Hail & Wind Storms in Fort Walton Beach, FL — Latest Dates and Sizes
Hail and wind activity within ~25 miles of Fort Walton Beach, Florida or recorded for its county: the last 12 months from NWS warnings, storm reports, and station measurements, plus official NOAA records back to 2010.
Latest hail and wind near Fort Walton Beach
- Last reported hail (0.75 in.+, screening): none reported within 25 miles in the last 12 months.
- Last wind gust 45 mph+ (screening): September 11, 2026 — 51 mph measured 17.4 mi W of Fort Walton Beach (3 WSW Navarre), NWS Local Storm Report.
- 2026 so far: no hail days and 9 wind days within 25 miles (days with a storm report or station gust at the screening thresholds; warnings alone never count).
| Date | Largest reported hail | Strongest gust |
|---|---|---|
| September 11, 2026 | — | 51 mph measured |
| August 19, 2026 | — | 52 mph measured |
| August 18, 2026 | — | 46 mph measured |
| July 30, 2026 | — | 47 mph measured |
| July 18, 2026 | — | 54 mph measured |
| June 24, 2026 | — | 52 mph measured |
| March 12, 2026 | — | 56 mph measured |
| February 22, 2026 | — | 48 mph measured |
| January 25, 2026 | — | 59 mph measured |
Was your address hit on September 11, 2026? Check any address free with the Free Report Snapshot — a YES/NO estimate at the screening thresholds.
Fort Walton Beach storm facts
- StormAuditor's analysis of NOAA and National Weather Service records found 40 wind and hail events, NWS warning products included, within 25 miles of Fort Walton Beach, Florida or recorded for Okaloosa County in the 12 months ending October 8, 2026 (29 wind, 11 hail).
- The strongest gust within 25 miles of Fort Walton Beach in the last 12 months was 59 mph, measured 8.7 mi NE of Fort Walton Beach (2 SSW Valparaiso) on January 25, 2026 (NWS Local Storm Report; storm reports and station gusts only, warnings excluded).
- The busiest day by event count near Fort Walton Beach was March 12, 2026, with 6 events.
- Okaloosa County alone recorded 31 of those wind and hail events (20 wind, 11 hail); the Florida page ranks counties by events of every type, floods and Special Weather Statements included.
Fort Walton Beach, Florida storm history at a glance (last 12 months)
This free weather history for Fort Walton Beach — home to about 21,000 residents — draws on StormAuditor's consolidated public record: 40 wind and hail events within 25 miles of Fort Walton Beach or recorded for Okaloosa County in the trailing 12 months — 29 wind and 11 hail.
Events combine NWS warning products, observed Local Storm Reports, station measurements and official NCEI records in one event table. Because they include warnings, and wind covers thunderstorm and non-thunderstorm wind alike, they measure something different from the NCEI entry counts in the history section below; the two are not comparable year to year.
Busiest days near Fort Walton Beach by event count
Ranked by the number of 12-month events, NWS warnings included, so a day with many warnings can outrank a day with larger hail.
- March 12, 2026 — 6 events incl. warnings · 5 wind · 1 hail
- August 19, 2026 — 4 events incl. warnings · 3 wind · 1 hail
- June 24, 2026 — 3 events incl. warnings · 3 wind
- October 7, 2026 — 2 events incl. warnings · 2 wind
- August 21, 2026 — 2 events incl. warnings · 1 wind · 1 hail
How these numbers are counted
The storm numbers on this page are counted in four different ways, plus the free address check. Each answers a different question with its own size cutoffs, area and time span, so compare numbers within one group, not across groups.
- Storm days (latest hail and wind): A day in the last 12 months when at least one report within 25 miles of Fort Walton Beach showed hail 0.75 in. or larger or wind of 45 mph or more (StormAuditor screening thresholds). Reports are NWS storm reports from spotters, the public and officials, plus weather-station gusts, which count from 50 mph. A warning on its own never makes a storm day. The latest and largest hail, the latest and strongest gust, and the storm-day table all use this record.
- Storm-date pages (NWS severe): A storm-date page is published only when at least one report or station gust within 25 miles of a city met the National Weather Service severe criteria (hail 1.00 in. or larger, or wind 58 mph or more), at least two separate observations were logged, and the day ranks among the most significant. A storm report that relays an airport weather station's reading (the same station, the same gust and the same time) counts once, as the station reading. Not every storm day gets a page; when one does, the page and the storm-day table show the same largest hail and strongest gust.
