Lakeland has had 26 hurricanes pass near it and mostly weak tornadoes, which makes Polk County lightning, tornado and hurricane alerts worth watching
Lakeland is inland but busy: 207 tornadoes have started within 25 miles, all F2 or weaker, and hurricanes like Milton in 2024 have come near 26 times. Lightning is a constant in summer.
No National Weather Service watches, warnings or advisories are in effect for the center of Lakeland right now. Lakeland is in Polk County.
Severe weather and weather alerts in Lakeland right now, with tornado warning, flood warning and heat advisory status
Each row is checked against the National Weather Service alerts for the center of the city, which is in Polk County.
| Alert type | Right now |
|---|---|
| Tornado warning or watch | None in effect |
| Severe thunderstorm warning or watch | None in effect |
| Flood warning, flood watch or flash flood warning | None in effect |
| Winter storm warning, blizzard or ice storm | None in effect |
| Heat advisory or excessive heat warning | None in effect |
| Hurricane or tropical storm warning or watch | None in effect |
A watch means conditions are possible, so be ready. A warning means the hazard is happening or expected soon, so act now. What watches, warnings and advisories mean → · Tornado watch vs warning, and what to do in each → · All tornado watches and warnings →
Tornado history near Lakeland
Every tornado in the official record that started within 25 miles of the city center, 1951 to 2025.
| 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
| Date | Rating | Deaths | Injuries |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 8, 1979 | EF2 | 1 | 40 |
| December 27, 1997 | EF2 | 0 | 18 |
| January 9, 1953 | EF2 | 0 | 12 |
| July 2, 1964 | EF2 | 0 | 6 |
| February 2, 1983 | EF2 | 0 | 2 |
Most have come from May through July. The single busiest month is June (23% of the total).
Counts use each tornado's starting point and are limited to the official record, so they cover where tornadoes began, not every place they passed. A tornado that crosses a state line is listed once for each state. Ratings are the Enhanced Fujita (EF) scale, assigned after National Weather Service damage surveys. Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather database. Past counts do not predict the next tornado.
Hurricanes and tropical storms near Lakeland
Storms whose center passed within 60 nautical miles (about 69 miles) with at least 39 mph winds, 1851 to 2025.
| Storm | Date | Winds at closest pass | Strength | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Milton (2024) | October 10, 2024 | 120 mph | Category 3 | 68 mi |
| Ian (2022) | September 29, 2022 | 115 mph | Category 3 | 61 mi |
| Unnamed (1921) | October 25, 1921 | 115 mph | Category 3 | 51 mi |
| Easy (1950) | September 6, 1950 | 110 mph | Category 2 | 68 mi |
| Unnamed (1944) | October 19, 1944 | 105 mph | Category 2 | 67 mi |
Winds are the storm's maximum sustained winds when its center was closest to the city center in the six-hourly record, not the winds felt in the city, which depend on the storm's size and which side of it you were on. Source: NOAA National Hurricane Center HURDAT2.
Flood zone map for Lakeland
Flood zones are mapped by FEMA, and they are set street by street, so the city center cannot tell you whether your address is in one. FEMA's Flood Map Service Center lets you search an address and see its flood zone.
Be ready in Lakeland
Steps from official sources, with each point linked to the page it comes from.
