States › Florida › Miami-Dade County

Miami-Dade 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 12086 · 2,662,777 residents (2021) · 1,900 sq mi · dominant hazard Wind

Hail · 244Tornado · 150Flood · 180Wind · 378Winter · 0

Miami-Dade 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 1,160 events for Miami-Dade County, Florida, between 1950 and 2026; damaging wind account for the largest share.

That is 61.1 events per 100 square miles, in line with the Florida figure of 73.8, and 4.4 per 10,000 residents against 18.2 statewide.

14 events fall in the 12 months to 30 Jun 2026. NCEI attributes 11 deaths and 225 injuries to events in the county, with property damage estimated at $317M and crop damage at $201M.

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 62,029 claims since 1978, of which 36,722 were paid, totalling $856M (about $23K per paid claim). FEMA counts 164,154 residential flood policies in force.

FEMA's National Risk Index rates the county's overall risk as "Very High" and its expected annual loss as "Relatively High" ($825M 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, 26 of them within 50 miles at hurricane strength.

14events, last 12 monthsto 30 Jun 2026

1,160events since 195011 deaths, 225 injuries recorded

43disaster declarationslast 11 Oct 2024

62,029NFIP flood claims$856M paid

Compared with Florida and the United States

Measure	Miami-Dade County	Florida	US
Recorded events since 1950	1,160	39,578	1,977,440
Events per 100 square miles	61.1	73.8	56.0
Events per 10,000 residents	4.4	18.2	59.6
Events in the last 12 months	14	1,307	62,008
Deaths recorded by NCEI	11	890	26,435
Property damage (NCEI estimates)	$317M	$80B	$575B
NFIP claims per 1,000 residents	23.3	20.6	8.1
Average paid NFIP claim	$23K	$62K	$43K
Claims per 100 policies in force, last 10 years	4.7	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

Tornado: 8Wind: 8

Hail: 5Tornado: 20Wind: 13

Hail: 6Tornado: 10Wind: 18

Hail: 27Tornado: 25Wind: 40

Hail: 20Tornado: 36Flood: 5Wind: 67Wildfire: 7Lightning: 14Other: 35

Hail: 85Tornado: 31Flood: 12Wind: 95Wildfire: 1Lightning: 29Other: 48

Hail: 75Tornado: 10Flood: 52Wind: 78Lightning: 26Other: 37

Hail: 26Tornado: 10Flood: 111Wind: 59Lightning: 4Other: 7

161950s381960s341970s921980s1841990s3012000s2782010s2172020s

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

Trend: 637 events in the 20 years to 2025 against 367 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

Wind378

Hail244

Flood180

Tornado150

Other127

Lightning73

Wildfire8

Hazard	Events	Deaths	Share of state's events
■ Wind	378	2	2.4%	detail
■ Hail	244	—	4.3%	detail
■ Flood	180	—	5.3%	detail
■ Tornado	150	1	3.9%	detail
■ Other	127	—	4.4%
■ Lightning	73	8	4.1%
■ Wildfire	8	—	1.6%

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
27 Mar 2003	Tornado	Tornado	F2	$8.0M	—	1	14	County
2 Sep 2013	Lightning	Lightning	—	—	—	1	2	County
8 Aug 2015	Lightning	Lightning	—	—	—	1	2	County
13 Mar 1993	Thunderstorm Wind	Wind	0 mph	$500K	—	1	1	County
4 Jul 2002	Lightning	Lightning	—	—	—	1	1	County
1 Aug 1997	Lightning	Lightning	—	—	—	1	—	County
3 Jul 2002	Lightning	Lightning	—	—	—	1	—	County
8 Jul 2007	Lightning	Lightning	—	—	—	1	—	County
21 Jun 2007	Lightning	Lightning	—	—	—	1	—	County
5 Sep 2009	Lightning	Lightning	—	—	—	1	—	County
27 Mar 2015	Thunderstorm Wind	Wind	49 mph	—	—	1	—	County
17 Jun 1959	Tornado	Tornado	F3	$2.5M	—	—	77	County
15 Oct 1999	Flash Flood	Flood	—	$100M	$200M	—	—	County
2 Feb 1998	Tornado	Tornado	F2	$175M	—	—	6	County
19 Feb 1968	Tornado	Tornado	F2	$2.5M	—	—	21	County
12 May 1997	Tornado	Tornado	F1	$525K	—	—	12	County
20 Dec 1973	Tornado	Tornado	F2	$2.5M	—	—	9	County
3 Jan 1996	Tornado	Tornado	F1	$1.2M	—	—	9	County
1 Sep 1996	Lightning	Lightning	—	—	—	—	5	County
6 Mar 1982	Tornado	Tornado	F1	$2.5M	—	—	4	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
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
4 Jul 2021	EM-3561	Emergency	Severe Storm	Tropical Storm Elsa	Public assistance
25 Jun 2021	EM-3560	Emergency	Other	Surfside Building Collapse	Individual assistance, 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
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
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
25 Apr 2003	DR-1460	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms And Tornadoes	Individual assistance
25 Apr 2001	FM-2359	Fire management assistance	Fire	Fl - Everglades Fire Complex - 04/25/01	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
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 Miami-Dade County, 1978 to 2026 (hover for the amount paid).

