Wakulla County

Every recorded tornado

1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond the county. Deaths recorded within Wakulla County: 0.
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.

River crests

River gauges

1. Crests are the highest and the recent crests the National Weather Service lists for each river gauge in the county that has a flood stage, not every flood. Flood categories use each gauge's current flood stages; crests from before levees, dams or channel changes may not be comparable. Crests measured on an old datum are left out of the rankings.

NOAA National Water Prediction Service gauge records, retrieved October 30, 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. Oct 10, 2018Hurricane (Typhoon), Coastal Wakulla$100 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Hurricane Michael started as typical weak October Caribbean tropical system. However, after approximately a week of slow development, the system moved into warm Gulf of Mexico waters and rapidly intensified into a major hurricane as it moved north towards the Florida Panhandle. After a 2-day long intensification period over the eastern Gulf, Michael made landfall as an unprecedented (for the region) high-end category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale in the Florida Panhandle with maximum sustained wind speed of 155 mph and a minimum pressure 919 mb. Based on wind, Michael is the fourth most powerful hurricane to hit the United States, behind the Labor Day…

2. Oct 10, 2018Storm Surge/Tide, Coastal Wakulla$100 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Hurricane Michael started as typical weak October Caribbean tropical system. However, after approximately a week of slow development, the system moved into warm Gulf of Mexico waters and rapidly intensified into a major hurricane as it moved north towards the Florida Panhandle. After a 2-day long intensification period over the eastern Gulf, Michael made landfall as an unprecedented (for the region) high-end category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale in the Florida Panhandle with maximum sustained wind speed of 155 mph and a minimum pressure 919 mb. Based on wind, Michael is the fourth most powerful hurricane to hit the United States, behind the Labor Day…

3. Oct 10, 2018Hurricane (Typhoon), Inland Wakulla$100 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Hurricane Michael started as typical weak October Caribbean tropical system. However, after approximately a week of slow development, the system moved into warm Gulf of Mexico waters and rapidly intensified into a major hurricane as it moved north towards the Florida Panhandle. After a 2-day long intensification period over the eastern Gulf, Michael made landfall as an unprecedented (for the region) high-end category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale in the Florida Panhandle with maximum sustained wind speed of 155 mph and a minimum pressure 919 mb. Based on wind, Michael is the fourth most powerful hurricane to hit the United States, behind the Labor Day…

4. Jun 25, 2012Flash Flood$8.8 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Catastrophic flooding occurred in Wakulla county as a result of Tropical Storm Debby, especially near Sopchoppy where the Sopchoppy River crested above its previous record flood stage. Over 27 inches of rain was measured in the area. Over 400 structures were affected by flooding, including over 170 mobile homes and nearly 200 single family residences. Of these structures, 40 were deemed totally destroyed, 61 had major flood damage, 41 had minor flood damage, and 271 were affected by flooding. The Wakulla county property appraiser estimated damage at $8,785,087.

5. Jul 9, 2005Hurricane (Typhoon), Wakulla$8.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Dennis, a Category 3 hurricane, moved inland just east of Gulf Breeze, FL, early Sunday afternoon, July 10. The peak wind gust and lowest sea-level pressure recorded were 67 knots and 979 mb, respectively, at Buoy 42039 located 80 miles south of Panama City, FL. Rainfall totals ranged from 3 to 4 inches in the eastern Florida Panhandle to 6 to 10 inches in the Florida Big Bend. Flooding was reported in southern Leon County where several areas were under 3 to 4 feet of water. Maximum coastal storm surge heights ranged from 4 to 8 feet in Walton, Bay, Gulf, Taylor and Dixie counties to 8 to 12 feet in Franklin, Wakulla and Jefferson counties. Moderate to severe beach erosion was…

6. Jul 10, 2005Storm Surge/Tide, Wakulla$7.5 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   An 8 to 12 foot surge caused significant coastal flooding. The Wakulla County EMA reported moderate to severe beach erosion. A few roads, including Highway 98 from Panacea to the Ochlockonee Bay Bridge, were flooded. At St Marks, a 10 foot surge left flood waters waist deep. At Shell Point, piles of debris and sand covered the road between the beach and the marina. At Panacea, a restaurant on the bayfront was wrecked and condemned. A total of 24 structures were destroyed and 487 damaged.

7. Aug 22, 2008Tropical Storm, Wakulla$5.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Rainfall from Fay varied between nine and 18 inches. Numerous trees and power lines were down throughout the county. Numerous county roads were closed and several dirt roads were washed out. U.S. Highway 319 at State Road 375 (Painted Bridge Road) in Sopchoppy was closed. Flooding along the St Marks River set a record with a stage of 13.88 feet, or 2.1 feet above the previous record stage. The Ochlockonee River south of the C.H. Corn Hydro dam rose to flood stage in the western part of the county. Storm tides of four feet on the morning of the 24th at St Marks caused flooding of several buildings in St Marks, with four to six inches of water near the time of high tide. Twenty-nine…

8. Dec 5, 2005Tornado$1.3 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   A tornado touched down just northwest of Crawfordville in the Arran Road area, then traveled northeast across Wakulla Arran Road and the Fox Hollow subdivision, Ivan Church Road, Evergreen Acres, Emerald Acres, to Harry Morrison Road and Elizabeth Street before lifting. Of the 33 structures affected, 26 homes were damaged, two were destroyed, the Ivan Assembly of God Church was damaged, and four businesses along U.S. Highway 319 were damaged. There were several reports of downed trees and power lines. Damage survey provided by a NWS Tallahassee meteorologist, with additional reports by the Wakulla County EMA and Sheriff.

9. Sep 10, 2017Tropical Storm, Inland Wakulla$1.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Hurricane Irma brought numerous impacts to the Florida Big Bend, southwest Georgia and southeast Alabama including widespread downed trees and power lines, roads blocked by trees, power outages, and trees on homes. Two people died during the event - one due to a car crash (Liberty County, FL) and another that had a heart attack (Worth County, GA). Two indirect deaths also occurred due to carbon monoxide from a generator (Taylor County, FL). While many counties across the Florida Big Bend and southwest Georgia were impacted, the greatest impacts were across the eastern portion of the area near the I-75 corridor. There were over 6.5 million customers without power in Florida, over…

10. Sep 10, 2017Tropical Storm, Coastal Wakulla$1.0 million
    National Weather Service narrative

    Hurricane Irma brought numerous impacts to the Florida Big Bend, southwest Georgia and southeast Alabama including widespread downed trees and power lines, roads blocked by trees, power outages, and trees on homes. Two people died during the event - one due to a car crash (Liberty County, FL) and another that had a heart attack (Worth County, GA). Two indirect deaths also occurred due to carbon monoxide from a generator (Taylor County, FL). While many counties across the Florida Big Bend and southwest Georgia were impacted, the greatest impacts were across the eastern portion of the area near the I-75 corridor. There were over 6.5 million customers without power in Florida, over…

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

105°FJun 15, 2011

All-time low

6°FJan 21, 1985

Warmest night

81°FJul 15, 1980

Coldest day

28°FJan 21, 1985

Wettest day

8.86 inSep 21, 1969

Snowiest day

2.4 inFeb 12, 1958

Hottest year

2015mean 71.8°F

Coldest year

1979mean 65.5°F

Wettest year

1964104.18 in

Driest year

195430.98 in

Snowiest season

2.8 in1957-58

Station Tallahassee (USW00093805), 177 ft elevation, 14.5 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1940 to October 26, 2026; 99.9% 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 USW00093805.
• 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.