Florida Hurricane Season

Q: When is hurricane season in Florida?

The National Hurricane Center's dates apply to the whole Atlantic basin, Florida included: "The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30." NHC also states: "The peak of the Atlantic hurricane season is September 10, with most activity occurring between mid-August and mid-October." For Florida specifically, the strike record peaks in September, with 47 of the 129 recorded strikes.

Q: How often does Florida get hit by hurricanes?

NOAA's landfall list records 129 hurricane strikes on Florida between 1851 and 2025, which averages out to about one every 1 years. Treat that as an average and not a schedule: strikes cluster, decades can pass quietly, and NOAA itself cautions that the earliest decades of the record are incomplete in places. 40 of those strikes were major (Category 3 or higher) in Florida.

Q: What was the strongest hurricane to hit Florida?

By NOAA's own per-state attribution, the strongest in the record: Labor Day in 1935 (Category 5 in Florida, 892 mb at landfall); Michael in 2018 (Category 5 in Florida, 919 mb at landfall); Andrew in 1992 (Category 5 in Florida, 922 mb at landfall). The full table on this page lists every entry with NOAA's category, central pressure, and maximum winds.

Q: When was the last hurricane to hit Florida?

The most recent hurricane strike in NOAA's list for Florida is Debby in 2024 (Category 1 in this state). The list runs through the 2025 season; anything newer than that, and anything currently active, belongs to the National Hurricane Center at nhc.noaa.gov.

Q: Has a hurricane ever hit Florida in November?

Yes. An unnamed hurricane in 1935 (Category 2); Kate in 1985 (Category 2); Nicole in 2022 (tropical storm conditions in this state). November is the season's last official month and its strikes are rare but real.

Q: Is a hurricane coming to Florida right now?

The panel near the top of this page republishes the latest NHC public advisories and outlook, verbatim and timestamped. The National Hurricane Center at nhc.noaa.gov publishes every active storm, forecast, watch and warning, and your state and local emergency management agencies issue evacuation decisions. During any active storm, those are the sources to act on.

Season dates, the months storms have actually arrived, and every strike NOAA has recorded, from the agency record.

Hurricane season is open right now: it runs June 1 to November 30. For anything live, use the National Hurricane Center, not this page.

Season

Jun 1 to Nov 30

NOAA recorded strikes

129

Peak month here

September

Is there a storm near Florida right now? Go to the National Hurricane Center.

The panel just below republishes the National Hurricane Center’s own latest advisories and outlook, verbatim and timestamped. Tracks, cones and forecasts are the National Hurricane Center’s. If a storm is active or approaching, NHC is the source of official forecasts and warnings, and your emergency management agency is the source of evacuation and shelter decisions.

National Hurricane Center for current storms, forecasts, watches, and warnings
Your state emergency management agency for evacuation orders and shelter information
Ready.gov hurricane preparedness for how to prepare, in FEMA’s own words

“It only takes one hurricane (or tropical storm) to cause a disaster.” NOAA Climate Prediction Center

What NHC is saying right now

Republished verbatim from the National Hurricane Center via the National Weather Service API, with NHC’s own issuance times. For anything that matters, read it at nhc.noaa.gov where it is always current.

Loading the latest NHC products…

Florida hurricane season at a glance

Climatology and history, never a forecast

Today

The bar marks mid August to mid October. NHC: "The peak of the Atlantic hurricane season is September 10, with most activity occurring between mid-August and mid-October." The season itself runs June 1 to November 30.

129

hurricane strikes in NOAA's list

1851 to 2025

major (Cat 3+) strikes

as attributed by NOAA AOML

September

busiest month here

47 of 129 in the record

~1 yrs

average gap between events

an average, not a schedule

Florida has more hurricane strikes in NOAA's list than any other state, by a wide margin. The list splits the peninsula into northwest, southwest, southeast, and northeast zones, and a single storm crossing the state can appear in several of them.

The dates

When is hurricane season in Florida?

The season dates are set by NOAA, they are the same for the whole Atlantic basin, and they are worth quoting rather than paraphrasing:

“The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30.”National Hurricane Center, source

“The peak of the Atlantic hurricane season is September 10, with most activity occurring between mid-August and mid-October.”National Hurricane Center, source

Those are basin-wide dates. What they mean for Florida specifically is in the month histogram below: the calendar of storms that have actually arrived here, which is narrower than the season and different for every state.

