Discover the 5 Most Hurricane-Prone Places in Florida

It doesn’t matter where you live in Florida, there is always a risk of being hit by a hurricane, especially during hurricane season. Hurricane season in Florida runs from June 1 until November 30. Every season is different, however, June is typically the lowest-risk month. While hurricanes affect all cities in Florida, some are more affected than others. In this article, we are going to discuss the five most hurricane-prone places in Florida.

Are Hurricanes Common in Florida?

Hurricanes are very common in Florida. However, every hurricane season is different and not all hurricanes in Florida hit the state directly. Still, high winds and a lot of rain can cause damage. In Florida, a hurricane hits about once every 1.5 to 3 years. Currently, 120 hurricanes have hit the state since 1851. Florida happens to be the perfect size and shape for hurricane impacts. This is because Florida is long, but not wide, meaning the entire state can feel the effects of a large storm. Florida’s coastline is about 1,350 miles long, not including some Florida islands.

The 5 Most Hurricane-Prone Places in Florida

No matter where you go in Florida, you’ll still feel the effects of a hurricane. But, some cities have been hit more frequently or harder than others. Keep reading to learn more about the 5 most hurricane-prone places in Florida.

Miami

Starting our list of the most hurricane-prone places in Florida is Miami. You’ll notice that all the places on this list are coastal cities. This is because coastal cities sustain more damage. Miami is a bright and bustling city with a population of about 450,000. The surface area of the city is 55.27 square miles.

Miami gets affected by a hurricane every 1.97 years and is directly hit about every 5 years. Hurricanes are most common in September, but they can happen as early as May. One of the worst hurricanes to hit Mami was in 1926. This hurricane killed between 325 and 800 people. Hurricane Cleo also caused destruction and heartache when in 1961, it struck Miami causing at least 24 fires.

Tampa

The next hurricane-prone Florida city on our list is Tampa. However, unlike Miami, direct hits are rare in Tampa. There have been many times when predictions showed hurricanes moving into Florida from Tampa, but this hasn’t happened in over 100 years. Still, the city is frequently affected by rain and wind from passing hurricanes, which causes flooding.

The worst hurricane to ever hit Tampa was the Tampa Bay hurricane of 1921. This category 4 storm hit Florida as a 3. This massive storm caused over $10 million in damage and led to the deaths of at least 8 people. Four of these deaths were in Tampa.

Key West

Like Miami, Key West is no stranger to hurricanes. However, direct hits aren’t common. Still, this hurricane-prone island sustains damage from passing hurricanes. The Keys sustains damage likely because of its size. Key West’s surface area is 7.209 square miles. The Great Labor Day Hurricane was one of the worst hurricanes to affect Key West. In this massive storm, about 400 people lost their lives. The people in the Keys were also isolated from mainland Florida because miles of railroad were destroyed. 

More recently, Hurricane Ian also extremely affected Key West. This category 4 storm made landfall near Naples, FL. Still, many neighborhoods in Key West suffered extensive damage after seawater flooded the area. 

Fort Lauderdale

Sometimes Fort Lauderdale also gets hit hard by hurricanes. Fort Lauderdale is north of Miami. It’s been hit with about 17 major hurricanes, causing a lot of flooding and damage. One of these major hurricanes was the 1947 Fort Lauderdale hurricane. It was the fourth tropical cyclone of the year and reached category 4. The hurricane formed on September 4, 1947, and dissipated more than two weeks later on September 20, 1947.

The highest recorded winds for this storm was 145 mph. Sadly, this major storm resulted in the loss of about 51 lives. It impacted Florida, the Bahamas, Louisiana, and Mississippi. Affected areas saw damages up to $110 million.

Naples

The last hurricane-prone place on our list is Naples, another southern Florida city. Naples is in the southwest, underneath Fort Myers, and has a surface area of 16.4 square miles. Flooding is a big issue in Naples. Over 200,000 residents in the city are at risk for flooding. This city was struck by Hurricane Irma in 2017. At its strongest, it was a category 5. The highest winds were 142 mph and recorded near Naples Airport.

Naples sustained a lot of wind and water damage. Some buildings were destroyed and swept away. The storm was dangerous and left thousands without power.

Summary of the 5 Most Hurricane-Prone Places in Florida

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