More storms hit Florida than any other U.S. state, and since 1851 only eighteen hurricane seasons passed without a known storm impacting the state. Collectively, cyclones that hit the region have resulted in over 10,000 deaths. The cumulative impact from the storms has totaled over 300 billion in damage (2018 dollars), primarily from Hurricane Andrew, Hurricane Irma and Hurricane Ian in the 1992, 2017, and 2022 seasons respectively.

Hurricanes that have made landfall in Florida for the past 100 years

Florida’s exposure to the warm currents of the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico makes it especially vulnerable to severe storms and hurricanes. Warm surface water is natural fuel for hurricanes and cause them to grow strong, enduring, and destructive.

Florida’s hurricane season, which lasts approximately six months (from June 1 to November 30) can bring about catastrophic damage. Once a hurricane hits land, its impact is multifaceted and manifests as:

 Strong winds:

Hurricane winds can exceed 155 miles per hour and are powerful enough to destroy mobile homes, trees, and power lines. Any door or window that breaks or gets blown open and allows high winds to enter, increases the chance of the roof being blown off and heavy rains to enter. Impact resistance windows is a pricier alternative to putting up and taking down shutters in high winds, heat, and humidity. Hurricane hardened doors, including the outside garage door are a necessity.

hurricane force winds are usually strongest in the area where a hurricane makes landfall, so living along the coast is where this threat is the greatest.

As hurricanes move inland, they can no longer feed off of the warm water of the Gulf of Mexico or Atlantic Ocean, and so they lose strength. This causes the hurricane to become downgraded as it moves inland. As a hurricane’s winds diminish, so does its ability to cause damage.

 Storm surge:

Is an increase in sea level caused by severe winds. A wall of water that is carried onto land. The height of this wall can be higher than your roof. Tidal surge is storm surge plus the normal astronomical tide (such as high tide) that occurs. Many hurricane-related deaths are caused by drowning in storm surge. There is nothing that can be done to protect a home from storm surge except to live far enough away from the coast to be affected.

 Flooding:

Hurricanes typically produce intense rainfall, which in turn leads to dangerous flooding on land. Heavy rains can affect areas far away from where a hurricane will make landfall, and long before it arrives.

Every year, there are homes that are not in designated flood zones but are damaged by flood water causing them to be included in special hazard areas when flood zone mapping is updated. This will cause the homeowners to be required to carry flood insurance if they have a mortgage, which could then make the home unaffordable and more difficult to sell.

Blackouts:

Loss of electrical power because of downed trees, power lines and damage to the grid, homes far from where most of the destruction happened can be without power for days, weeks or months. Not having hot water or air conditioning during hot muggy weather, or a working refrigerator, lights, cable, TV, or internet connection will make a miserable existence.

While all of Florida is prone to experiencing severe weather, some areas are more susceptible to a direct hurricane strike than others. Generally, cities along the coast are more likely to suffer hurricane damage than inland cities.

Southeast Florida (Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach)’s population density low elevation and proximity to the Atlantic Ocean makes it particularly susceptible to high hurricane damages. The heavy rain and storm surge that accompanies hurricanes can lead to catastrophic consequences, such as what the area experienced after the Great Miami Hurricane of 1926.

More recently, Miami-Dade County was impacted by Hurricane Irma, which heavily damaged roughly 1,000 homes in the county and killed five residents.

No other place in Florida is as exposed and isolated as the Florida Keys. The islands are at high risk of life-threatening storm surges and are typically avoided by tourists during peak hurricane season (mid-August to mid-September).

The most destructive hurricane to ever hit the Florida Keys was 2017’s Hurricane Irma, which was one of the most powerful Atlantic hurricanes in history and devastated many small communities within the archipelago.

Tampa is susceptible to hurricanes mainly due to its bay, which is shallow and can result in a rapid buildup of storm surge that could overwhelm seawalls and draining infrastructure.

Hurricane Ian pulled the water out of Tampa Bay

Luckily, the last time Tampa was severely hit by a hurricane was in 1921 when the Tampa Bay Hurricane, a Category 3 storm, hit the area causing around $29 million in damage.

Southwest Florida is no stranger to tropical storms and hurricanes. In 2017, Hurricane Irma was the worst hurricane to hit the area, causing severe winds and significant storm surge. Other storms over the past several decades, like Hurricane Andrew in 1992, Hurricane Charley in 2004 and Hurricane Wilma in 2005, unleashed significant destructive energy on local communities like Fort Myers Beach and Collier County.

Jacksonville’s proximity to the Atlantic Ocean and population density makes the city extremely vulnerable to property damage. The nearly one million people living within Jacksonville’s city limits makes it the most populous city in Florida. The city’s lack of an adequate water drainage system is also a big problem, as without an efficient drainage system the city is at risk of extreme flooding.

The Florida Panhandle has been one of the most active centers for severe storm activity in Florida in recent years, suffering a major storm approximately every two years. One of the most powerful and destructive hurricanes to ever hit the Panhandle was Hurricane Michael, which struck the area in the fall of 2018. The Category 5 hurricane caused many Panhandle residents to lose power, with some outages lasting several weeks.

Hurricanes are not very dangerous when compared to the acceptable auto accident death rate.

The period from 2000 to 2023 tropical storms were directly responsible for only 615 fatalities for all of Florida.

Compare that to Florida auto accident fatalities for the same period: over 70,000 plus 5 million injuries. We don’t worry about driving, why the fear of hurricanes? Of course, evacuations dealing with traffic have a lot to do with minimizing hurricane fatalities.

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Link to view Chapter 1 “Evacuations and Hurricanes” from RON STACK book “FLORIDA Move Guide”: click here