States › Florida › Lake County
Lake County, Florida
Recorded hazard history: storm events since 1950, federal disaster declarations since 1953, flood insurance claims since 1978, and FEMA's risk index.
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 407 events for Lake County, Florida, between 1950 and 2026; damaging wind account for the largest share.
That is 42.8 events per 100 square miles, below the Florida figure of 73.8, and 10.3 per 10,000 residents against 18.2 statewide.
5 events fall in the 12 months to 30 Jun 2026. NCEI attributes 35 deaths and 142 injuries to events in the county, with property damage estimated at $195M and crop damage at $17M.
FEMA has designated the county in 37 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 470 claims since 1978, of which 263 were paid, totalling $7.3M (about $28K per paid claim). FEMA counts 3,776 residential flood policies in force.
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the county's overall risk as "Relatively Moderate" and its expected annual loss as "Relatively Moderate" ($102M a year across 18 hazards).
102 tropical storm or hurricane tracks in the HURDAT2 record passed within 100 miles of the county's centre at tropical-storm strength or more, 16 of them within 50 miles at hurricane strength.
Compared with Florida and the United States
| Measure | Lake County | Florida | US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recorded events since 1950 | 407 | 39,578 | 1,977,440 |
| Events per 100 square miles | 42.8 | 73.8 | 56.0 |
| Events per 10,000 residents | 10.3 | 18.2 | 59.6 |
| Events in the last 12 months | 5 | 1,307 | 62,008 |
| Deaths recorded by NCEI | 35 | 890 | 26,435 |
| Property damage (NCEI estimates) | $195M | $80B | $575B |
| NFIP claims per 1,000 residents | 1.2 | 20.6 | 8.1 |
| Average paid NFIP claim | $28K | $62K | $43K |
| Claims per 100 policies in force, last 10 years | 7.4 | 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
Trend: 189 events in the 20 years to 2025 against 160 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
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 Feb 2007 | Tornado | Tornado | EF3 | $46M | — | 13 | 9 | County |
| 2 Feb 2007 | Tornado | Tornado | EF3 | $52M | — | 8 | 10 | County |
| 24 May 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wind | 49 mph | — | — | 3 | 2 | County |
| 13 Mar 1993 | Tornado | Tornado | F2 | $5.0M | — | 1 | 60 | County |
| 15 Apr 1987 | Tornado | Tornado | F2 | $2.5M | — | 1 | 7 | County |
| 31 Oct 2016 | Dense Fog | Fog | — | — | — | 1 | 4 | Forecast zone |
| 10 Sep 2017 | Tropical Storm | Tropical | — | $37M | — | 1 | — | Forecast zone |
| 26 Sep 2004 | Strong Wind | Wind | 47 mph | $8.0M | $8.2M | 1 | — | Forecast zone |
| 21 May 2022 | Lightning | Lightning | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | County |
| 29 Mar 1990 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wind | 63 mph | — | — | 1 | — | County |
| 20 Apr 1992 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wind | 0 mph | — | — | 1 | — | County |
| 26 Jun 2012 | Strong Wind | Wind | 40 mph | — | — | 1 | — | Forecast zone |
| 24 Feb 2016 | Strong Wind | Wind | 36 mph | — | — | 1 | — | Forecast zone |
| 27 Jun 2018 | Lightning | Lightning | — | — | — | 1 | — | County |
| 25 Mar 1992 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wind | 0 mph | — | — | — | 8 | County |
| 3 Mar 1960 | Tornado | Tornado | F2 | $250K | — | — | 6 | County |
| 21 Jan 1988 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wind | 69 mph | — | — | — | 5 | County |
