States › Florida › Okeechobee County

Okeechobee 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 12093 · 40,266 residents (2021) · 769 sq mi · dominant hazard Wind

Hail · 46Tornado · 27Flood · 6Wind · 56Winter · 0

Okeechobee 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 158 events for Okeechobee County, Florida, between 1950 and 2026; damaging wind account for the largest share.

That is 20.5 events per 100 square miles, below the Florida figure of 73.8, and 39.2 per 10,000 residents against 18.2 statewide.

0 events fall in the 12 months to 30 Jun 2026. NCEI attributes 8 deaths and 73 injuries to events in the county, with property damage estimated at $190M and crop damage at $40M.

FEMA has designated the county in 35 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 295 claims since 1978, of which 161 were paid, totalling $1.9M (about $12K per paid claim). FEMA counts 1,244 residential flood policies in force.

FEMA's National Risk Index rates the county's overall risk as "Relatively Low" and its expected annual loss as "Relatively Low" ($27M a year across 18 hazards).

107 tropical storm or hurricane tracks in the HURDAT2 record passed within 100 miles of the county's centre at tropical-storm strength or more, 19 of them within 50 miles at hurricane strength.

0events, last 12 monthsto 30 Jun 2026

158events since 19508 deaths, 73 injuries recorded

35disaster declarationslast 11 Oct 2024

295NFIP flood claims$1.9M paid

Compared with Florida and the United States

Measure	Okeechobee County	Florida	US
Recorded events since 1950	158	39,578	1,977,440
Events per 100 square miles	20.5	73.8	56.0
Events per 10,000 residents	39.2	18.2	59.6
Events in the last 12 months	0	1,307	62,008
Deaths recorded by NCEI	8	890	26,435
Property damage (NCEI estimates)	$190M	$80B	$575B
NFIP claims per 1,000 residents	7.3	20.6	8.1
Average paid NFIP claim	$12K	$62K	$43K
Claims per 100 policies in force, last 10 years	2.3	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: 1

Tornado: 2Wind: 2

Hail: 1Tornado: 4Wind: 4

Hail: 2Tornado: 8Wind: 7

Hail: 13Tornado: 3Wind: 21

Hail: 19Tornado: 2Flood: 2Wind: 10Tropical: 1Cold: 1Other: 1

Hail: 10Tornado: 3Flood: 3Wind: 8Tropical: 3Cold: 4Wildfire: 1Other: 5

Hail: 1Tornado: 4Flood: 1Wind: 4Tropical: 5Heat: 1Other: 1

11950s41960s91970s171980s371990s362000s372010s172020s

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

Trend: 66 events in the 20 years to 2025 against 65 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

Wind56

Hail46

Tornado27

Tropical9

Other7

Flood6

Cold5

Heat1

Wildfire1

Hazard	Events	Deaths	Share of state's events
■ Wind	56	—	0.4%	detail
■ Hail	46	—	0.8%	detail
■ Tornado	27	8	0.7%	detail
■ Tropical	9	—	0.4%
■ Other	7	—	0.2%
■ Flood	6	—	0.2%
■ Cold	5	—	0.4%
■ Heat	1	—	0.3%
■ Wildfire	1	—	0.2%

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
18 Jun 1972	Tornado	Tornado	F2	$500K	—	6	44	County
26 Sep 1982	Tornado	Tornado	F2	$250K	—	1	7	County
12 May 1996	Tornado	Tornado	F0	$50K	—	1	—	County
10 Sep 2017	Tropical Storm	Tropical	—	$157M	—	—	—	Forecast zone
9 Mar 1998	Tornado	Tornado	F1	$5.4M	—	—	10	County
21 Mar 1983	Tornado	Tornado	F2	$2.5M	—	—	4	County
24 Oct 2005	High Wind	Wind	92 mph	$6.5M	$21M	—	—	Forecast zone
9 Oct 2024	Tornado	Tornado	EF2	$3.5M	—	—	2	County
6 Apr 2017	Thunderstorm Wind	Wind	81 mph	$100K	—	—	2	County
14 Nov 1969	Tornado	Tornado	F2	$25K	—	—	2	County
18 Jun 1972	Tornado	Tornado	F1	$25K	—	—	2	County
26 Sep 2004	Strong Wind	Wind	92 mph	$7.0M	$11M	—	—	Forecast zone
4 Sep 2004	High Wind	Wind	69 mph	$1.5M	$4.3M	—	—	Forecast zone
27 Dec 2010	Frost/Freeze	Cold	—	—	$2.2M	—	—	Forecast zone
2 Jan 2010	Frost/Freeze	Cold	—	—	$1.7M	—	—	Forecast zone
28 Sep 2022	Hurricane (Typhoon)	Tropical	—	$1.4M	—	—	—	Forecast zone
9 Oct 2024	Tornado	Tornado	EF1	$1.2M	—	—	—	County
21 Dec 2021	Strong Wind	Wind	49 mph	$1.0M	—	—	—	Forecast zone
9 Oct 2024	Tornado	Tornado	EF2	$900K	—	—	—	County
17 Mar 1985	Tornado	Tornado	F1	$250K	—	—	—	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
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	Individual assistance, 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
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
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
27 Jun 2007	FM-2696	Fire management assistance	Fire	Okeechobee Fire Complex	Public assistance
24 Oct 2005	DR-1609	Major disaster	Hurricane	Hurricane Wilma	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
19 Feb 2001	FM-2354	Fire management assistance	Fire	Fl - Okeechobee Complex Fire	Public assistance
5 Feb 2001	DR-1359	Major disaster	Freezing	Severe Freeze	Individual 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
27 Apr 1999	EM-3139	Emergency	Fire	Fl-Fires 04/15/99	Public assistance
15 Apr 1999	FM-2251	Fire management assistance	Fire	Okeechobee Fire Complex	Public assistance
18 Jun 1998	DR-1223	Major disaster	Fire	Extreme Fire Hazard	Public assistance
6 Jan 1998	DR-1195	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms, High Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding	Individual assistance, Public assistance
15 Jan 1990	DR-851	Major disaster	Freezing	Severe Freeze	Individual assistance
31 Jan 1977	DR-526	Major disaster	Freezing	Severe Winter Weather	Individual assistance
23 Jun 1972	DR-337	Major disaster	Coastal Storm	Tropical Storm Agnes	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 Okeechobee County, 1978 to 2026 (hover for the amount paid).

