Okeechobee County, Florida Hurricane History

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

Since 1859, 67 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of Okeechobee County, Florida — about one every 2.5 years. Of those, 20 were at hurricane strength at their closest approach. The most recent was Nicole (2022), which passed 27 miles away on 10 November 2022.

Storms within 50 mi

At hurricane strength

2.5

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 4 · 1Cat 3 · 4Cat 2 · 9Cat 1 · 6TS / TD · 47

The 67 storms by the strongest category each reached while within 50 miles. 1 of them reached Cat 4.

Key facts

Most recentNicole (2022) — 27 mi away, 10 November 2022
Strongest stormUnnamed Storm (1928) — 116 kt (133 mph) at its strongest within 50 miles
Closest pass on recordUnnamed Storm (1946) — 1.3 miles
Closest major hurricane (Cat 3+)Jeanne (2004) — 4.3 miles
Passes within 25 miles36 of 67
Peak monthAugust — 19 storms (28% of all)
Most active year1909 — 3 storms
Most active decade1960s — 8 storms
Major hurricanes (Cat 3+) within 50 mi5
Record span1859–2022

When storms arrive

JFMAMJJASOND

Storms by month of closest approach; the peak is highlighted and labelled. In Okeechobee County, Florida, August is the most active month, with 19 of the 67 recorded storms (28%). The primary season runs August to October, accounting for 76% of all activity. The 1960s was the most active decade on record, with 8 storms. 5 of the 67 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	4	19	14	18	6	0

Activity by decade

19002000

Tropical cyclones passing within 50 miles, by decade, 1850s to 2020s. Decades with no storms are shown as empty columns. Comparing two equal 38-year windows inside the aircraft-reconnaissance era: 24 storms in 1950–1987 against 14 in 1988–2025.

1850s	1860s	1870s	1880s	1890s	1900s	1910s	1920s	1930s	1940s	1950s	1960s	1970s	1980s	1990s	2000s	2010s	2020s
1	1	5	2	4	5	2	3	3	3	7	8	3	7	5	4	2	2

Every tropical or subtropical cyclone within 50 miles

Storm	Closest approach	Distance	Status	Wind
Nicole (2022)	10 Nov 2022	27.0 mi	TS / TD	62 kt
Ian (2022)	29 Sep 2022	24.9 mi	Cat 1	71 kt
Emily (2017)	1 Aug 2017	16.3 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Julia (2016)	13 Sep 2016	32.4 mi	TS / TD	32 kt
Fay (2008)	19 Aug 2008	3.5 mi	TS / TD	56 kt
Ernesto (2006)	30 Aug 2006	3.6 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Jeanne (2004)	26 Sep 2004	4.3 mi	Cat 2	88 kt
Frances (2004)	5 Sep 2004	5.7 mi	Cat 1	77 kt
Irene (1999)	16 Oct 1999	45.0 mi	Cat 1	65 kt
Mitch (1998)	5 Nov 1998	44.2 mi	TS / TD	54 kt
Jerry (1995)	24 Aug 1995	9.6 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Erin (1995)	2 Aug 1995	33.4 mi	Cat 1	67 kt
Gordon (1994)	16 Nov 1994	3.0 mi	TS / TD	48 kt
Keith (1988)	23 Nov 1988	43.6 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Bob (1985)	24 Jul 1985	35.0 mi	TS / TD	42 kt
Unnamed Storm (1984)	26 Oct 1984	16.4 mi	TS / TD	26 kt
Isidore (1984)	27 Sep 1984	6.5 mi	TS / TD	45 kt
Barry (1983)	25 Aug 1983	31.7 mi	TS / TD	29 kt
Dennis (1981)	18 Aug 1981	7.0 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Unnamed Storm (1981)	2 Jul 1981	29.9 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
David (1979)	3 Sep 1979	36.1 mi	Cat 2	85 kt
Unnamed Storm (1976)	11 Jun 1976	45.6 mi	TS / TD	21 kt
Unnamed Storm (1971)	13 Aug 1971	20.1 mi	TS / TD	20 kt
Jenny (1969)	3 Oct 1969	23.5 mi	TS / TD	31 kt
Gerda (1969)	7 Sep 1969	13.6 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Dolly (1968)	10 Aug 1968	25.8 mi	TS / TD	32 kt
Brenda (1968)	19 Jun 1968	22.3 mi	TS / TD	28 kt
Abby (1968)	4 Jun 1968	39.6 mi	TS / TD	45 kt
Cleo (1964)	27 Aug 1964	19.9 mi	TS / TD	52 kt
Alma (1962)	26 Aug 1962	41.4 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Florence (1960)	24 Sep 1960	12.9 mi	TS / TD	43 kt
Judith (1959)	18 Oct 1959	32.1 mi	TS / TD	48 kt
Unnamed Storm (1956)	16 Oct 1956	12.1 mi	TS / TD	53 kt
Unnamed Storm (1954)	20 Jun 1954	35.8 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Hazel (1953)	9 Oct 1953	8.7 mi	Cat 1	64 kt
Unnamed Storm (1953)	12 Jul 1953	27.0 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
How (1951)	2 Oct 1951	12.8 mi	TS / TD	48 kt
King (1950)	18 Oct 1950	12.3 mi	Cat 1	78 kt
Unnamed Storm (1949)	27 Aug 1949	16.1 mi	Cat 2	90 kt
Unnamed Storm (1948)	22 Sep 1948	41.9 mi	Cat 1	82 kt
Unnamed Storm (1946)	2 Nov 1946	1.3 mi	TS / TD	32 kt
Unnamed Storm (1939)	12 Aug 1939	7.9 mi	TS / TD	60 kt
Unnamed Storm (1933)	4 Sep 1933	4.6 mi	Cat 2	88 kt
Unnamed Storm (1933)	31 Jul 1933	19.8 mi	TS / TD	48 kt
Unnamed Storm (1928)	17 Sep 1928	18.3 mi	Cat 3	100 kt
Unnamed Storm (1928)	8 Aug 1928	26.7 mi	TS / TD	63 kt
Unnamed Storm (1921)	16 Oct 1921	26.5 mi	TS / TD	32 kt
Unnamed Storm (1916)	25 Aug 1916	8.5 mi	TS / TD	32 kt
Unnamed Storm (1916)	14 May 1916	45.6 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1909)	26 Sep 1909	45.0 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1909)	30 Aug 1909	41.3 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1909)	29 Jun 1909	14.3 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Unnamed Storm (1906)	22 Oct 1906	49.1 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1903)	12 Sep 1903	49.5 mi	TS / TD	59 kt
Unnamed Storm (1898)	2 Aug 1898	7.0 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1896)	9 Oct 1896	12.5 mi	TS / TD	38 kt
Unnamed Storm (1892)	25 Oct 1892	43.0 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1891)	7 Oct 1891	41.1 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1889)	6 Oct 1889	46.6 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1888)	8 Sep 1888	18.3 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Unnamed Storm (1876)	20 Oct 1876	18.2 mi	Cat 1	82 kt
Unnamed Storm (1873)	7 Oct 1873	11.8 mi	Cat 2	88 kt
Unnamed Storm (1871)	25 Aug 1871	32.2 mi	Cat 2	90 kt
Unnamed Storm (1871)	17 Aug 1871	5.5 mi	Cat 2	85 kt
Unnamed Storm (1870)	21 Oct 1870	25.2 mi	Cat 1	67 kt
Unnamed Storm (1861)	1 Nov 1861	10.6 mi	TS / TD	52 kt
Unnamed Storm (1859)	18 Oct 1859	47.1 mi	TS / TD	40 kt