- In a tornado warning, move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a sturdy building, or to your basement or safe room. Avoid windows. (NWS: Tornado watches and warnings)
- A mobile home or tent is not safe. Move to the closest substantial shelter and protect yourself from flying debris. (NWS: During a tornado)
- Being in a vehicle during a tornado is not safe. The best option is to drive to the closest shelter. (NWS: During a tornado)
- Identify and practice going to a safe shelter: a safe room built to FEMA criteria or a storm shelter built to ICC 500 standards. (Ready.gov: Tornadoes)
- The next best protection is a small, interior, windowless room or basement on the lowest level of a sturdy building. (Ready.gov: Tornadoes)
- During a tornado, cover your head and neck with your arms and put furniture or blankets around or on top of you. (Ready.gov: Tornadoes)
- Know your evacuation zone by contacting your local government or emergency management office. (NWS: Hurricane plan)
- Build an emergency kit and check equipment such as flashlights, generators and storm shutters. (NWS: Hurricane plan)
- Write or review a family emergency plan: how you will reach each other, where you will go and what you will do. (NWS: Hurricane plan)
- It is never safe to drive or walk into flood waters. Turn around, don't drown. (NWS: Turn Around Don't Drown)
- Never drive around the barriers blocking a flooded road. The road may have collapsed under the water. (NWS: Turn Around Don't Drown)
- Evacuate immediately when water starts to rise, and get to higher ground if you are in a flood-prone or low-lying area. (NWS: During a flood)
- When thunder roars, go indoors. Move from outdoors into a building or a car with a roof. (Ready.gov: Thunderstorms & Lightning)
- Avoid using electronic devices connected to an electrical outlet, and avoid running water. (Ready.gov: Thunderstorms & Lightning)
- Do not drive through flooded roadways. Six inches of fast-moving water can knock you down, and one foot can sweep a vehicle away. (Ready.gov: Thunderstorms & Lightning)
- Do not rely on a fan as your primary cooling device. Fans do not reduce body temperature or prevent heat-related illness. (Ready.gov: Extreme Heat)
- If your home has no air conditioning, find a cooling center, take cool showers or baths, and drink plenty of fluids. (Ready.gov: Extreme Heat)
- Never leave people or pets in a closed car on a warm day. Check on family members, older adults and neighbors. (Ready.gov: Extreme Heat)
Nearby cities
Common questions about weather in Lakeland
What county is Lakeland in?
Lakeland is in Polk County, Florida.
Is there a tornado watch, tornado warning, winter storm, ice storm, snow or other weather warning in Lakeland and the rest of Polk County right now?
The National Weather Service has no active alerts for the center of Lakeland right now. An alert can cover only part of Polk County, so the Florida alerts page lists every county with an active National Weather Service alert.
What happened in the EF2 tornado near Lakeland on May 8, 1979?
It is the strongest tornado in the NOAA Storm Prediction Center record that started within 25 miles of the center of Lakeland. It was rated EF2, caused 1 death and 40 injuries, and began in Florida. Of the 207 tornadoes that started that close since 1950, 19 were rated EF2 or stronger. Ratings before 2007 use the original Fujita scale.
How many tornadoes have started within 25 miles of Lakeland?
207 tornadoes from 1951 through 2025, 43 of them since 2000. In the last 10 years (2016 to 2025) there were 9, and 2024 was the busiest year with 3. Most came from May through July, and June is the busiest single month (23% of the total). One tornado that crosses a county or state line can appear as two records.
When did a tornado last start near Lakeland?
The most recent tornado in the database that started within 25 miles of the center of Lakeland began on August 8, 2025 and was rated EF0. The database runs through 2025, so it does not include anything after that.
How does Lakeland compare with other Florida cities for tornadoes?
Lakeland has 207 tornadoes within 25 miles of its center, which ranks 5th of the 19 Florida cities that have a page here. Tampa has the most with 321, followed by Saint Petersburg with 272. The counts depend on how big an area each city's circle covers, so use them as a rough comparison.
What is the strongest hurricane to pass near Lakeland?
Milton in 2024 is the strongest on record: winds of 120 mph (Category 3) at its closest recorded position on October 10, 2024, about 68 miles away. In all, 59 tropical storms and hurricanes have passed within 60 nautical miles (about 69 miles) of Lakeland since 1851, 26 of them with hurricane-strength winds. September has the most (37%). Wind and damage in the city itself depend on a storm's size and path.
Alerts come from the National Weather Service, the NOAA Storm Prediction Center and the National Hurricane Center.