When is hurricane season in Florida? (2024)

The Florida hurricane season is most active mid-summer through October. September is the most likely month for landfall hurricanes in the Sunshine State.

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Pat HowardManaging Editor & Licensed Home Insurance ExpertPat Howard is a licensed insurance expert and managing editor at Policygenius. Pat has written extensively about the home insurance industry and his insights as a subject matter expert have appeared in several top tier publications, including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, CNBC, and Reuters. Pat has a bachelor's degree in journalism from Michigan State University.&Kara McGinleySenior Editor & Licensed Home Insurance ExpertKara McGinley is a former senior editor and licensed home insurance expert at Policygenius, where she specialized in homeowners and renters insurance. As a journalist and as an insurance expert, her work and insights have been featured in Forbes Advisor, Kiplinger, Lifehacker, MSN, WRAL.com, and elsewhere.

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Michael Reynolds, CSRIC®, AIF®, CFT-I™Michael Reynolds, CSRIC®, AIF®, CFT-I™Financial AdvisorMichael Reynolds, CSRIC®, AIF®, CFT-I™, is a financial advisor, principal and founder of Elevation Financial, host of the weekly personal finance podcast Wealth Redefined®, and a member of the Financial Review Council at Policygenius.

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The Atlantic hurricane season is June 1 to November 30 every year — but the last several years were an exception for the Sunshine State — with storms starting to form around Florida by mid-May. [1] August and September are typically the most active months for tropical storms in Florida. 

During hurricane season, the Sunshine State faces greater hurricane risk than any other U.S. state. Of the 301 hurricanes that have made landfall in the U.S. since 1851, 120 have hit Florida — almost double that of Texas, the second most hurricane-prone state.

When you consider that 1,350 miles of Florida border the Gulf and Atlantic Coasts, it’s extra important for residents to prepare for hurricane season. That means creating an emergency plan, fortifying your property, and making sure you’re fully covered with home and flood insurance.

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What month does Florida have the most hurricanes?

While hurricanes can happen at any point during hurricane season, mid-August through late October is the most likely time for a hurricane to make landfall in Florida. The official peak of hurricane season is September 10. 

Going into the 2024 hurricane season, Tropical Storm Risk (TSR) — one of the industry’s most-watched hurricane forecasting teams — is predicting a very active hurricane season that's 30% above the 30-year norm. [2]  

Where do hurricanes hit the most in Florida?

Monroe County on the southwestern tip of Florida has experienced more hurricanes than any other Florida county, followed by Miami-Dade and Broward Counties to the east. In 2017, Hurricane Irma resulted in four to six feet of water in the Miami-Dade county area. [3]  

The area of the Sunshine State that experiences the least number of hurricanes is the midwestern coast. As you go farther northwest into the Panhandle, you begin to enter hurricane territory again. The Florida Panhandle has experienced 66 hurricanes in recorded history, including 14 that were a Category 3, 4, or 5. [4]

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How to prepare for hurricane season in Florida

If you’re a resident of coastal Florida, be sure to prepare yourself and your family for an impending hurricane. Hurricanes often mean severe winds and flooding, so you’ll want to make sure your house is prepared and you have the right kind of insurance coverage in place to pay for extensive property damage. 

Before the storm 

  • Have a plan for you and your family

  • Create an emergency kit with basic necessities 

  • Store important documents in a waterproof container and create digital copies

  • Sign up for community or country emergency storm alerts

  • Know your home’s flood risk 

  • Purchase flood insurance — homeowners insurance doesn’t cover flooding, so you’ll need flood insurance to cover hurricane-related flooding

  • Plan an evacuation route

During the storm

After the storm

  • Listen to local officials for information about when it’s safe to return to your home and special instructions

  • Wear protective clothing — including gloves and face coverings — while you clean up mold or other debris from your home

  • File a claim with your coastal home insurance or flood insurance provider for wind or water damage to your home

  • Document any property damage with videos and photographs

Learn more >> How to prepare for a hurricane: 9 things to do now

Insurance considerations for hurricane season in Florida

If you live in Florida, you may want to consider purchasing additional insurance to fill your home insurance coverage gaps. Florida is also one of the 19 states that requires a separate hurricane deductible. 

Here’s what you need to keep in mind about insurance in Florida during hurricane season.

Hurricane deductibles

In many Atlantic coast states, insurers require you to pay a separate deductible when you file a claim for hurricane wind damage. Unlike standard deductibles, hurricane deductibles are set at a percentage amount. In Florida, insurers typically give you the option of a 2%, 5%, or 10% deductible. 

In Florida, hurricane deductibles are activated once an official hurricane watch or warning has been issued by the National Weather service.  

Hurricane deductible example

Say your home is insured for $500,000 and you have a 5% deductible. If your home is completely destroyed in a hurricane, your insurance company would subtract $25,000 from your claim before paying you the remaining $475,000 to go toward repairs.

Windstorm insurance

If wind and hail coverage is excluded from your homeowners policy, you’ll need to purchase windstorm insurance. If you don’t qualify for coverage on the private marketplace, look into a wind-only policy through a surplus lines insurance company or last-resort insurance coverage through the Florida FAIR Plan

Flood insurance

Homeowners insurance never covers flood damage. Homeowners in Florida should look into purchasing flood insurance considering how high risk the Sunshine State is for flood and hurricane damage. And if you live in a high-risk flood area and have a federally backed mortgage, you’ll be required to purchase flood insurance.

For more information about hurricane season in Florida and how to plan for the next disaster, check out the Florida Division of Emergency Management.

Learn more >> How to protect your home with hurricane insurance in 2024

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References

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Policygenius uses external sources, including government data, industry studies, and reputable news organizations to supplement proprietary marketplace data and internal expertise. Learn more about how we use and vet external sources as part of oureditorial standards.

  1. NBC Miami

    . "

    National Hurricane Center Issues First Tropical Weather Outlook of 2022 Season

    ." Accessed June 02, 2022.

  2. Tropical Storm Risk

    . "

    Extended Range Forecast for North Atlantic Hurricane Activity in 2024

    ." Accessed January 05, 2024.

  3. Accuweather

    . "

    5 of the most powerful, destructive hurricanes in Florida's history

    ." