Polk County weather alerts
There are no active weather alerts for Polk County, FL right now.
Since 2016 the National Weather Service has issued about 677 alerts that included Polk County, roughly 68 a year. The most common is the severe thunderstorm warning (114 from 2016 to 2025). The last tornado warning was issued on March 16, 2025. 171 tornadoes have touched down in the county since 1950.
Updated from the National Weather Service · lists refresh hourly; the live map loads current alerts directly from the NWS
No warnings, watches or advisories include Polk County at the moment. This page updates automatically when the National Weather Service issues one. Check neighboring Hardee County, Pasco County, Sumter County, Lake County.
Polk County alert history
Alert events that included Polk County or its forecast zones, from the NWS warning archive.
| Alert type | 2016–2025 | 2026 | Last issued |
|---|---|---|---|
| Severe Thunderstorm Warning | 114 | 10 | September 12, 2026 |
| Flood Advisory | 112 | 20 | November 2, 2026 |
| Dense Fog Advisory | 89 | 5 | February 12, 2026 |
| Heat Advisory | 65 | 15 | August 20, 2026 |
| Red Flag Warning | 51 | 2 | April 21, 2026 |
| Tornado Warning | 49 | 0 | March 16, 2025 |
| Tornado Watch | 35 | 1 | May 2, 2026 |
| Cold Weather Advisory | 26 | 9 | February 24, 2026 |
| Flood Warning | 20 | 0 | October 10, 2024 |
| Flood Watch | 16 | 1 | November 1, 2026 |
| Severe Thunderstorm Watch | 16 | 0 | May 15, 2024 |
| Fire Weather Watch | 13 | 2 | April 21, 2026 |
| Frost Advisory | 10 | 1 | February 25, 2026 |
| Freeze Watch | 10 | 6 | February 24, 2026 |
| Freeze Warning | 10 | 8 | February 24, 2026 |
| Flash Flood Warning | 9 | 0 | October 10, 2024 |
| Tropical Storm Watch | 8 | 0 | September 24, 2024 |
| Tropical Storm Warning | 8 | 0 | September 24, 2024 |
| Wind Advisory | 6 | 1 | January 31, 2026 |
| Extreme Heat Warning | 4 | 0 | July 29, 2025 |
| Hurricane Watch | 3 | 0 | October 7, 2024 |
| Hurricane Warning | 3 | 0 | October 7, 2024 |
| Extreme Cold Watch | 0 | 1 | February 1, 2026 |
| Extreme Cold Warning | 0 | 1 | February 1, 2026 |
Tornado history in Polk County
171 tornadoes have been recorded in Polk County since 1950, killing 12 people and injuring 620. That ranks 2 of 67 counties in Florida. The most recent was on September 26, 2024 (rated EF0).
Strongest tornadoes in Polk County
| Date | Rating | County | Path length | Width | Deaths | Injuries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 4, 1966 | F4 | Pinellas County | 135.8 mi | 300 yd | 11 | 530 |
| April 15, 1958 | F4 | Polk County | 0.1 mi | 300 yd | 0 | 7 |
| May 8, 1979 | F2 | Polk County | 4 mi | 200 yd | 1 | 40 |
| April 4, 1966 | F2 | Pinellas County | 123.3 mi | 150 yd | 0 | 0 |
| October 18, 2019 | EF2 | Polk County | 11.5 mi | 525 yd | 0 | 0 |
Most recent tornadoes
| Date | Rating | County | Path length | Width | Deaths | Injuries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 26, 2024 | EF0 | Polk County | 1.1 mi | 25 yd | 0 | 0 |
| August 4, 2024 | EF0 | Polk County | 1.5 mi | 25 yd | 0 | 0 |
| August 4, 2024 | EF0 | Hardee County | 1.2 mi | 25 yd | 0 | 0 |
| July 23, 2024 | EF0 | Polk County | 0.1 mi | 25 yd | 0 | 0 |
| April 11, 2021 | EF0 | Polk County | 1.4 mi | 50 yd | 0 | 0 |
About Polk County
- Population: 852,878 (2024 estimate)
- State: Florida
- NOAA Weather Radio SAME code: 012105 (how to use it)
- Cities: Lakeland