Monroe County, Florida Hurricane History

No active tropical cyclones are within 500 miles of Monroe County, Florida as of Thursday, 10 September 2026. Official forecasts at nhc.noaa.gov.

Since 1865, 62 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of Monroe County, Florida — about one every 2.6 years. Of those, 27 were at hurricane strength at their closest approach. The most recent was Eta (2020), which passed 44 miles away on 9 November 2020.

Storms within 50 mi

At hurricane strength

2.6

Avg. years between

Years since the last

Storm tracks within 50 miles

TS / TDCat 1Cat 2Cat 3Cat 4Cat 5

Each line is one storm track, coloured by the strongest category it reached while within 50 miles. The dashed ring marks that 50-mile radius; hairlines are one-degree graticule. Source: NOAA NHC HURDAT2.

How strong they get

Cat 5 · 2Cat 4 · 5Cat 3 · 7Cat 2 · 5Cat 1 · 10TS / TD · 33

The 62 storms by the strongest category each reached while within 50 miles. 2 of them reached Cat 5.

Key facts

Most recentEta (2020) — 44 mi away, 9 November 2020
Strongest stormUnnamed Storm (1935) — 160 kt (184 mph) at its strongest within 50 miles
Closest pass on recordUnnamed Storm (1936) — 1.7 miles
Closest major hurricane (Cat 3+)Andrew (1992) — 7.8 miles
Passes within 25 miles37 of 62
Peak monthSeptember and October — 18 storms (29% of all)
Most active year1878 — 3 storms
Most active decade1940s and 1960s — 6 storms
Major hurricanes (Cat 3+) within 50 mi14
Record span1865–2020

When storms arrive

JFMAMJJASOND

Storms by month of closest approach; the peak is highlighted and labelled. In Monroe County, Florida, September and October are tied as the most active months, with 18 of the 62 recorded storms (29%). The primary season runs August to October, accounting for 79% of all activity. The 1940s and 1960s are tied as the most active decades on record, with 6 storms. 14 of the 62 storms were major hurricanes (Category 3 or stronger) while within 50 miles.

J	F	M	A	M	J	J	A	S	O	N	D
0	0	0	0	1	5	5	13	18	18	2	0

Activity by decade

19002000

Tropical cyclones passing within 50 miles, by decade, 1860s to 2020s. Decades with no storms are shown as empty columns. Comparing two equal 38-year windows inside the aircraft-reconnaissance era: 16 storms in 1950–1987 against 12 in 1988–2025.

1860s	1870s	1880s	1890s	1900s	1910s	1920s	1930s	1940s	1950s	1960s	1970s	1980s	1990s	2000s	2010s	2020s
1	4	3	5	4	2	4	5	6	5	6	3	2	3	4	3	2

