States › Florida › Sarasota County

Sarasota 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 12115 · 447,057 residents (2021) · 556 sq mi · dominant hazard Wind

Hail · 48Tornado · 84Flood · 50Wind · 152Winter · 0

Sarasota 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 473 events for Sarasota County, Florida, between 1950 and 2026; damaging wind account for the largest share.

That is 85.1 events per 100 square miles, in line with the Florida figure of 73.8, and 10.6 per 10,000 residents against 18.2 statewide.

0 events fall in the 12 months to 30 Jun 2026. NCEI attributes 8 deaths and 136 injuries to events in the county, with property damage estimated at $123M and crop damage at $1.2M.

FEMA has designated the county in 48 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 14,415 claims since 1978, of which 10,542 were paid, totalling $857M (about $81K per paid claim). FEMA counts 37,772 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" ($273M a year across 18 hazards).

106 tropical storm or hurricane tracks in the HURDAT2 record passed within 100 miles of the county's centre at tropical-storm strength or more, 13 of them within 50 miles at hurricane strength.

0events, last 12 monthsto 30 Jun 2026

473events since 19508 deaths, 136 injuries recorded

48disaster declarationslast 11 Oct 2024

14,415NFIP flood claims$857M paid

Compared with Florida and the United States

Measure	Sarasota County	Florida	US
Recorded events since 1950	473	39,578	1,977,440
Events per 100 square miles	85.1	73.8	56.0
Events per 10,000 residents	10.6	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)	$123M	$80B	$575B
NFIP claims per 1,000 residents	32.2	20.6	8.1
Average paid NFIP claim	$81K	$62K	$43K
Claims per 100 policies in force, last 10 years	25.6	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: 4

Hail: 1Tornado: 4Wind: 5

Hail: 2Tornado: 25Wind: 7

Hail: 2Tornado: 8Wind: 23

Hail: 25Tornado: 24Flood: 25Wind: 69Tropical: 6Cold: 1Wildfire: 1Lightning: 8Fog: 31Other: 2

Hail: 12Tornado: 9Flood: 11Wind: 22Tropical: 11Cold: 18Wildfire: 7Lightning: 13Fog: 13Other: 6

Hail: 6Tornado: 4Flood: 5Wind: 21Tropical: 1Cold: 9Lightning: 5Other: 6

Tornado: 6Flood: 9Wind: 5Lightning: 1

41950s101960s341970s331980s1921990s1222000s572010s212020s

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

Trend: 103 events in the 20 years to 2025 against 303 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