The season dates are also not walls. NHC is explicit that storms sometimes form outside the official window; the off season page counts exactly how often. See the December to May record.

NOAA’s outlook for the 2026 season

NOAA Climate Prediction Center, issued 6 August 2026. Snapshot taken 2026-08-27; always current at the source.

“NOAA's updated outlook for the 2026 Atlantic Hurricane Season indicates that a below-normal season is the most likely outcome, with low chances for a near-normal season, and a very small chance that the season would be above-normal.”

7 to 13 named storms
2 to 6 hurricanes
0 to 2 major hurricanes

“NOAA does not make seasonal hurricane landfall predictions. Hurricane landfalls are largely determined by the weather patterns in place as the hurricane approaches, and those patterns are usually only predictable when the storm is within several days of making landfall.” NOAA Climate Prediction Center

Satellite image of Hurricane Hugo, a large hurricane with a well defined eye, approaching the southeastern United States coast — Hurricane Hugo from NOAA's polar orbiting satellite on September 21, 1989, approaching its South Carolina landfall. September is the peak of the season basin-wide, and September leads the strike record in Florida. “Hugo 1989-09-21 1844Z” — NOAA Satellite and Information Service — Public domain

The calendar

Which months hurricanes actually hit in Florida

This histogram counts the hurricane strikes NOAA's landfall list attributes to Florida, by month, across the whole 1851 to 2025 record. It is a record of what happened, not a forecast of any year.

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Hurricane strikes on Florida by month, 1851 to 2025, as attributed by NOAA AOML's continental US hurricane landfall list.

September accounts for 47 of the 129 events in the record here. A month with zero strikes is not a month with zero risk: the basin-wide season runs June through November everywhere, and the routing block at the top of this page applies in all of them.

Satellite image of Hurricane Nicole, a broad late season hurricane over the western Atlantic, approaching the Florida east coast at night — Hurricane Nicole from NOAA’s VIIRS satellite on November 10, 2022, two days before the end of climatology charts would suggest the Atlantic quiets down. November strikes are rare and real: the month pages count every one. “Hurricane Nicole at 0657 UTC November 10, 2022” — NOAA-20 VIIRS via CIMSS — Public domain

The record

Every hurricane strike NOAA has recorded on Florida

Reproduced from NOAA AOML’s continental US hurricane landfall list, with NOAA’s own per-state category attribution. “Category in Florida” is the Saffir-Simpson category NOAA assigns for this state specifically, which is often lower than the storm’s landfall category elsewhere. NOAA splits this state into coastal zones; the strongest zone category is shown.