| 21 Jun 2001 | Lightning | Lightning | — | — | — | — | 5 | County |
| 14 Dec 2009 | Dense Fog | Fog | — | — | — | — | 4 | Forecast zone |
| 20 Jun 1999 | Lightning | Lightning | — | — | — | — | 3 | 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 | Individual assistance, Public assistance |
| 7 Oct 2024 | EM-3622 | Emergency | Hurricane | Hurricane Milton | Public assistance |
| 10 Aug 2024 | DR-4806 | Major disaster | Tropical Storm | Hurricane Debby | Public assistance |
| 3 Aug 2024 | EM-3605 | Emergency | Tropical Storm | Tropical Storm Debby | Public assistance |
| 31 Aug 2023 | DR-4734 | Major disaster | Hurricane | Hurricane Idalia | Public assistance |
| 28 Aug 2023 | EM-3596 | Emergency | Tropical Storm | Tropical Storm Idalia | Public assistance |
| 13 Dec 2022 | DR-4680 | Major disaster | Hurricane | Hurricane Nicole | Individual assistance, 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 | Individual assistance, Public assistance |
| 24 Sep 2022 | EM-3584 | Emergency | Hurricane | Tropical Storm Ian | Public assistance |
| 4 Jul 2021 | EM-3561 | Emergency | Severe Storm | Tropical Storm Elsa | 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 |
| 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 |
| 24 Aug 2008 | DR-1785 | Major disaster | Severe Storm | Tropical Storm Fay | Individual assistance, Public assistance |
| 21 Aug 2008 | EM-3288 | Emergency | Severe Storm | Tropical Storm Fay | Public assistance |
| 2 May 2007 | FM-2687 | Fire management assistance | Fire | Deland Fire Complex | Public assistance |
| 3 Feb 2007 | DR-1679 | Major disaster | Severe Storm | Severe Storms And Tornadoes | Individual assistance, Public assistance |
| 5 Sep 2005 | EM-3220 | Emergency | Hurricane | Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Public assistance |
| 26 Sep 2004 | DR-1561 | Major disaster | Hurricane | Hurricane Jeanne | Individual assistance, Public assistance |
| 16 Sep 2004 | DR-1551 | Major disaster | Hurricane | Hurricane Ivan | Individual 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 | Individual assistance, Public assistance |
| 5 Feb 2001 | DR-1359 | Major disaster | Freezing | Severe Freeze | Individual assistance |
| 19 May 2000 | FM-2299 | Fire management assistance | Fire | Withlacoochee Fire Complex | Public assistance |
| 15 Oct 1999 | EM-3150 | Emergency | Hurricane | Tropical Storm Irene - Florida | Public assistance |
| 18 Jun 1998 | DR-1223 | Major disaster | Fire | Extreme Fire Hazard | Individual assistance, Public assistance |
| 6 Jan 1998 | DR-1195 | Major disaster | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, High Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Individual assistance, Public assistance |
| 13 Mar 1993 | DR-982 | Major disaster | Tornado | Tornadoes, Flooding, High Winds & Tides, Freezing | 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 |
| 29 Mar 1984 | DR-698 | Major disaster | Freezing | Freezing Temperatures | Individual assistance |
| 31 Jan 1977 | DR-526 | Major disaster | Freezing | Severe Winter Weather | Individual 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
| Year of loss | Claims | Paid claims | Amount paid | Average paid |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 19 | 14 | $619,490 | $44,249 |
| 2024 | 74 | 51 | $2,234,610 | $43,816 |
| 2023 | 3 | 1 | $35,659 | $35,659 |
| 2022 | 57 | 31 | $862,602 | $27,826 |
| 2020 | 4 | 3 | $120,083 | $40,028 |
| 2019 | 4 | 2 | $34,669 | $17,335 |
| 2018 | 9 | 3 | $61,168 | $20,389 |
| 2017 | 108 | 63 | $1,988,601 | $31,565 |
