States › Florida › Broward County

Broward County, Florida

Recorded hazard history: storm events since 1950, federal disaster declarations since 1953, flood insurance claims since 1978, and FEMA's risk index.

FIPS 12011 · 1,930,983 residents (2021) · 1,203 sq mi · dominant hazard Wind

Hail · 210Tornado · 147Flood · 110Wind · 385Winter · 0

Broward County within Florida. Dots: HailTornadoFloodWind event locations in the kept record. Boundaries: US Census Bureau.

NCEI notes that Storm Data is compiled from a variety of sources including the National Weather Service, other federal, state and local agencies, the media and the public; that property and crop damage figures are estimates; and that some events are recorded by NWS forecast zone rather than by county. FEMA notes that NFIP claim records are redacted and aggregated to protect the privacy of policyholders. NCEI storm records through 30 Jun 2026; OpenFEMA declarations refreshed 1 Oct 2026; NFIP claims as of 8 Sep 2026.

The NCEI record lists 1,108 events for Broward County, Florida, between 1950 and 2026; damaging wind account for the largest share.

That is 92.1 events per 100 square miles, in line with the Florida figure of 73.8, and 5.7 per 10,000 residents against 18.2 statewide.

20 events fall in the 12 months to 30 Jun 2026. NCEI attributes 19 deaths and 201 injuries to events in the county, with property damage estimated at $169M and crop damage at $25M.

FEMA has designated the county in 43 federal disaster declarations since 1953; the most recent is Hurricane Milton (major disaster, 11 Oct 2024).

National Flood Insurance Program policyholders in the county filed 35,049 claims since 1978, of which 17,451 were paid, totalling $458M (about $26K per paid claim). FEMA counts 125,204 residential flood policies in force.

FEMA's National Risk Index rates the county's overall risk as "Relatively High" and its expected annual loss as "Relatively High" ($648M a year across 18 hazards).

111 tropical storm or hurricane tracks in the HURDAT2 record passed within 100 miles of the county's centre at tropical-storm strength or more, 23 of them within 50 miles at hurricane strength.

20events, last 12 monthsto 30 Jun 2026

1,108events since 195019 deaths, 201 injuries recorded

43disaster declarationslast 11 Oct 2024

35,049NFIP flood claims$458M paid

Compared with Florida and the United States

Measure	Broward County	Florida	US
Recorded events since 1950	1,108	39,578	1,977,440
Events per 100 square miles	92.1	73.8	56.0
Events per 10,000 residents	5.7	18.2	59.6
Events in the last 12 months	20	1,307	62,008
Deaths recorded by NCEI	19	890	26,435
Property damage (NCEI estimates)	$169M	$80B	$575B
NFIP claims per 1,000 residents	18.2	20.6	8.1
Average paid NFIP claim	$26K	$62K	$43K
Claims per 100 policies in force, last 10 years	6.8	18.3	16.1

County-recorded events plus zone-recorded events whose forecast zone is named for the county. State and US rows include events recorded only by forecast zone. Rates use 2021 Census population and land area.

Events by decade

Hail: 1Tornado: 5Wind: 7

Tornado: 10Wind: 7

Hail: 4Tornado: 11Wind: 17

Hail: 15Tornado: 35Wind: 32

Hail: 25Tornado: 33Flood: 3Wind: 85Wildfire: 3Lightning: 22Other: 39

Hail: 76Tornado: 17Flood: 12Wind: 98Wildfire: 2Lightning: 66Other: 37

Hail: 63Tornado: 23Flood: 23Wind: 79Lightning: 33Other: 35

Hail: 26Tornado: 13Flood: 72Wind: 60Lightning: 12Other: 7

131950s171960s321970s821980s2101990s3082000s2562010s1902020s

Recorded events in Broward County by decade and hazard group. HailTornadoFloodWindWildfireLightningOther NCEI recorded only tornadoes, hail and thunderstorm wind before 1996.

Trend: 579 events in the 20 years to 2025 against 412 in the 20 years before. Reporting practice changed in 1996 and again with automated reports in the 2000s, so decade totals measure the record as much as the weather.

Events by type

Wind385

Hail210

Tornado147

Lightning133

Other118

Flood110

Wildfire5

Hazard	Events	Deaths	Share of state's events
■ Wind	385	—	2.5%	detail
■ Hail	210	—	3.7%	detail
■ Tornado	147	1	3.8%	detail
■ Lightning	133	18	7.5%
■ Other	118	—	4.1%
■ Flood	110	—	3.3%	detail
■ Wildfire	5	—	1.0%

Hazard pages exist for hail, tornado, flood, wind and winter where the county has at least 10 recorded events. "Other" covers heavy rain, debris flow, dust, funnel clouds and similar reports.