Claims since 1978295

Paid claims161

Total paid$1.9M

Average paid claim$12K

Repetitive-loss properties190 severe

Residential policies in force1,2446.4% of 19,315 structures

Year of loss	Claims	Paid claims	Amount paid	Average paid
2025	1	0	$0	—
2024	3	0	$0	—
2022	3	0	$0	—
2021	1	0	$0	—
2020	2	0	$0	—
2018	1	0	$0	—
2017	17	7	$241,019	$34,431
2014	4	3	$11,762	$3,921
2013	1	1	$1,169	$1,169
2012	35	23	$258,314	$11,231
2011	1	0	$0	—
2009	1	0	$0	—
2008	42	27	$263,458	$9,758
2005	59	34	$515,125	$15,151
2004	112	62	$621,555	$10,025
2003	2	0	$0	—
1999	3	2	$7,147	$3,574
1998	1	0	$0	—
1997	2	1	$62	$62
1994	1	1	$1,814	$1,814
1992	1	0	$0	—
1979	2	0	$0	—

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 Lowscore 80.3 of 100

Expected annual loss$27MRelatively Low

Social vulnerabilityVery High

Community resilienceVery Low

Hazard (NRI)	Risk rating	Expected annual loss
Inland flooding	Relatively Moderate	$12,391,841
Hurricane	Relatively High	$9,553,098
Strong wind	Relatively High	$1,296,642
Wildfire	Relatively Moderate	$854,988
Cold wave	Relatively Low	$771,798
Lightning	Relatively High	$727,069
Tornado	Relatively Low	$638,209
Heat wave	Relatively Low	$194,540
Drought	Relatively Low	$81,936
Hail	Very Low	$25,589
Earthquake	Very Low	$22,622
Landslide	Very Low	$102

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 miles107

Tracks within 50 miles46

Hurricane strength within 50 miles19

Storm	Year	Closest approach	Max wind while within 100 mi
Milton	2024	55 mi	81 mph
Alex	2022	33 mi	46 mph
Ian	2022	25 mi	150 mph
Nicole	2022	39 mi	75 mph
Isaias	2020	79 mi	69 mph
Emily	2017	81 mi	40 mph
Irma	2017	64 mi	92 mph
Julia	2016	44 mi	40 mph
Matthew	2016	76 mi	127 mph
Arthur	2014	100 mi	46 mph
Fay	2008	8 mi	69 mph
Ernesto	2006	27 mi	40 mph
Tammy	2005	73 mi	46 mph
Wilma	2005	82 mi	109 mph
Charley	2004	66 mi	150 mph
Frances	2004	12 mi	109 mph
Jeanne	2004	19 mi	121 mph
Gabrielle	2001	70 mi	52 mph
Irene	1999	50 mi	75 mph
Mitch	1998	60 mi	63 mph
Erin	1995	37 mi	86 mph
Jerry	1995	25 mi	40 mph
Gordon	1994	37 mi	63 mph
Chris	1988	78 mi	46 mph
Keith	1988	44 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

34972 172
34974 169

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 Okeechobee County, FL?

NCEI records 46 hail events in Okeechobee County since 1950, in 23 different years; that is about 0.6 recorded events a year. 8 reports were golf-ball size (1.75 in) or larger.

Has Okeechobee County had a tornado?

Yes. NCEI records 27 tornadoes in Okeechobee County since 1950, 7 of them rated (E)F2 or stronger. Tornado deaths recorded: 8.

When was the last federal disaster declaration for Okeechobee County?

11 Oct 2024: Hurricane Milton, a major disaster declaration for hurricane. The county appears in 35 declarations since 1953.

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

295 NFIP claims since 1978, 161 of them paid, for $1.9M in total. FEMA publishes these figures redacted and aggregated; individual properties are not identified.

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

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

How does Okeechobee County compare with the rest of Florida?

20.5 recorded events per 100 square miles against 73.8 statewide, and 7.3 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.