| 2016 | 9 | 2 | $23,742 | $11,871 |
| 2015 | 2 | 1 | $5,037 | $5,037 |
| 2014 | 6 | 2 | $28,681 | $14,341 |
| 2013 | 6 | 5 | $93,898 | $18,780 |
| 2012 | 4 | 1 | $4,038 | $4,038 |
| 2011 | 1 | 0 | $0 | — |
| 2010 | 5 | 5 | $93,848 | $18,770 |
| 2009 | 10 | 3 | $10,294 | $3,431 |
| 2008 | 20 | 16 | $264,057 | $16,504 |
| 2007 | 1 | 0 | $0 | — |
| 2005 | 4 | 2 | $9,124 | $4,562 |
| 2004 | 76 | 38 | $593,428 | $15,617 |
| 2003 | 3 | 2 | $13,317 | $6,658 |
| 2002 | 3 | 2 | $8,045 | $4,022 |
| 2001 | 12 | 5 | $21,411 | $4,282 |
| 2000 | 1 | 0 | $0 | — |
| 1999 | 3 | 1 | $3,523 | $3,523 |
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
| Hazard (NRI) | Risk rating | Expected annual loss |
|---|---|---|
| Inland flooding | $46,374,070 | |
| Hurricane | $20,846,577 | |
| Tornado | $17,911,264 | |
| Strong wind | $6,593,276 | |
| Wildfire | $4,470,792 | |
| Lightning | $2,495,814 | |
| Cold wave | $1,485,057 | |
| Heat wave | $1,390,801 | |
| Earthquake | $444,761 | |
| Hail | $190,751 | |
| Drought | $37,665 | |
| Coastal flooding | $7,789 | |
| Landslide | $4,053 |
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
| Storm | Year | Closest approach | Max wind while within 100 mi |
|---|---|---|---|
| Milton | 2024 | 52 mi | 81 mph |
| Ian | 2022 | 72 mi | 75 mph |
| Nicole | 2022 | 53 mi | 63 mph |
| Eta | 2020 | 78 mi | 58 mph |
| Emily | 2017 | 92 mi | 40 mph |
| Irma | 2017 | 49 mi | 75 mph |
| Julia | 2016 | 35 mi | 52 mph |
| Matthew | 2016 | 86 mi | 121 mph |
| Beryl | 2012 | 99 mi | 58 mph |
| Debby | 2012 | 97 mi | 40 mph |
| Fay | 2008 | 48 mi | 63 mph |
| Ernesto | 2006 | 77 mi | 52 mph |
| Tammy | 2005 | 71 mi | 52 mph |
| Charley | 2004 | 46 mi | 86 mph |
| Frances | 2004 | 58 mi | 69 mph |
| Jeanne | 2004 | 48 mi | 86 mph |
| Edouard | 2002 | 57 mi | 40 mph |
| Gabrielle | 2001 | 22 mi | 52 mph |
| Gordon | 2000 | 97 mi | 63 mph |
| Erin | 1995 | 41 mi | 58 mph |
| Jerry | 1995 | 26 mi | 40 mph |
| Marco | 1990 | 84 mi | 46 mph |
| Keith | 1988 | 65 mi | 40 mph |
| Bob | 1985 | 86 mi | 69 mph |
| Isidore | 1984 | 40 mi | 52 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
- 32102 224
- 34711 84
- 32778 36
- 34748 36
- 32757 28
- 34736 26
- 32726 12
- 32159 11
- 32736 11
- 32776 9
- 34788 9
- 34797 7
- 34731 6
- 32767 5
- 34753 5
- 34756 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 Lake County, FL?
NCEI records 114 hail events in Lake County since 1950, in 38 different years; that is about 1.5 recorded events a year. 23 reports were golf-ball size (1.75 in) or larger.
Has Lake County had a tornado?
Yes. NCEI records 62 tornadoes in Lake County since 1950, 10 of them rated (E)F2 or stronger. Tornado deaths recorded: 23.
When was the last federal disaster declaration for Lake County?
11 Oct 2024: Hurricane Milton, a major disaster declaration for hurricane. The county appears in 37 declarations since 1953.
How many flood insurance claims have been filed in Lake County, and how much was paid?
470 NFIP claims since 1978, 263 of them paid, for $7.3M in total. FEMA publishes these figures redacted and aggregated; individual properties are not identified.
Is Lake County in the National Risk Index's high-risk band?
FEMA's National Risk Index (December 2025) rates the county "Relatively Moderate" for overall risk, "Relatively Moderate" 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 Lake County compare with the rest of Florida?
42.8 recorded events per 100 square miles against 73.8 statewide, and 1.2 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.