Year	Month	Name	Category in Florida	Highest US category	Pressure	Max wind
2024	Aug	Debby	Category 1	Cat 1	982 mb	70 kt
2024	Sep	Helene	Category 4	Cat 4	939 mb	120 kt
2024	Oct	Milton &	Category 2	Cat 2	958 mb	90 kt
2024	Oct	Milton &	Category 1	Cat 2	958 mb	90 kt
2023	Aug	Idalia	Category 3	Cat 3	950 mb	100 kt
2022	Sep	Ian	Category 4	Cat 4	941 mb	130 kt
2022	Sep	Ian (inland)	Category 1	Cat 4	941 mb	130 kt
2022	Sep	Ian	Category 1	Cat 4	941 mb	130 kt
2022	Nov	Nicole &	Tropical storm conditions	TS	980 mb	60 kt
2020	Sep	Sally	Category 2	Cat 2	965 mb	95 kt
2018	Oct	Michael	Category 5	Cat 5	919 mb	140 kt
2017	Sep	Irma	Category 4	Cat 4	931 mb	115 kt
2016	Sep	Hermine	Category 1	Cat 1	981 mb	70 kt
2016	Oct	Matthew *	Category 2	Cat 2	963 mb	85 kt
2005	Jul	Dennis	Category 3	Cat 3	946 mb	105 kt
2005	Aug	Katrina	Category 1	Cat 3	920 mb	110 kt
2005	Sep	Rita	Category 1	Cat 3	937 mb	100 kt
2005	Oct	Wilma	Category 3	Cat 3	950 mb	105 kt
2005	Oct	Wilma	Category 2	Cat 3	950 mb	105 kt
2004	Aug	Charley	Category 4	Cat 4	941 mb	130 kt
2004	Sep	Frances	Category 2	Cat 2	960 mb	90 kt
2004	Sep	Ivan	Category 3	Cat 3	946 mb	105 kt
2004	Sep	Jeanne	Category 3	Cat 3	950 mb	105 kt
1999	Oct	Irene *	Category 1	Cat 2	964 mb	95 kt
1998	Sep	Earl	Category 1	Cat 1	987 mb	70 kt
1998	Sep	Georges	Category 2	Cat 2	964 mb	90 kt
1995	Aug	Erin	Category 2	Cat 2	973 mb	85 kt
1995	Oct	Opal	Category 3	Cat 3	942 mb	100 kt
1992	Aug	Andrew	Category 5	Cat 5	922 mb	145 kt
1987	Oct	Floyd	Category 1	Cat 1	993 mb	65 kt
1985	Sep	Elena	Category 3	Cat 3	959 mb	100 kt
1985	Nov	Kate	Category 2	Cat 2	967 mb	85 kt
1979	Sep	David	Category 2	Cat 2	970 mb	n/a
1975	Sep	Eloise	Category 3	Cat 3	955 mb	n/a
1972	Jun	Agnes	Category 1	Cat 1	980 mb	n/a
1968	Oct	Gladys	Category 2	Cat 2	978 mb	85 kt
1966	Jun	Alma *	Category 2	Cat 3	962 mb	100 kt
1966	Oct	Inez	Category 2	Cat 2	984 mb	85 kt
1965	Sep	Betsy	Category 3	Cat 4	946 mb	115 kt
1964	Aug	Cleo	Category 2	Cat 2	968 mb	95 kt
1964	Sep	Dora	Category 2	Cat 2	966 mb	95 kt
1964	Oct	Isbell	Category 2	Cat 2	970 mb	90 kt
1960	Sep	Donna	Category 4	Cat 4	930 mb	125 kt
1956	Sep	Flossy	Category 1	Cat 1	974 mb	80 kt
1953	Sep	Florence	Category 1	Cat 1	975 mb	80 kt
1953	Oct	Hazel	Category 1	Cat 1	980 mb	75 kt
1950	Aug	Baker	Category 1	Cat 1	979 mb	75 kt
1950	Sep	Easy	Category 3	Cat 3	960 mb	105 kt
1950	Oct	King	Category 4	Cat 4	955 mb	115 kt
1949	Aug	Unnamed	Category 4	Cat 4	954 mb	115 kt
1948	Sep	Unnamed	Category 4	Cat 4	940 mb	115 kt
1948	Oct	Unnamed	Category 2	Cat 2	963 mb	90 kt
1947	Sep	Unnamed	Category 4	Cat 4	943 mb	115 kt
1947	Oct	Unnamed	Category 1	Cat 2	965 mb	90 kt
1946	Oct	Unnamed	Category 1	Cat 1	980 mb	75 kt
1945	Jun	Unnamed	Category 1	Cat 1	985 mb	70 kt
1945	Sep	Unnamed	Category 4	Cat 4	949 mb	115 kt
1944	Oct	Unnamed	Category 3	Cat 3	949 mb	105 kt
1941	Oct	Unnamed	Category 2	Cat 2	980 mb	85 kt
1939	Aug	Unnamed	Category 1	Cat 1	985 mb	65 kt
1936	Jul	Unnamed	Category 2	Cat 2	964 mb	90 kt
1935	Sep	Labor Day	Category 5	Cat 5	892 mb	160 kt
1935	Nov	Unnamed	Category 2	Cat 2	965 mb	85 kt
1933	Sep	Unnamed	Category 3	Cat 3	948 mb	110 kt
1932	Sep	Unnamed	Category 1	Cat 1	979 mb	75 kt
1928	Aug	Unnamed	Category 2	Cat 2	977 mb	85 kt