Post-tropical and extratropical passes

A further 3 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
Alex (2022)	Disturbance	4 Jun 2022	27.9 mi	39 kt
Unnamed Storm (1925)	Post-tropical	1 Dec 1925	10.6 mi	52 kt
Unnamed Storm (1891)	Post-tropical	10 Oct 1891	21.9 mi	30 kt

About this data. Computed from NOAA's HURDAT2 Atlantic and Northeast Pacific hurricane databases (hurdat2-1851-2025-02272026.txt), covering 1859–2025. 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 Okeechobee County, Florida compares

Among the 2,208 U.S. counties and county-equivalents that have recorded at least one tropical cyclone within 50 miles, Okeechobee County, Florida ranks #56 — more exposed than 97.5% of them. Within Florida it ranks #19 of 67, against a state average of 63.4 storms per county.

Notable storms

Cat 4 Unnamed Storm (1928) passed 18 miles away on 17 September 1928 as a hurricane, reaching 116 kt (133 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 3 Unnamed Storm (1933) passed 5 miles away on 4 September 1933 as a hurricane, reaching 110 kt (127 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 3 Jeanne (2004) passed 4 miles away on 26 September 2004 as a hurricane, reaching 105 kt (121 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 3 Unnamed Storm (1949) passed 16 miles away on 27 August 1949 as a hurricane, reaching 105 kt (121 mph) while within 50 miles.

53 of the 67 storms made a documented landfall somewhere along their track.

How often to expect a storm

A return interval of 2.5 years does not mean storms arrive on a schedule. It is simply 67 storms spread over the 167 years from 1859 to 2025. 13 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 12 years, between 1876 and 1888. It has been 3 years since the last one; 16 of the 51 gaps in this record were longer than that.

Common questions

How many hurricanes have hit Okeechobee County, Florida?

20 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of Okeechobee County, Florida at hurricane strength since 1859. Counting all tropical cyclones — including tropical storms and depressions — the total is 67.

When was the last hurricane in Okeechobee County, Florida?

Nicole (2022), on 10 November 2022, passing 27 miles away — 4 years ago. The most recent tropical cyclone of any strength was Nicole (2022) in 2022.

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

Unnamed Storm (1928), which reached 116 kt (133 mph) while within 50 miles; its closest approach was 18 miles.

How often do hurricanes hit Okeechobee County, Florida?

On average, one tropical cyclone passes within 50 miles every 2.5 years — 67 storms over the 167 years from 1859 to 2025, the end of the HURDAT2 record. That is a historical average, not a schedule or a forecast.

Nearby counties

Okeechobee County, Florida borders or sits close to 7 other counties with a published storm record. Palm Beach County, Florida has 73 on record.

Palm Beach County, Florida73 storms within 50 mi Martin County, Florida72 storms within 50 mi St. Lucie County, Florida72 storms within 50 mi Indian River County, Florida70 storms within 50 mi Glades County, Florida68 storms within 50 mi Osceola County, Florida66 storms within 50 mi Highlands County, Florida64 storms within 50 mi