Florida, 1985
The year's recorded storm events, federal disaster declarations and flood insurance claims.
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.
Events by hazard
Includes events recorded by forecast zone. The state's yearly total for 1985 was 122 against 125 in 1984.
Counties with the most recorded events
Notable events
| Date | County | Event type | Magnitude | Property damage | Deaths | Injuries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 Mar 1985 | Sarasota | Tornado | F3 | $25,000,000 | 2 | 45 |
| 28 Oct 1985 | Walton | Tornado | F1 | $2,500,000 | — | 5 |
| 15 Mar 1985 | Pinellas | Tornado | F1 | $2,500 | — | 2 |
| 28 Oct 1985 | Okaloosa | Tornado | F1 | $2,500,000 | — | 1 |
| 17 Mar 1985 | Bay | Tornado | F1 | $250,000 | — | 1 |
| 24 Jul 1985 | Hernando | Tornado | F0 | $250 | — | 1 |
| 1 Aug 1985 | Broward | Tornado | F0 | $250 | — | 1 |
| 23 Sep 1985 | Escambia | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 mph | — | — | 1 |
| 31 Dec 1985 | Calhoun | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 mph | — | — | 1 |
| 31 Aug 1985 | Lake | Tornado | F2 | $2,500,000 | — | — |
| 30 Oct 1985 | Nassau | Tornado | F1 | $250,000 | — | — |
| 31 Oct 1985 | Hillsborough | Tornado | F1 | $250,000 | — | — |
| 31 Aug 1985 | Pasco | Tornado | F1 | $250,000 | — | — |
| 24 May 1985 | Palm Beach | Tornado | F1 | $250,000 | — | — |
| 17 Mar 1985 | Okeechobee | Tornado | F1 | $250,000 | — | — |
| 4 Jun 1985 | DeSoto | Tornado | F1 | $250,000 | — | — |
| 30 Jun 1985 | Alachua | Tornado | F1 | $250,000 | — | — |
| 31 Aug 1985 | Marion | Tornado | F1 | $25,000 | — | — |
| 12 Sep 1985 | Citrus | Tornado | F0 | $25,000 | — | — |
| 28 Oct 1985 | Escambia | Tornado | F0 | $25,000 | — | — |
| 28 Oct 1985 | Okaloosa | Tornado | F0 | $25,000 | — | — |
| 31 Oct 1985 | Washington | Tornado | F0 | $25,000 | — | — |
| 31 Oct 1985 | Jackson | Tornado | F0 | $25,000 | — | — |
| 25 May 1985 | Indian River | Tornado | F1 | $25,000 | — | — |
| 17 Jan 1985 | Bay | Tornado | F0 | $25,000 | — | — |
| 2 May 1985 | Walton | Tornado | F0 | $25,000 | — | — |
| 31 Aug 1985 | Glades | Tornado | F0 | $2,500 | — | — |
| 31 Aug 1985 | Lake | Tornado | F0 | $2,500 | — | — |
| 1 Sep 1985 | Duval | Tornado | F0 | $2,500 | — | — |
| 22 Jul 1985 | Brevard | Tornado | F0 | $2,500 | — | — |
| 5 Aug 1985 | Miami-Dade | Tornado | F0 | $2,500 | — | — |
| 3 May 1985 | Sarasota | Tornado | F0 | $2,500 | — | — |
| 11 Feb 1985 | Escambia | Tornado | F1 | $2,500 | — | — |
| 17 Mar 1985 | DeSoto | Tornado | F0 | $2,500 | — | — |
| 25 Jul 1985 | Hillsborough | Tornado | F0 | $250 | — | — |
| 2 May 1985 | Leon | Tornado | F0 | $250 | — | — |
| 5 Aug 1985 | Palm Beach | Tornado | F0 | — | — | — |
| 28 Aug 1985 | Broward | Tornado | F0 | — | — | — |
Up to 40 events with deaths, injuries, damage of $50,000 or more, or a tornado rating, ranked by deaths, injuries and damage.
Federal disaster declarations in 1985
| Declared | Number | Type | Incident | Title | Counties |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 Dec 1985 | DR-756 | Major disaster | Hurricane | Hurricane Kate | 8 |
| 12 Sep 1985 | DR-743 | Major disaster | Hurricane | Hurricane Elena | 7 |
| 20 May 1985 | FM-2053 | Fire management assistance | Fire | Tomoka Fire | 0 |
| 17 May 1985 | FM-2052 | Fire management assistance | Fire | Bonell Fire | 0 |
| 17 May 1985 | FM-2051 | Fire management assistance | Fire | Aster Fire | 0 |
| 17 May 1985 | FM-2050 | Fire management assistance | Fire | Perry Fire | 0 |
| 18 Mar 1985 | DR-732 | Major disaster | Freezing | Severe Freeze | 20 |
Flood insurance claims with a 1985 date of loss
12,003 NFIP claims, 8,781 of them paid, for $87,399,649.
Sources: NOAA NCEI Storm Events through 30 Jun 2026; OpenFEMA DisasterDeclarationsSummaries v2 (29 Sep 2026); OpenFEMA NfipClaims v3 (8 Sep 2026). Built 30 Sep 2026.