1928	Sep	Lake Okeechobee	Category 4	Cat 4	929 mb	125 kt
1926	Jul	Unnamed	Category 2	Cat 2	967 mb	90 kt
1926	Sep	Great Miami	Category 4	Cat 4	930 mb	125 kt
1926	Oct	Unnamed *	Category 1	Cat 1	949 mb	75 kt
1924	Sep	Unnamed	Category 1	Cat 1	980 mb	75 kt
1924	Oct	Unnamed	Category 1	Cat 1	975 mb	80 kt
1921	Oct	Tampa Bay	Category 3	Cat 3	958 mb	100 kt
1919	Sep	Unnamed	Category 4	Cat 4	927 mb	130 kt
1917	Sep	Unnamed	Category 3	Cat 3	949 mb	100 kt
1916	Jul	Unnamed	Category 2	Cat 3	950 mb	105 kt
1916	Oct	Unnamed	Category 2	Cat 2	970 mb	95 kt
1915	Aug	Unnamed	Category 1	Cat 1	990 mb	65 kt
1915	Sep	Unnamed	Category 1	Cat 1	982 mb	80 kt
1912	Sep	Unnamed	Category 1	Cat 1	986 mb	65 kt
1911	Aug	Unnamed	Category 1	Cat 1	982 mb	70 kt
1910	Oct	Unnamed	Category 2	Cat 2	955 mb	95 kt
1909	Oct	Unnamed	Category 3	Cat 3	957 mb	100 kt
1906	Jun	Unnamed	Category 1	Cat 1	979 mb	75 kt
1906	Sep	Unnamed	Category 2	Cat 2	958 mb	95 kt
1906	Oct	Unnamed	Category 3	Cat 3	953 mb	105 kt
1904	Oct	Unnamed	Category 1	Cat 1	985 mb	70 kt
1903	Sep	Unnamed	Category 1	Cat 1	974 mb	80 kt
1899	Aug	Unnamed	Category 2	Cat 2	979 mb	85 kt
1898	Aug	Unnamed	Category 1	Cat 1	982 mb	70 kt
1898	Oct	Unnamed	Category 2	Cat 4	938 mb	115 kt
1896	Jul	Unnamed	Category 2	Cat 2	970 mb	85 kt
1896	Sep	Unnamed	Category 3	Cat 3	960 mb	110 kt
1894	Sep	Unnamed	Category 2	Cat 2	975 mb	90 kt
1894	Oct	Unnamed	Category 3	Cat 3	950 mb	105 kt
1893	Aug	Sea Islands	Category 1	Cat 3	954 mb	100 kt
1891	Aug	Unnamed	Category 1	Cat 1	985 mb	70 kt
1888	Aug	Unnamed	Category 3	Cat 3	945 mb	110 kt
1888	Oct	Unnamed	Category 2	Cat 2	970 mb	95 kt
1887	Jul	Unnamed	Category 1	Cat 1	978 mb	75 kt
1886	Jun	Unnamed	Category 2	Cat 2	970 mb	85 kt
1886	Jun	Unnamed	Category 2	Cat 2	970 mb	85 kt
1886	Jul	Unnamed	Category 1	Cat 1	982 mb	70 kt
1885	Aug	Unnamed	Category 1	Cat 2	970 mb	90 kt
1882	Sep	Unnamed	Category 3	Cat 3	949 mb	110 kt
1882	Oct	Unnamed	Category 1	Cat 1	985 mb	70 kt
1880	Aug	Unnamed	Category 2	Cat 2	972 mb	90 kt
1880	Oct	Unnamed	Category 1	Cat 1	982 mb	70 kt
1878	Sep	Unnamed	Category 2	Cat 2	970 mb	90 kt
1877	Sep	Unnamed	Category 1	Cat 1	982 mb	70 kt
1877	Oct	Unnamed	Category 3	Cat 3	955 mb	100 kt
1876	Oct	Unnamed	Category 2	Cat 2	973 mb	90 kt
1874	Sep	Unnamed	Category 1	Cat 1	981 mb	80 kt
1873	Sep	Unnamed	Category 1	Cat 1	982 mb	70 kt
1873	Oct	Unnamed	Category 3	Cat 3	959 mb	100 kt
1871	Aug	Unnamed	Category 3	Cat 3	955 mb	100 kt
1871	Aug	Unnamed	Category 2	Cat 2	965 mb	90 kt
1871	Sep	Unnamed	Category 1	Cat 1	982 mb	70 kt
1870	Oct	Twin Key West (I) *	Category 1	Cat 1	970 mb	70 kt
1870	Oct	Twin Key West (II)	Category 1	Cat 1	977 mb	80 kt
1867	Oct	Galveston	Category 1	Cat 2	965 mb	90 kt
1865	Oct	Unnamed	Category 2	Cat 2	969 mb	90 kt
1861	Aug	Key West *	Category 1	Cat 1	978 mb	70 kt
1859	Sep	Unnamed	Category 1	Cat 1	982 mb	70 kt
1859	Oct	Unnamed	Category 1	Cat 1	974 mb	80 kt
1856	Aug	Southeastern States	Category 2	Cat 2	965 mb	90 kt
1854	Sep	Great Carolina	Category 1	Cat 3	950 mb	100 kt
1852	Aug	Great Mobile	Category 2	Cat 3	961 mb	100 kt
1852	Sep	Unnamed	Category 1	Cat 1	982 mb	70 kt
1852	Oct	Middle Florida	Category 2	Cat 2	965 mb	90 kt
1851	Aug	Great Middle Florida	Category 3	Cat 3	955 mb	100 kt