Every tropical or subtropical cyclone within 50 miles

Storm	Closest approach	Distance	Status	Wind
Eta (2020)	9 Nov 2020	44.0 mi	TS / TD	55 kt
Sally (2020)	12 Sep 2020	4.6 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Gordon (2018)	3 Sep 2018	19.0 mi	TS / TD	46 kt
Irma (2017)	10 Sep 2017	41.4 mi	Cat 3	103 kt
Bonnie (2010)	23 Jul 2010	12.1 mi	TS / TD	31 kt
Fay (2008)	19 Aug 2008	42.0 mi	TS / TD	55 kt
Ernesto (2006)	30 Aug 2006	9.8 mi	TS / TD	38 kt
Wilma (2005)	24 Oct 2005	38.0 mi	Cat 3	100 kt
Katrina (2005)	26 Aug 2005	3.7 mi	Cat 1	67 kt
Irene (1999)	15 Oct 1999	6.7 mi	Cat 1	69 kt
Harvey (1999)	21 Sep 1999	33.2 mi	TS / TD	48 kt
Andrew (1992)	24 Aug 1992	7.8 mi	Cat 4	125 kt
Floyd (1987)	12 Oct 1987	44.4 mi	Cat 1	65 kt
Dennis (1981)	17 Aug 1981	11.1 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Dottie (1976)	19 Aug 1976	9.7 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Dawn (1972)	5 Sep 1972	32.6 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1971)	30 Aug 1971	16.6 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Unnamed Storm (1968)	27 Sep 1968	6.8 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Brenda (1968)	18 Jun 1968	17.3 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Betsy (1965)	8 Sep 1965	36.0 mi	Cat 3	100 kt
Isbell (1964)	14 Oct 1964	27.8 mi	Cat 2	90 kt
Florence (1960)	23 Sep 1960	15.8 mi	TS / TD	29 kt
Donna (1960)	10 Sep 1960	23.9 mi	Cat 3	112 kt
Unnamed Storm (1956)	16 Oct 1956	26.4 mi	TS / TD	55 kt
Unnamed Storm (1954)	18 Jun 1954	15.9 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Unnamed Storm (1953)	29 Aug 1953	49.9 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Unnamed Storm (1953)	11 Jul 1953	39.5 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
King (1950)	18 Oct 1950	49.9 mi	Cat 4	115 kt
Unnamed Storm (1948)	5 Oct 1948	28.4 mi	Cat 2	88 kt
Unnamed Storm (1948)	22 Sep 1948	20.1 mi	Cat 4	115 kt
Unnamed Storm (1947)	12 Oct 1947	6.0 mi	Cat 1	78 kt
Unnamed Storm (1947)	17 Sep 1947	40.1 mi	Cat 2	95 kt
Unnamed Storm (1945)	15 Sep 1945	20.2 mi	Cat 3	104 kt
Unnamed Storm (1941)	6 Oct 1941	15.9 mi	Cat 1	75 kt
Unnamed Storm (1936)	29 Jul 1936	1.7 mi	TS / TD	50 kt
Unnamed Storm (1936)	15 Jun 1936	18.9 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1935)	4 Nov 1935	11.3 mi	Cat 1	72 kt
Unnamed Storm (1935)	3 Sep 1935	24.1 mi	Cat 5	152 kt
Unnamed Storm (1932)	30 Aug 1932	6.2 mi	TS / TD	53 kt
Unnamed Storm (1929)	28 Sep 1929	29.7 mi	Cat 2	93 kt
Unnamed Storm (1928)	13 Aug 1928	44.8 mi	TS / TD	60 kt
Unnamed Storm (1926)	18 Sep 1926	22.1 mi	Cat 3	108 kt
Unnamed Storm (1924)	21 Oct 1924	21.7 mi	Cat 1	70 kt
Unnamed Storm (1916)	25 Aug 1916	41.5 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1916)	14 May 1916	9.1 mi	TS / TD	38 kt
Unnamed Storm (1907)	18 Sep 1907	9.1 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1906)	18 Oct 1906	28.2 mi	Cat 3	105 kt
Unnamed Storm (1906)	17 Jun 1906	31.9 mi	Cat 1	75 kt
Unnamed Storm (1904)	20 Oct 1904	6.1 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Unnamed Storm (1899)	30 Jul 1899	17.0 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Unnamed Storm (1895)	16 Oct 1895	17.9 mi	TS / TD	34 kt
Unnamed Storm (1892)	11 Jun 1892	14.8 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Unnamed Storm (1891)	7 Oct 1891	8.0 mi	TS / TD	42 kt
Unnamed Storm (1891)	24 Aug 1891	4.7 mi	TS / TD	52 kt
Unnamed Storm (1889)	6 Oct 1889	16.4 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1888)	23 Sep 1888	47.3 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Unnamed Storm (1888)	16 Aug 1888	40.9 mi	Cat 2	90 kt
Unnamed Storm (1878)	21 Oct 1878	49.2 mi	Cat 1	70 kt
Unnamed Storm (1878)	8 Sep 1878	7.7 mi	TS / TD	55 kt
Unnamed Storm (1878)	2 Jul 1878	45.0 mi	TS / TD	33 kt
Unnamed Storm (1876)	20 Oct 1876	27.8 mi	Cat 2	90 kt
Unnamed Storm (1865)	23 Oct 1865	11.1 mi	Cat 2	88 kt

Post-tropical and extratropical passes

A further 4 systems passed within 50 miles after losing tropical characteristics. These are excluded from the counts above because they were no longer tropical cyclones at their closest approach — but several were highly damaging, so they are listed here.

