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Storm tracker · Gainesville, FL

Gainesville storms: live alerts, hail & tornado history

Live watches and warnings for Gainesville, FL, the 48-hour thunderstorm outlook, and every hail, damaging-wind and tornado report within 25 miles since 2016.

Live alerts for Gainesville, FL

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    Storm outlook, next 48 hours

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    Thunderstorm forecastHigh instabilityModerateLow

    Severe weather in Gainesville by the numbers

    11.9severe-weather days a year (avg 2016–2025)
    1.4hail days a year
    26storm reports in the last 12 months
    2.50″biggest hail since 2016 (Apr 11, 2025)
    8tornado reports since 2016 · strongest EF1

    Gainesville gets regular severe thunderstorms: since 2016, spotters and emergency managers have filed 285 severe-weather reports within 25 miles of the city — 28 hail reports, 249 damaging-wind reports and 8 tornado reports. On average that is 11.9 days a year with at least one report.

    Storm season here peaks in May, June, July, when 48% of all reports were filed.

    In the last 12 months there were 0 hail reports, 26 wind reports and 0 tornado reports around Gainesville.

    Latest storm reports near Gainesville

    DateReportWhere
    Aug 25, 2026Damaging wind22 mi N · Union Co.
    Aug 20, 2026Damaging wind4 mi NE · Alachua Co.
    Aug 19, 2026Damaging wind3 mi W · Alachua Co.
    Aug 12, 2026Damaging wind21 mi W · Gilchrist Co.
    Jul 30, 2026Damaging wind12 mi NW · Alachua Co.
    Jul 11, 2026Damaging wind1 mi E · Alachua Co.
    Jul 10, 2026Damaging wind2 mi NE · Alachua Co.
    Jun 25, 2026Damaging wind24 mi SW · Levy Co.
    Jun 23, 2026Damaging wind23 mi NE · Bradford Co.
    May 24, 2026Damaging wind8 mi SW · Alachua Co.

    One line per day and type — the closest report that day. Distance and direction from the city centre. The latest SPC reports are preliminary until NOAA finalises them.

    Storm reports by year

    0918273616: 1 hail16: 34 damaging wind16: 1 tornado1617: 28 damaging wind1718: 2 hail18: 30 damaging wind18: 1 tornado1819: 1 hail19: 26 damaging wind19: 1 tornado1920: 21 damaging wind20: 2 tornado2021: 3 hail21: 9 damaging wind21: 3 tornado2122: 1 hail22: 31 damaging wind2223: 8 hail23: 25 damaging wind2324: 5 hail24: 12 damaging wind2425: 7 hail25: 7 damaging wind2526: 26 damaging wind26
    HailDamaging windTornado

    Storm season in Gainesville

    013264053Jan: 11JanFeb: 22FebMar: 22MarApr: 34AprMay: 35MayJun: 53JunJul: 50JulAug: 33AugSep: 5SepOct: 5OctNov: 4NovDec: 11Dec

    All hail, wind and tornado reports within 25 miles, 2016–2026, by month.

    Hail in Gainesville

    Gainesville averages 1.4 days a year with hail reported nearby. The biggest stone on record since 2016 was 2.50 inches — about the size of a tennis ball — reported 4 miles from the city centre on Apr 11, 2025. Hail of 1 inch (quarter size) or larger is what makes a thunderstorm severe; see the hail size chart.

    Tornadoes near Gainesville

    There have been 8 tornado reports within 25 miles of Gainesville since 2016; the strongest was rated EF1 (Dec 8, 2021, 24 miles from the city centre). A tornado warning means a tornado is occurring or imminent — take shelter immediately.

    Storm alerts for Gainesville on your iPhone

    Lightning Tracker shows storm risk around you, live severe-weather alerts and how close the storm is — free on the App Store.

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    Storm trackers near Gainesville

    Jacksonville, FL62 mi · 18.2 storm days/yrOrlando, FL96 mi · 10.7 storm days/yrTampa, FL118 mi · 9.6 storm days/yrTallahassee, FL129 mi · 18.0 storm days/yrSt. Petersburg, FL132 mi · 9.4 storm days/yrSavannah, GA183 mi · 15.6 storm days/yrAll of Floridalive warnings & state storm stats

    Questions about storms in Gainesville

    Does Gainesville get a lot of severe storms?

    Gainesville averages 11.9 days a year with at least one hail, damaging-wind or tornado report within 25 miles, based on NOAA Storm Prediction Center reports 2016–2025.

    When is storm season in Gainesville?

    Most severe-weather reports around Gainesville come in May, June, July.

    What is the biggest hail recorded near Gainesville?

    2.50 inches (tennis ball size) on Apr 11, 2025, 4 miles from the city centre.

    Have tornadoes hit near Gainesville?

    Yes — 8 tornado reports within 25 miles since 2016, the strongest rated EF1 on Dec 8, 2021.

    How do I get storm alerts for Gainesville?

    The live panel on this page shows every active National Weather Service watch and warning for Gainesville, FL. For alerts on your phone, Lightning Tracker for iPhone shows storm risk and warnings for your location.

    How this page works: storm reports are NOAA Storm Prediction Center local storm reports (final database 2016–2025, preliminary daily reports after that) within 25 miles of Gainesville, FL. They are reports of hail, damaging wind and tornadoes — not lightning strike counts, which no free public dataset provides at city level. Live alerts come from the National Weather Service API, the outlook from Open-Meteo forecast models. Updated Oct 27, 2026.