& center made landfall but the strongest winds likely stayed offshore. * no US landfall of the center, but hurricane-force winds over land. Flags and wording are NOAA AOML’s own. “(inland)” marks AOML’s I-prefix entries: hurricane conditions reaching a state whose coast the center did not strike.

How complete is this record?

“Because of the sparseness of towns and cities before 1900 in some coastal locations along the United States, the above list is not complete for all states. Before the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic coasts became settled, hurricanes may have been underestimated in their intensity or missed completely for small-sized systems (i.e., 2004's Hurricane Charley).”NOAA Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory, Hurricane Research Division, source

NOAA AOML estimates reliable records begin around 1880 for north Florida and around 1900 for south Florida; earlier decades are likely incomplete.

Wrecked wooden houses collapsed into fields of splintered debris after the 1900 Galveston hurricane — Galveston, Texas after the September 1900 hurricane, the deadliest natural disaster in US history and the first entry most people know in the strike list this page reproduces. The oldest entries in NOAA's record for Florida sit in living memory of this photograph. “Wrecked Houses in the Aftermath of the Galveston Hurricane of 1900” — SMU Central University Libraries — Public domain

Reading the table

What the categories mean, and how they land in Florida

NHC’s definitions, in its own words: a tropical storm has maximum sustained winds of 39 to 73 mph, a hurricane 74 mph or higher, and a major hurricane 111 mph or higher, corresponding to Category 3, 4 or 5 on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. Category measures wind only: water, historically the deadlier hazard, is not in the number, which is one more reason a history page must never stand in for the National Hurricane Center during a real storm.

Cat 1

Cat 2

Cat 3

Cat 4

Cat 5

Hurricane strikes on Florida by NOAA-attributed category in this state, 1851 to 2025.

A car left tipped onto a chain link fence by Hurricane Camille storm surge in Biloxi, Mississippi — Hurricane Camille's storm surge left this car on a fence in Biloxi, Mississippi in August 1969. NOAA photograph. Camille is one of the very few Category 5 entries in the landfall list this page reproduces. “Camille Biloxi Car” — NOAA — Public domain

Common questions

Florida hurricane season FAQ

When is hurricane season in Florida?

How often does Florida get hit by hurricanes?

What was the strongest hurricane to hit Florida?

When was the last hurricane to hit Florida?

Has a hurricane ever hit Florida in November?

Is a hurricane coming to Florida right now?

What do hurricane categories actually measure?

Wind, and only wind. NHC defines a hurricane as a tropical cyclone with maximum sustained winds of 74 mph or higher, and a major hurricane as 111 mph or higher (Category 3, 4 or 5 on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale). Storm surge and rainfall flooding are not part of the category, which is one reason the category of an approaching storm never tells the whole story and official guidance does.

Keep planning

More for the Florida coast

Florida beach conditionsLive rip current and surf risk from the National Weather Service, reproduced as issued.Florida mosquito forecastThe weeks after a tropical system are peak mosquito weeks. Timing and risk by state.Hurricane season nationwideSeason dates, the September 10 peak, and strike history for every coastal state.

Hurricane season by state

Hurricane season by month

Strike counts and categories are reproduced from NOAA AOML’s continental US hurricane landfall list (Revised in March 2026 to add in the 2025 season) and NOAA HURDAT2. Season dates and peak are NHC’s, quoted. These are historical records and season climatology. For a live forecast or watch: nhc.noaa.gov.
Hero image: “Katrina 2005-08-28 2245Z” — U.S. Navy / Naval Research Laboratory — Public domain