Storm	Status	Closest approach	Distance	Wind
Ivan (2004)	Post-tropical	21 Sep 2004	19.7 mi	25 kt
Ana (1991)	Remnant low	30 Jun 1991	29.6 mi	20 kt
Unnamed Storm (1952)	Remnant low	3 Feb 1952	14.1 mi	52 kt
Unnamed Storm (1916)	Post-tropical	15 Nov 1916	29.0 mi	51 kt

About this data. Computed from NOAA's HURDAT2 Atlantic and Northeast Pacific hurricane databases (hurdat2-1851-2025-02272026.txt), covering 1865–2025. Tracks are recorded every six hours and are interpolated to one-hour steps before distances are measured, so closest-approach figures are not distorted by the sampling interval. Distances are measured to the county's Census internal point, not to its nearest boundary, so a storm listed at 55 miles may still have crossed the coastline — see Methodology. Records before about 1900 are sparser and less precise than modern ones, and storms that stayed at sea were less likely to be recorded at all.

How Monroe County, Florida compares

Among the 2,208 U.S. counties and county-equivalents that have recorded at least one tropical cyclone within 50 miles, Monroe County, Florida ranks #98 — more exposed than 95.6% of them. Within Florida it ranks #43 of 67, against a state average of 63.4 storms per county.

Notable storms

Cat 5 Unnamed Storm (1935) passed 24 miles away on 3 September 1935 as a hurricane, reaching 160 kt (184 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 5 Andrew (1992) passed 8 miles away on 24 August 1992 as a hurricane, reaching 145 kt (167 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 4 Unnamed Storm (1926) passed 22 miles away on 18 September 1926 as a hurricane, reaching 125 kt (144 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 4 Donna (1960) passed 24 miles away on 10 September 1960 as a hurricane, reaching 123 kt (142 mph) while within 50 miles.

53 of the 62 storms made a documented landfall somewhere along their track.

How often to expect a storm

A return interval of 2.6 years does not mean storms arrive on a schedule. It is simply 62 storms spread over the 161 years from 1865 to 2025. 15 separate years saw more than one storm pass within 50 miles while stretches of a decade or more have passed with none. The longest recorded quiet stretch was 11 years, between 1865 and 1876. It has been 5 years since the last one; 8 of the 45 gaps in this record were longer than that.

Common questions

How many hurricanes have hit Monroe County, Florida?

27 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of Monroe County, Florida at hurricane strength since 1865. Counting all tropical cyclones — including tropical storms and depressions — the total is 62.

When was the last hurricane in Monroe County, Florida?

Irma (2017), on 10 September 2017, passing 41 miles away — 9 years ago. The most recent tropical cyclone of any strength was Eta (2020) in 2020.

What was the strongest storm to affect Monroe County, Florida?

Unnamed Storm (1935), which reached 160 kt (184 mph) while within 50 miles; its closest approach was 24 miles.

How often do hurricanes hit Monroe County, Florida?

On average, one tropical cyclone passes within 50 miles every 2.6 years — 62 storms over the 161 years from 1865 to 2025, the end of the HURDAT2 record. That is a historical average, not a schedule or a forecast.

Nearby counties

Monroe County, Florida borders or sits close to 4 other counties with a published storm record. Broward County, Florida has 70 on record.

Broward County, Florida70 storms within 50 mi Collier County, Florida68 storms within 50 mi Hendry County, Florida66 storms within 50 mi Miami-Dade County, Florida64 storms within 50 mi