florida during August 13th resulted in 8 direct fatalities, 16 indirect fatalities, 792 injuries, eight tornadoes, an eight foot storm surge in Lee County, an estimated $11.2 billion in property damage (estimated to be about twice that of the insured damage), and $460 million in crop damage. The fast movement of Hurricane Charley limited rain fall totals to 4 to 6 inches along the track of the hurricane's eye wall. River flooding of one to three feet above flood stage was found on area rivers south of Interstate 4. In Hardee County there were 6 injuries, zero fatalities, and damage was estimated at $750…

4. Sep 5, 2004High Wind, Highlands$21.6 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Hurricane Frances made landfall just after midnight on September 5th near Vero Beach as a Category 2 storm. The hurricane continued to move slowly west northwestward across central Florida to near Bartow by 2 pm, and just northeast of Tampa by 8 pm, when it was downgraded to a tropical storm. It then emerged back into the Gulf of Mexico near Hudson shortly before midnight. Hurricane Frances took almost 24 hours to move through the Florida peninsula. Frances continued northwestward through the northern gulf of Mexico, making a second landfall on the afternoon of September 6th in the Florida big bend near Tallahassee as a tropical storm. The damage totals listed were caused by trees…

5. Mar 21, 1998Flood$850,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Heavy rain caused the Arbuckle Creek to rise and wash out a two-lane bridge culvert on Arbuckle Creek Road. Two vehicles that drove over the damaged bridge were washed out into the culvert and destroyed. In Avon Park, nearly two feet of water damaged 30 homes in the Bonnie Brae Mobile Home Park. Water damage also occurred at Aero Interiors and Highlands Aviation at the Avon Park Airport.

6. Oct 24, 2005Tropical Storm, Highlands$563,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Hurricane Wilma produced tropical storm force winds across much of southwest and west central Florida. However, much of the damage was limited to downed tree limbs and localized flooding. In Charlotte County...A peak wind gust from the north of 70 MPH was reported at the Punta Gorda Airport at 851 AM EDT. Heavy rains of 4 to 8 inches caused urban street flooding and filled ditches to capacity. State Road 31 was flooded 4 miles north of the Lee County Line. As of November 18th there were 931 insurance claims that totaled $529 thousand.In DeSoto County...A Florida mesonet station in Arcadia recorded a peak wind of 64 MPH at 845 AM EDT. Heavy rains led to water intrusion into several…

7. Apr 4, 2022Hail$500,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Multiple golf ball hail reports near Sebring from NWS employee and trained spotters. Damage includes broken windows and punctured siding on homes along with shattered car windshields.

8. Oct 9, 2024Tornado$500,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Tornado estimated to have begun near the southeastern shore of|Lake Clay before moving north-northwest across the lake and|entering the Tropical Harbor Mobile Home community situated along|the northern shore of the lake. Approximately 20 to 30 units|suffered damage, primarily consisting of carports being peeled|off or removed, along with various degrees of roof, carport and|patio damage. A few units suffered partial wall collapses as a|result of the roof being compromised, with 1 injury as a result|when a woman sheltering inside her bedroom was injured by a|collapsing exterior wall. One unit was found to have been|displaced approximately one foot off its supports, along with…

9. Mar 9, 1998Tornado$437,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Ground survey indicated that a tornado initially touched down eleven miles east southeast of Wauchula along Steve Roberts Road, two miles west of County Road 671, in rural, semi-wooded swamp and grassland of eastern Hardee county. The tornado produced "F0" damage in the form of downed trees, power poles and mobile home roof damage.The tornado continued to move northeast across rural, semi-wooded swamp and grassland of eastern Hardee county and crossed the county line into extreme northwest Highlands county at 124 AM EST.The tornado reached its maximum F1 strength and width when it touched down in the uncompleted "Sun 'n Lakes" home development on the southwest side of Avon Park.…

10. Jul 15, 2008Lightning$290,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    Lightning struck the garage of a house on North Rehrer Road and started a fire that destroyed the entire house and two cars.

1. Storm Events records before 1996 cover only tornadoes, thunderstorm wind and hail. Damage figures are as reported by the National Weather Service at the time, not adjusted for inflation.

NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, 1950 to 2026, issued October 26, 2026.

All-time high

103°F2 times, most recently Jul 4, 1998

All-time low

13°F2 times, most recently Jan 5, 2001

Warmest night

82°FMay 28, 1973

Coldest day

37°FJan 10, 2010

Wettest day

6.07 inOct 24, 2005

Snowiest day

0.1 inJan 19, 1977

Hottest year

2015mean 75.4°F

Coldest year

2010mean 70.1°F

Wettest year

200272.61 in

Driest year

200027.31 in

Snowiest season

0.1 in1976-77

Station Archbold Bio Station (USC00080236), 136 ft elevation, 20.2 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1969 to October 14, 2026; 99.3% of days in the last 30 years are complete. Records at a single station can differ from a city’s official threaded record, which may combine several stations.

NOAA NCEI Global Historical Climatology Network Daily.

This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).

OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries, retrieved October 30, 2026. Statewide declarations are not listed.

Neighbouring counties

• Tornadoes NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather database, through 2025.
• Tropical cyclones NOAA National Hurricane Center HURDAT2 (Atlantic; Northeast and Central Pacific), through 2025.
• Wildfire USGS/USFS Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity, through 2026.
• Storm events NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, through 2026.
• Flood insurance OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims v3, refreshed August 4, 2026.
• Declarations OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2, retrieved October 30, 2026.
• Weather records NOAA NCEI Global Historical Climatology Network Daily, station USC00080236.
• River crests NOAA National Weather Service, National Water Prediction Service river gauges, retrieved October 30, 2026.
• Drought NOAA NCEI nClimDiv county Palmer Drought Severity Index, through September 2026.
• Smoke NOAA NESDIS Hazard Mapping System smoke analysis, retrieved October 30, 2026.
• Earthquakes USGS ANSS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog (ComCat), retrieved October 30, 2026.

Joins, thresholds and known limits are set out in the methodology. Found an error? Report it. Page built October 30, 2026.