- Events (12-month counts): Events count NWS warnings, storm reports (wind 50 mph+, hail 0.75 in.+), station gusts (50 mph+) and NCEI entries within 25 miles of Fort Walton Beach or recorded for Okaloosa County, tornado entries counted as wind. One event is one place on one day, counted separately for hail and for wind. A weather station or storm-report point counts once a day, at that day's highest reading, however many readings it filed; a place with hail and wind on the same day is two events. NWS warnings count once per county per day, and each NCEI entry once per place per day. A storm report that relays an airport weather station's reading (the same station, the same gust and the same time) counts once, as the station reading. The same report arriving through another feed (SPC or NCEI) is one record. Events measure how busy the area was, not whether a storm hit: one storm can bring warnings and reports from many places, so the busiest days by event count can differ from the storm days.
- NOAA history (since 2010): The official NOAA storm record (NCEI Storm Events) within 25 miles of Fort Walton Beach or in Okaloosa County from January 1, 2010 to the day before the 12-month window starts: hail 0.50 in.+, thunderstorm wind 40 mph+ and tornadoes. It is a separate, older record with its own "storm days" (days with any entry), so its counts are not compared with the 12-month numbers.
- Free Report Snapshot: A free YES/NO estimate for one address, from radar and wind analysis at the property rather than area reports, at the same screening thresholds: hail 0.75 in. or wind 45 mph.
Full method: Methodology and Data Sources.
Fort Walton Beach hail and wind history in NOAA NCEI records, 2010–Oct. 2025
This section covers January 1, 2010 through October 7, 2025. Storms from October 8, 2025 on are in the 12-month summary above, so no date is counted in both.
Wind is the more common entry — 199 thunderstorm wind reports to 22 hail reports. In all: 247 NCEI Storm Events entries within 25 miles of Fort Walton Beach or in Okaloosa County, spread over 97 storm days.
Storm days ranged from 3 in 2010, 2014 and 2017 to 12 in 2023. Across 2022–2024, the area averaged 9.0 storm days a year, above the 15-year average of 6.1. The latest five full years (2020–2024) averaged 7.8 storm days, up from 4.0 in 2010–2014.
The largest hail in these records for this area was 1.00 in. (quarter size), reported in 7 different years — most recently on June 25, 2025 in Walton County. Measured thunderstorm gusts topped out at 85 mph (Okaloosa County, April 10, 2021). NCEI also lists 26 tornado entries for the area — one entry per county a tornado crossed.
Hail peaks in May (32% of all hail reports); thunderstorm wind peaks in June. December through February accounts for 16 storm days.
- Average: 6.1 storm days a year (2010–2024)
- May and June: 55% of all hail reports
- Most hail reports in one year: 5 in 2025 through Oct. 7
- Hail of 1 in. or larger reported in 6 of 15 full years (2010–2024)
| Year | Hail reports | Thunderstorm wind reports | Tornado entries | Storm days | Largest hail | Strongest measured gust |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 1.00 in. | 64 mph |
| 2011 | 2 | 11 | 1 | 6 | 1.00 in. | 64 mph |
| 2012 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 4 | — | 62 mph |
| 2013 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | — | — |
| 2014 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 3 | — | 69 mph |
| 2015 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 6 | 0.75 in. | 61 mph |
| 2016 | 1 | 16 | 1 | 10 | 1.00 in. | 60 mph |
| 2017 | 2 | 8 | 1 | 3 | 1.00 in. | 70 mph |
| 2018 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 7 | — | 59 mph |
| 2019 | 0 | 9 | 1 | 6 | — | 63 mph |
| 2020 | 0 | 15 | 1 | 8 | — | 61 mph |
| 2021 | 4 | 22 | 0 | 4 | 1.00 in. | 85 mph |
| 2022 | 4 | 16 | 4 | 9 | 1.00 in. | 77 mph |
| 2023 | 0 | 44 | 4 | 12 | — | 76 mph |
| 2024 | 0 | 18 | 5 | 6 | — | 64 mph |
| 2025 through Oct. 7 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 1.00 in. | 66 mph |
Download this history: CSV · JSON at https://www.stormauditor.com/downloads/storm-history/fl/fort-walton-beach.json (free, open license, cite StormAuditor).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database (thunderstorm wind, hail, and tornado entries; hail 0.50 in. or larger, wind 40 mph or more; wind converted from knots).
Fort Walton Beach storm history questions, 2010–Oct. 2025
What is the largest hail reported near Fort Walton Beach, 2010–Oct. 2025?