Largest recorded events

Date	Event type	Group	Magnitude	Property damage	Crop damage	Deaths	Injuries	Geography
8 Jun 2000	Lightning	Lightning	—	—	—	2	—	County
1 Mar 1980	Tornado	Tornado	F3	$25M	—	1	33	County
2 Jun 2001	Lightning	Lightning	—	—	—	1	7	County
5 Oct 2005	Lightning	Lightning	—	—	—	1	2	County
16 May 2018	Lightning	Lightning	—	—	—	1	2	County
20 Aug 2002	Lightning	Lightning	—	—	—	1	1	County
20 Jul 2006	Lightning	Lightning	—	—	—	1	1	County
29 May 2014	Lightning	Lightning	—	—	—	1	1	County
27 Jun 2017	Lightning	Lightning	—	—	—	1	1	County
7 Aug 1997	Lightning	Lightning	—	—	—	1	—	County
25 Jun 1998	Lightning	Lightning	—	—	—	1	—	County
19 May 2007	Lightning	Lightning	—	—	—	1	—	County
22 Jul 2007	Lightning	Lightning	—	—	—	1	—	County
13 Aug 2007	Lightning	Lightning	—	—	—	1	—	County
8 Jun 2009	Lightning	Lightning	—	—	—	1	—	County
11 Jun 2018	Lightning	Lightning	—	—	—	1	—	County
30 Jun 2024	Lightning	Lightning	—	—	—	1	—	County
18 Sep 2024	Lightning	Lightning	—	—	—	1	—	County
10 Apr 1956	Tornado	Tornado	F3	$2.5M	—	—	20	County
25 May 1996	Lightning	Lightning	—	—	—	—	11	County

Ranked by deaths, then injuries, then NCEI's damage estimate. Deaths and injuries are NCEI counts (direct plus indirect); no personal details are recorded here.

Federal disaster declarations

Declared	Number	Type	Incident	Title	Programs
11 Oct 2024	DR-4834	Major disaster	Hurricane	Hurricane Milton	Public assistance
7 Oct 2024	EM-3622	Emergency	Hurricane	Hurricane Milton	Public assistance
27 Apr 2023	DR-4709	Major disaster	Flood	Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding	Individual assistance, Public assistance
13 Dec 2022	DR-4680	Major disaster	Hurricane	Hurricane Nicole	Public assistance
8 Nov 2022	EM-3587	Emergency	Tropical Storm	Tropical Storm Nicole	Public assistance
29 Sep 2022	DR-4673	Major disaster	Hurricane	Hurricane Ian	Public assistance
24 Sep 2022	EM-3584	Emergency	Hurricane	Tropical Storm Ian	Public assistance
1 Aug 2020	EM-3533	Emergency	Hurricane	Hurricane Isaias	Public assistance
25 Mar 2020	DR-4486	Major disaster	Biological	Covid-19 Pandemic	Individual assistance, Public assistance
13 Mar 2020	EM-3432	Emergency	Biological	Covid-19	Public assistance
21 Oct 2019	DR-4468	Major disaster	Hurricane	Hurricane Dorian	Public assistance
30 Aug 2019	EM-3419	Emergency	Hurricane	Hurricane Dorian	Public assistance
10 Sep 2017	DR-4337	Major disaster	Hurricane	Hurricane Irma	Individual assistance, Public assistance
5 Sep 2017	EM-3385	Emergency	Hurricane	Hurricane Irma	Public assistance
8 Oct 2016	DR-4283	Major disaster	Hurricane	Hurricane Matthew	Public assistance
6 Oct 2016	EM-3377	Emergency	Hurricane	Hurricane Matthew	Public assistance
21 Aug 2008	EM-3288	Emergency	Severe Storm	Tropical Storm Fay	Public assistance
24 Oct 2005	DR-1609	Major disaster	Hurricane	Hurricane Wilma	Individual assistance, Public assistance
20 Sep 2005	EM-3259	Emergency	Hurricane	Tropical Storm Rita	Public assistance
5 Sep 2005	EM-3220	Emergency	Hurricane	Hurricane Katrina Evacuation	Public assistance
28 Aug 2005	DR-1602	Major disaster	Hurricane	Hurricane Katrina	Public assistance
26 Sep 2004	DR-1561	Major disaster	Hurricane	Hurricane Jeanne	Public assistance
4 Sep 2004	DR-1545	Major disaster	Hurricane	Hurricane Frances	Individual assistance, Public assistance
13 Aug 2004	DR-1539	Major disaster	Hurricane	Tropical Storm Bonnie And Hurricane Charley	Public assistance
5 Feb 2001	DR-1359	Major disaster	Freezing	Severe Freeze	Individual assistance
4 Oct 2000	DR-1345	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms And Flooding	Individual assistance, Public assistance
20 Oct 1999	DR-1306	Major disaster	Hurricane	Fl-Hurricane Irene-Dr-Req	Individual assistance, Public assistance
15 Oct 1999	EM-3150	Emergency	Hurricane	Tropical Storm Irene - Florida	Public assistance
14 Sep 1999	EM-3143	Emergency	Hurricane	Hurricane Floyd Emergency Declarations	Public assistance
27 Apr 1999	EM-3139	Emergency	Fire	Fl-Fires 04/15/99	Public assistance
18 Apr 1999	FM-2256	Fire management assistance	Fire	Fl-Fires 04/13/99	Public assistance
25 Sep 1998	EM-3131	Emergency	Hurricane	Hurricane Grorges	Public assistance
18 Jun 1998	DR-1223	Major disaster	Fire	Extreme Fire Hazard	Public assistance
12 Feb 1998	DR-1204	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms, High Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding	Individual assistance, Public assistance
6 Jan 1998	DR-1195	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms, High Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding	Individual assistance
13 Mar 1993	DR-982	Major disaster	Tornado	Tornadoes, Flooding, High Winds & Tides, Freezing	Individual assistance, Public assistance
24 Aug 1992	DR-955	Major disaster	Hurricane	Hurricane Andrew	Individual assistance, Public assistance
15 Jan 1990	DR-851	Major disaster	Freezing	Severe Freeze	Individual assistance
18 Mar 1985	DR-732	Major disaster	Freezing	Severe Freeze	Individual assistance
6 May 1980	EM-3079	Emergency	Human Cause	Undocumented Aliens	Public assistance
31 Jan 1977	DR-526	Major disaster	Freezing	Severe Winter Weather	Individual assistance
15 Mar 1971	DR-304	Major disaster	Freezing	Freeze	Individual assistance, Public assistance
14 Sep 1965	DR-209	Major disaster	Hurricane	Hurricane Betsy	Individual assistance, Public assistance