Wind152

Tornado84

Flood50

Hail48

Fog44

Cold28

Lightning27

Tropical18

Other14

Wildfire8

Hazard	Events	Deaths	Share of state's events
■ Wind	152	1	1.0%	detail
■ Tornado	84	2	2.2%	detail
■ Flood	50	1	1.5%	detail
■ Hail	48	—	0.8%	detail
■ Fog	44	—	5.9%
■ Cold	28	—	2.5%
■ Lightning	27	3	1.5%
■ Tropical	18	1	0.8%
■ Other	14	—	0.5%
■ 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
17 Mar 1985	Tornado	Tornado	F3	$25M	—	2	45	County
13 Aug 2004	Hurricane (Typhoon)	Tropical	—	$32M	—	1	—	Forecast zone
24 Jun 2018	Lightning	Lightning	—	—	—	1	1	County
26 Aug 2017	Flood	Flood	—	$50K	—	1	—	County
26 Dec 1998	Thunderstorm Wind	Wind	—	$30K	—	1	—	County
16 Jul 2014	Lightning	Lightning	—	—	—	1	—	County
26 Aug 2016	Lightning	Lightning	—	—	—	1	—	County
5 Oct 2012	Heavy Rain	Other	—	$140K	—	—	52	County
21 Aug 1987	Tornado	Tornado	F1	$250K	—	—	6	County
3 Dec 1971	Tornado	Tornado	F2	$250K	—	—	5	County
7 Apr 2005	Thunderstorm Wind	Wind	58 mph	$10K	—	—	5	County
17 Jan 2016	Tornado	Tornado	EF2	$12M	—	—	2	County
3 Dec 1971	Tornado	Tornado	F2	$25K	—	—	3	County
9 Nov 1968	Tornado	Tornado	F2	$250K	—	—	2	County
16 Mar 2022	Tornado	Tornado	EF1	$1.0M	—	—	1	County
24 Dec 1978	Tornado	Tornado	F1	$250K	—	—	1	County
19 Feb 2001	Wildfire	Wildfire	—	$100K	—	—	1	County
11 Dec 1958	Tornado	Tornado	F1	$25K	—	—	1	County
4 May 1998	Thunderstorm Wind	Wind	—	$12K	—	—	1	County
4 May 1998	Thunderstorm Wind	Wind	—	$10K	—	—	1	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
28 Sep 2024	DR-4828	Major disaster	Hurricane	Hurricane Helene	Individual assistance, Public assistance
24 Sep 2024	EM-3615	Emergency	Tropical Storm	Tropical Storm Helene	Public assistance
10 Aug 2024	DR-4806	Major disaster	Tropical Storm	Hurricane Debby	Individual assistance, 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	Individual assistance, 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	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
11 Nov 2020	EM-3551	Emergency	Hurricane	Hurricane Eta	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
28 Sep 2016	DR-4280	Major disaster	Hurricane	Hurricane Hermine	Public assistance
3 Jul 2012	DR-4068	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Tropical Storm Debby	Individual assistance, Public assistance
24 Aug 2008	DR-1785	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Tropical Storm Fay	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	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	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	Individual assistance, Public assistance
29 Jul 2003	DR-1481	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms And Flooding	Public assistance
28 Sep 2001	DR-1393	Major disaster	Coastal Storm	Severe Storms, Tornadoes And Flooding Associated With Tropical Storm Gabrielle	Public assistance
18 Apr 2001	FM-2358	Fire management assistance	Fire	Fl - Myakka Complex Fire	Public assistance
5 Feb 2001	DR-1359	Major disaster	Freezing	Severe Freeze	Individual assistance
16 May 2000	FM-2298	Fire management assistance	Fire	Flowers-Myakka Fire Complex	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
23 Apr 1999	FM-2260	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
6 Jan 1998	DR-1195	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms, High Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding	Individual assistance, Public assistance
15 Oct 1996	DR-1141	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Tropical Storm Josephine	Individual assistance
13 Mar 1993	DR-982	Major disaster	Tornado	Tornadoes, Flooding, High Winds & Tides, Freezing	Individual assistance, Public assistance
14 Aug 1992	DR-952	Major disaster	Flood	Severe Storms & Flooding	Public assistance
15 Jan 1990	DR-851	Major disaster	Freezing	Severe Freeze	Individual assistance
7 Jul 1982	DR-664	Major disaster	Flood	Severe Storms And Flooding	Public 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
7 Nov 1968	DR-252	Major disaster	Hurricane	Hurricane Gladys	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 Sarasota County, 1978 to 2026 (hover for the amount paid).

Claims since 197814,415

Paid claims10,542

Total paid$857M

Average paid claim$81K

Repetitive-loss properties1,237133 severe

Residential policies in force37,77218.0% of 210,450 structures

Year of loss	Claims	Paid claims	Amount paid	Average paid
2026	9	0	$0	—
2025	18	1	$33,387	$33,387
2024	7,847	6,317	$746,231,089	$118,131
2023	146	111	$9,005,140	$81,127
2022	1,316	836	$58,760,852	$70,288
2021	6	1	$47,102	$47,102
2020	97	69	$4,838,050	$70,117
2019	16	2	$27,919	$13,960
2018	24	9	$234,237	$26,026
2017	202	96	$2,801,630	$29,184
2016	44	22	$517,686	$23,531
2015	11	5	$21,310	$4,262
2014	11	1	$386	$386
2013	36	17	$222,787	$13,105
2012	83	27	$342,437	$12,683
2011	6	1	$29,970	$29,970
2010	11	3	$22,585	$7,528
2009	8	2	$38,758	$19,379
2008	11	3	$27,877	$9,292
2007	7	3	$59,550	$19,850
2006	9	1	$23,704	$23,704
2005	51	25	$211,233	$8,449
2004	49	24	$1,126,567	$46,940
2003	239	177	$3,622,312	$20,465
2002	18	6	$15,526	$2,588