1.00 in., quarter size, reported in 7 different years; most recently on June 25, 2025 in Walton County, per NCEI.
What was Fort Walton Beach's most active storm year, 2010–Oct. 2025?
2023, with 12 storm days (44 thunderstorm wind reports, 4 tornado entries). The 15-year average is 6.1 storm days.
How often does Fort Walton Beach get hail?
NCEI's records average 1.1 hail reports a year here over 2010–2024, alongside 13 thunderstorm wind reports. Hail of 1 inch or larger was reported in 6 of those 15 years.
When is hail season near Fort Walton Beach?
May has the most hail reports (7, 2010–Oct. 2025), followed by June (5) and April (4).
How strong were measured thunderstorm winds in Fort Walton Beach, 2010–Oct. 2025?
85 mph, measured on April 10, 2021 in Okaloosa County. Only gusts NCEI lists as measured count here; gusts measured on a date and county with a tornado entry, and entries of 120 knots or more (known entry errors), are left out.
Fort Walton Beach hail map and wind map
Researching hail or wind in Fort Walton Beach? The Hail Explorer and Wind Explorer map radar-derived hail swaths and peak-gust wind swaths across Florida, including the Fort Walton Beach metro: pick any storm date and see how estimated hail size and gust bands tracked through Okaloosa County. Both explorers are included with Pro+ and Organization plans.
County-level activity is on the Impact Heatmap (free with an account), and day-by-day history is on the Storm Calendar (Pro plans and higher).
Free Fort Walton Beach weather report by address
Area maps show where storms tracked; an insurance claim or roof inspection turns on what happened at the property. Three ways to check one Fort Walton Beach address:
- The Free Report Snapshot answers YES/NO instantly on estimated wind of 45 mph or more and hail of 0.75 in. or larger (screening thresholds) at the address.
- The free Address Lookup lists NWS warnings, storm reports and NOAA observations near the address — free Fort Walton Beach wind history and free Fort Walton Beach hail history.
- A complete Weather Report for $2.99 covers every qualifying storm date at one address over the last 2 years.
All values are estimates from public NOAA data under our published methodology (see Limitations).
Working storm claims? Roofing contractors, public adjusters, and insurance adjusters work from this same public storm record with statewide hail and wind maps and per-address reports — see StormAuditor for professionals.
Sources: NWS alerts (api.weather.gov) · NWS Local Storm Reports via the Iowa Environmental Mesonet · ASOS/AWOS station gusts via the Iowa Environmental Mesonet · NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database · every StormAuditor data source.
Free Fort Walton Beach storm data download
The Fort Walton Beach storm records for the last 12 months download free, free to reuse under the data license: download CSV · JSON at https://www.stormauditor.com/downloads/storm-data/fl/fort-walton-beach.json.
- Coverage: every wind and hail record within about 25 miles of Fort Walton Beach or recorded for Okaloosa County, with dates, counties, event types, measured gusts and hail sizes.
- Rows: each source record before consolidation, including every NWS warning product and smaller storm reports, so the row count differs from the event counts above.
- Statewide files are on the Florida storm data page.
Nearby city storm pages:
- Pensacola hail & wind history
- Panama City hail & wind history
- Mobile, AL hail & wind history
- Dothan, AL hail & wind history
- Tallahassee hail & wind history
- Gainesville hail & wind history
- Florida statewide storm data
Guides for reading this data
Cite or link to this data — free
Free to quote, summarize, reuse, and link — for bloggers, journalists, researchers, contractors, and AI writing tools. No permission or credit required. A ready-made citation and link are below if they help. Terms: StormAuditor data & content license.
Citation: StormAuditor. "Fort Walton Beach, FL Hail & Wind Storm History." Updated October 7, 2026. https://www.stormauditor.com/storm-data/fl/fort-walton-beach
HTML link: <a href="https://www.stormauditor.com/storm-data/fl/fort-walton-beach">Fort Walton Beach, FL Hail & Wind Storm History — StormAuditor</a>
About this page: built by Storm Auditor LLC from public NOAA/NWS records — deduplicated warnings, storm reports, station measurements, and official records on a rolling 12-month window, under the published methodology. See the StormAuditor Editorial Team for how content is produced.
Data last refreshed October 8, 2026. Event counts cover wind and hail (warning products, and storm reports from 50 mph or 0.75 in.); flood activity and Special Weather Statements are not counted here.