Bartow, FL tornado history
43 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of the center of Bartow, FL from 1950 through 2025, according to the NOAA Storm Prediction Center, ranking 120th of 275 Florida cities with a tornado on record. None was rated F3/EF3 or stronger by the National Weather Service. The most recent was on August 4, 2024 (EF0, 1.5-mile path); the strongest, on June 24, 2012, was rated EF2.
Dashed circle: 10 miles from the city's Census center point. A tornado counts when its recorded path passes inside the circle. Paths run straight from start to end point, as SPC records them.
Source: National Storms (nationalstorms.com), CC BY 4.0, data from NOAA Storm Prediction Center storm reports.
Every tornado within 10 miles of the center of Bartow, FL
| Date | Rating | Path length | Deaths / injuries | Started in | Closest to center |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 4, 2024 | EF0 | 1.5 mi | 0 / 0 | Polk County, FL | 4.3 mi |
| Jul 23, 2024 | EF0 | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 | Polk County, FL | 9.3 mi |
| Apr 11, 2021 | EF0 | 1.4 mi | 0 / 0 | Polk County, FL | 8.1 mi |
| Dec 20, 2018 | EF0 | 0.8 mi | 0 / 0 | Polk County, FL | 9.8 mi |
| Jun 24, 2012 | EF2 | 6.2 mi | 0 / 0 | Polk County, FL | 9.7 mi |
| Mar 31, 2011 | EF0 | 9.4 mi | 0 / 0 | Polk County, FL | 1.9 mi |
| Jun 12, 2006 | F0 | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 | Polk County, FL | 5.4 mi |
| Oct 23, 2005 | F0 | 1.0 mi | 0 / 0 | Polk County, FL | 9.7 mi |
| Jun 30, 2005 | F0 | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 | Polk County, FL | 7.4 mi |
| Apr 23, 2005 | F1 | 7.0 mi | 0 / 0 | Polk County, FL | 6.8 mi |
| Sep 6, 2004 | F0 | 0.3 mi | 0 / 0 | Polk County, FL | 3.9 mi |
| Jul 25, 2002 | F0 | 1.0 mi | 0 / 0 | Polk County, FL | 6.8 mi |
| Jun 27, 2000 | F0 | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 | Polk County, FL | 9.7 mi |
| Jun 27, 1999 | F0 | 0.3 mi | 0 / 0 | Polk County, FL | 9.5 mi |
| Sep 25, 1998 | F0 | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 | Polk County, FL | 7.8 mi |
| Dec 26, 1997 | F0 | 1.0 mi | 0 / 0 | Polk County, FL | 7.2 mi |
| Nov 13, 1997 | F0 | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 | Polk County, FL | 7.5 mi |
| Oct 31, 1997 | F1 | 4.0 mi | 0 / 0 | Polk County, FL | 8.4 mi |
| May 22, 1997 | F0 | 0.8 mi | 0 / 0 | Polk County, FL | 3.2 mi |
| Oct 7, 1996 | F0 | 52.0 mi | 0 / 0 | DeSoto County, FL | 10.0 mi |
| Nov 7, 1995 | F0 | 1.2 mi | 0 / 0 | Polk County, FL | 5.1 mi |
| Mar 12, 1993 | F0 | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 | Polk County, FL | 0.7 mi |
| Jun 24, 1991 | F0 | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 | Polk County, FL | 6.5 mi |
| Apr 25, 1991 | F0 | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 | Polk County, FL | 0.7 mi |
| Apr 25, 1991 | F0 | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 | Polk County, FL | 9.7 mi |
| Mar 18, 1991 | F0 | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 | Polk County, FL | 9.5 mi |
| Jul 11, 1990 | F0 | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 | Polk County, FL | 9.7 mi |
| Apr 13, 1989 | F0 | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 | Polk County, FL | 9.9 mi |
| Nov 5, 1988 | F1 | 1.0 mi | 0 / 0 | Polk County, FL | 9.5 mi |
| Aug 19, 1987 | F0 | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 | Polk County, FL | 9.7 mi |
| Jun 29, 1987 | F0 | 2.0 mi | 0 / 1 | Polk County, FL | 0.7 mi |
| May 9, 1986 | F0 | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 | Polk County, FL | 9.7 mi |
| Feb 8, 1986 | F2 | 2.0 mi | 0 / 0 | Polk County, FL | 0.7 mi |
| Jun 13, 1981 | F1 | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 | Polk County, FL | 5.6 mi |
| May 16, 1976 | F0 | 0.3 mi | 0 / 0 | Polk County, FL | 9.5 mi |
| Apr 16, 1974 | F0 | 0.5 mi | 0 / 2 | Polk County, FL | 7.5 mi |
| Jan 6, 1970 | F0 | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 | Hillsborough County, FL | 9.1 mi |
| Dec 11, 1967 | F1 | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 | Polk County, FL | 4.9 mi |
| Apr 4, 1966 | F2 | 123.3 mi | 0 / 0 | Pinellas County, FL | 6.0 mi |
| Jul 21, 1958 | F0 | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 | Polk County, FL | 10.0 mi |
| Jul 2, 1956 | F0 | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 | Polk County, FL | 9.9 mi |
| Apr 30, 1954 | F0 | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 | Polk County, FL | 1.8 mi |
| Dec 18, 1951 | F2 | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 | Polk County, FL | 9.5 mi |
More: Polk County tornadoes · Florida tornado history · Bartow hail history · Florida damaging wind
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center (SPC) Severe Weather Database (SVRGIS) tornado file, 1950–2025, and SPC preliminary storm reports for 2026 (data through November 6, 2026). Ratings are the ones the National Weather Service assigned: Fujita (F) scale before Feb 1, 2007, Enhanced Fujita (EF) after. Paths are drawn as straight lines from the start to the end point SPC records; real paths curve. City and county boundaries: US Census Bureau.
NWS Damage Survey Paths Near Bartow
The National Weather Service mapped the path of 2 tornadoes within 10 miles of Bartow in damage surveys (2 EF0). On the map, those paths follow the survey, colored by the EF rating of each stretch, instead of a straight line from start to end.
| Date | Rating | Peak wind | Path length | Max width | Deaths / injuries | On the ground | Surveyed by |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 4, 2024 | EF0 | 75 mph | 1.5 mi | – | 0 / 0 | 17:58–18:00 UTC | NWS Tampa Bay |
| Apr 11, 2021 | EF0 | – | 1.4 mi | 50 yd | 0 / 0 | 16:18–16:19 UTC | NWS Tampa Bay |
Source: NOAA National Weather Service Damage Assessment Toolkit (DAT): the tornado paths and EF-rating zones NWS survey teams mapped after each storm. Survey data are preliminary and can be revised; NOAA's official record is Storm Data (NCEI). Paths are simplified to about 30 m. Times are when the tornado was on the ground, in UTC.