Declarations in which FEMA designated this county, from the OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2). DR: major disaster; EM: emergency; FM: fire management assistance. Programs show whether individual or public assistance was made available.

Flood insurance claims

197820022026

NFIP claims by year of loss in Broward County, 1978 to 2026 (hover for the amount paid).

Claims since 197835,049

Paid claims17,451

Total paid$458M

Average paid claim$26K

Repetitive-loss properties1,500225 severe

Residential policies in force125,20419.2% of 652,397 structures

Year of loss	Claims	Paid claims	Amount paid	Average paid
2026	31	2	$9,088	$4,544
2025	91	53	$3,480,344	$65,667
2024	657	500	$35,137,673	$70,275
2023	3,723	3,170	$250,280,175	$78,953
2022	126	44	$1,171,187	$26,618
2021	57	15	$155,576	$10,372
2020	1,382	965	$22,766,497	$23,592
2019	377	266	$10,617,194	$39,914
2018	97	28	$950,850	$33,959
2017	1,917	884	$24,398,961	$27,601
2016	95	10	$572,508	$57,251
2015	136	40	$648,076	$16,202
2014	175	21	$69,937	$3,330
2013	285	97	$2,810,582	$28,975
2012	888	383	$2,436,172	$6,361
2011	972	654	$16,101,373	$24,620
2010	255	47	$476,451	$10,137
2009	944	646	$21,806,037	$33,755
2008	264	56	$456,185	$8,146
2007	182	35	$434,609	$12,417
2006	173	26	$251,236	$9,663
2005	4,853	864	$12,301,364	$14,238
2004	1,034	288	$1,549,795	$5,381
2003	562	307	$3,688,809	$12,016
2002	350	156	$1,547,812	$9,922

OpenFEMA NFIP claims (v3, as of 8 Sep 2026), aggregated by year of loss; amounts are building, contents and increased-cost-of-compliance payments as recorded. Repetitive-loss counts from the NFIP Multiple Loss Properties file (2 Aug 2026); policies in force from the NFIP Residential Penetration Rates file (3 Aug 2026).

National Risk Index

Overall riskRelatively Highscore 99.5 of 100

Expected annual loss$648MRelatively High

Social vulnerabilityRelatively Moderate

Community resilienceRelatively Moderate

Hazard (NRI)	Risk rating	Expected annual loss
Inland flooding	Very High	$288,975,890
Hurricane	Very High	$280,368,508
Heat wave	Relatively High	$20,464,292
Coastal flooding	Very High	$14,119,526
Tornado	Relatively High	$13,646,787
Lightning	Very High	$12,031,689
Cold wave	Relatively High	$10,355,115
Wildfire	Relatively Moderate	$6,542,529
Strong wind	Relatively Moderate	$1,164,504
Earthquake	Very Low	$142,370
Hail	Relatively Low	$123,831
Drought	Relatively Low	$34,354
Landslide	Relatively Low	$3,940

FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025 release. Ratings are FEMA's relative comparison of counties; expected annual loss is FEMA's modelled estimate of average yearly building, population and agriculture loss. See how to read the NRI.