Claims since 197862,029

Paid claims36,722

Total paid$856M

Average paid claim$23K

Repetitive-loss properties2,370281 severe

Residential policies in force164,15433.4% of 492,181 structures

Year of loss	Claims	Paid claims	Amount paid	Average paid
2026	28	9	$250,591	$27,843
2025	90	40	$2,724,944	$68,124
2024	864	668	$52,869,676	$79,146
2023	332	186	$13,808,413	$74,239
2022	349	217	$9,347,867	$43,078
2021	78	14	$346,385	$24,742
2020	1,526	1,138	$58,241,274	$51,179
2019	274	164	$12,787,028	$77,970
2018	88	11	$178,959	$16,269
2017	4,100	2,139	$108,733,981	$50,834
2016	86	12	$559,079	$46,590
2015	224	108	$2,604,264	$24,114
2014	109	22	$471,117	$21,414
2013	511	315	$11,931,920	$37,879
2012	354	159	$8,811,081	$55,416
2011	387	235	$5,945,448	$25,300
2010	214	65	$1,697,945	$26,122
2009	830	589	$26,498,390	$44,989
2008	227	88	$1,797,815	$20,430
2007	227	116	$2,828,358	$24,382
2006	151	50	$1,668,405	$33,368
2005	9,717	5,789	$124,397,049	$21,489
2004	468	124	$3,261,773	$26,305
2003	283	75	$667,140	$8,895
2002	311	148	$2,021,419	$13,658

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 riskVery Highscore 99.6 of 100

Expected annual loss$825MRelatively High

Social vulnerabilityRelatively High

Community resilienceRelatively Moderate

Hazard (NRI)	Risk rating	Expected annual loss
Inland flooding	Very High	$355,791,326
Hurricane	Very High	$330,598,603
Cold wave	Very High	$41,032,720
Heat wave	Relatively High	$31,138,115
Tornado	Relatively High	$24,811,662
Coastal flooding	Very High	$22,785,674
Lightning	Very High	$8,311,237
Wildfire	Relatively Moderate	$5,195,709
Hail	Relatively High	$2,879,937
Strong wind	Relatively Moderate	$1,093,351
Drought	Relatively Moderate	$662,818
Earthquake	Relatively Low	$384,767
Landslide	Very Low	$820

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 miles102

Tracks within 50 miles48

Hurricane strength within 50 miles26

Storm	Year	Closest approach	Max wind while within 100 mi
Isaias	2020	83 mi	63 mph
Sally	2020	20 mi	40 mph
Eta	2020	51 mi	63 mph
Gordon	2018	38 mi	58 mph
Irma	2017	75 mi	132 mph
Bonnie	2010	24 mi	40 mph
Nicole	2010	85 mi	46 mph
Fay	2008	71 mi	63 mph
Ernesto	2006	29 mi	46 mph
Katrina	2005	23 mi	86 mph
Wilma	2005	51 mi	121 mph
Harvey	1999	65 mi	58 mph
Irene	1999	34 mi	81 mph
Mitch	1998	84 mi	63 mph
Jerry	1995	74 mi	40 mph
Andrew	1992	15 mi	167 mph
Fabian	1991	52 mi	46 mph
Floyd	1987	36 mi	75 mph
Bob	1985	66 mi	46 mph
Isidore	1984	70 mi	58 mph
Dennis	1981	45 mi	40 mph
David	1979	73 mi	98 mph
Dottie	1976	72 mi	40 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1974	76 mi	52 mph
Greta	1970	98 mi	40 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

33177 3,779
33186 3,451
33161 2,611
33175 2,483
33157 2,003
33149 1,832
33166 1,711
33173 1,574
33176 1,432
33133 1,417
33156 1,402
33184 1,277
33180 1,240
33012 1,192
33189 1,181
33196 1,181
33140 1,172
33139 1,161
33174 1,065
33141 1,059
33015 1,049
33183 1,049
33055 1,030
33033 1,023
33126 970
33018 939
33179 933
33032 901
33160 882
33030 869
33193 847
33165 835
33016 831
33138 785
33010 759
33143 730
33142 694
33182 693
33125 664
33155 657
33056 615
33187 587
33181 574
33147 569
33185 568
33034 554
33169 485
33014 475
33154 446
33162 413
33150 377
33054 366
33144 359
33167 328
33158 324
33170 296
33137 272
33178 261
33031 243
33172 240

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 Miami-Dade County, FL?

NCEI records 244 hail events in Miami-Dade County since 1950, in 47 different years; that is about 3.2 recorded events a year. 27 reports were golf-ball size (1.75 in) or larger.

Has Miami-Dade County had a tornado?

Yes. NCEI records 150 tornadoes in Miami-Dade County since 1950, 7 of them rated (E)F2 or stronger. Tornado deaths recorded: 1.

When was the last federal disaster declaration for Miami-Dade 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 Miami-Dade County, and how much was paid?

62,029 NFIP claims since 1978, 36,722 of them paid, for $856M in total. FEMA publishes these figures redacted and aggregated; individual properties are not identified.

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

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

How does Miami-Dade County compare with the rest of Florida?

61.1 recorded events per 100 square miles against 73.8 statewide, and 23.3 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.