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 98.2 of 100

Expected annual loss$273MRelatively High

Social vulnerabilityRelatively High

Community resilienceVery Low

Hazard (NRI)	Risk rating	Expected annual loss
Hurricane	Very High	$180,447,718
Inland flooding	Relatively High	$67,213,987
Coastal flooding	Relatively High	$7,256,325
Tornado	Relatively High	$6,928,348
Lightning	Very High	$5,060,074
Heat wave	Relatively Moderate	$2,326,766
Wildfire	Relatively Moderate	$1,871,390
Strong wind	Relatively High	$1,387,377
Cold wave	Relatively Low	$350,567
Earthquake	Very Low	$84,563
Hail	Very Low	$59,209
Drought	Relatively Low	$40,748
Landslide	Very Low	$658

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 miles106

Tracks within 50 miles36

Hurricane strength within 50 miles13

Storm	Year	Closest approach	Max wind while within 100 mi
Milton	2024	16 mi	121 mph
Alex	2022	76 mi	40 mph
Ian	2022	39 mi	161 mph
Nicole	2022	74 mi	63 mph
Elsa	2021	64 mi	75 mph
Sally	2020	76 mi	52 mph
Eta	2020	81 mi	69 mph
Gordon	2018	69 mi	63 mph
Emily	2017	23 mi	58 mph
Irma	2017	53 mi	92 mph
Fay	2008	83 mi	69 mph
Barry	2007	50 mi	46 mph
Ernesto	2006	95 mi	40 mph
Charley	2004	30 mi	150 mph
Frances	2004	60 mi	69 mph
Jeanne	2004	60 mi	86 mph
Erika	2003	79 mi	40 mph
Gabrielle	2001	14 mi	69 mph
Gordon	2000	100 mi	75 mph
Harvey	1999	88 mi	58 mph
Mitch	1998	78 mi	63 mph
Erin	1995	75 mi	58 mph
Jerry	1995	88 mi	40 mph
Gordon	1994	60 mi	52 mph
Marco	1990	30 mi	63 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

34242 4,460
34236 1,179
34285 1,111
34275 912
34232 741
34231 700
34293 681
34292 408
34239 314
34287 290
34237 271
34234 184
34229 180
34240 146
34241 84
34291 79
34286 75
34238 65
34235 49
33577 40
33581 38
34233 36
33595 33
34230 32
33582 22
33580 11
33555 8
34288 7

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 Sarasota County, FL?

NCEI records 48 hail events in Sarasota County since 1950, in 23 different years; that is about 0.6 recorded events a year. 10 reports were golf-ball size (1.75 in) or larger.

Has Sarasota County had a tornado?

Yes. NCEI records 84 tornadoes in Sarasota County since 1950, 10 of them rated (E)F2 or stronger. Tornado deaths recorded: 2.

When was the last federal disaster declaration for Sarasota County?

11 Oct 2024: Hurricane Milton, a major disaster declaration for hurricane. The county appears in 48 declarations since 1953.

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

14,415 NFIP claims since 1978, 10,542 of them paid, for $857M in total. FEMA publishes these figures redacted and aggregated; individual properties are not identified.

Is Sarasota 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 High" for social vulnerability and "Very Low" for community resilience. These ratings are FEMA's relative comparison across all US counties.

How does Sarasota County compare with the rest of Florida?

85.1 recorded events per 100 square miles against 73.8 statewide, and 32.2 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.