Hurricane and tropical storm passes

Tracks within 100 miles111

Tracks within 50 miles44

Hurricane strength within 50 miles23

Storm	Year	Closest approach	Max wind while within 100 mi
Alex	2022	70 mi	46 mph
Nicole	2022	87 mi	75 mph
Isaias	2020	67 mi	69 mph
Sally	2020	52 mi	40 mph
Eta	2020	90 mi	63 mph
Gordon	2018	74 mi	58 mph
Irma	2017	79 mi	115 mph
Matthew	2016	98 mi	132 mph
Bonnie	2010	57 mi	40 mph
Nicole	2010	92 mi	46 mph
Fay	2008	59 mi	69 mph
Ernesto	2006	33 mi	46 mph
Katrina	2005	23 mi	81 mph
Tammy	2005	90 mi	40 mph
Wilma	2005	32 mi	121 mph
Frances	2004	72 mi	109 mph
Jeanne	2004	72 mi	121 mph
Harvey	1999	67 mi	58 mph
Irene	1999	10 mi	81 mph
Mitch	1998	58 mi	63 mph
Jerry	1995	50 mi	40 mph
Gordon	1994	85 mi	52 mph
Andrew	1992	49 mi	167 mph
Fabian	1991	81 mi	46 mph
Floyd	1987	71 mi	75 mph

HURDAT2 best-track positions at tropical-storm strength (34 kt) or more, measured from the county's Census centre point; through the 2025 season. Distance from a track is not the same as the extent of the storm's wind, rain or surge.

ZIP codes with flood claims

33009 2,035
33312 1,800
33024 1,460
33311 1,431
33315 1,402
33019 1,388
33319 1,357
33023 1,344
33068 1,257
33020 1,235
33313 1,194
33309 1,185
33351 944
33334 913
33063 875
33321 871
33322 817
33065 722
33025 696
33317 631
33071 624
33026 593
33328 573
33004 545
33029 528
33324 509
33325 501
33062 481
33305 480
33060 464
33021 450
33308 414
33314 413
33064 409
33027 400
33304 400
33316 392
33301 391
33326 333
33330 319
33323 296
33331 267
33441 236
33076 227
33069 195
33028 165
33327 161
33067 140
33332 130
33442 126
33066 114
33306 81
33073 42
33000 16
33357 12
33022 8
33310 7
33307 5

ZIP codes whose NFIP claims carry this county's code, with the number of claims. Five or more claims are needed for a ZIP page to be indexed.

Questions and answers

How often does it hail in Broward County, FL?

NCEI records 210 hail events in Broward County since 1950, in 43 different years; that is about 2.7 recorded events a year. 27 reports were golf-ball size (1.75 in) or larger.

Has Broward County had a tornado?

Yes. NCEI records 147 tornadoes in Broward County since 1950, 11 of them rated (E)F2 or stronger. Tornado deaths recorded: 1.

When was the last federal disaster declaration for Broward County?

11 Oct 2024: Hurricane Milton, a major disaster declaration for hurricane. The county appears in 43 declarations since 1953.

How many flood insurance claims have been filed in Broward County, and how much was paid?

35,049 NFIP claims since 1978, 17,451 of them paid, for $458M in total. FEMA publishes these figures redacted and aggregated; individual properties are not identified.

Is Broward County in the National Risk Index's high-risk band?

FEMA's National Risk Index (December 2025) rates the county "Relatively High" for overall risk, "Relatively High" for expected annual loss, "Relatively Moderate" for social vulnerability and "Relatively Moderate" for community resilience. These ratings are FEMA's relative comparison across all US counties.

How does Broward County compare with the rest of Florida?

92.1 recorded events per 100 square miles against 73.8 statewide, and 18.2 NFIP claims per 1,000 residents against 20.6. The comparison table on this page shows each measure beside the state and national figures.

Provenance

Storm events: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, yearly details files through 30 Jun 2026 (public domain). Declarations: OpenFEMA DisasterDeclarationsSummaries v2, refreshed 1 Oct 2026. Flood claims: OpenFEMA NfipClaims v3 as of 8 Sep 2026; NfipMultipleLossProperties v1 (2 Aug 2026); NfipResidentialPenetrationRates v1 (3 Aug 2026). Risk index: FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025. Hurricane tracks: NHC HURDAT2 through 2025. Population and area: US Census Bureau, 2021 vintage. Built 1 Oct 2026; see the methodology and corrections pages. Hazard hubs: Hail · Tornado · Flood · Wind · Winter.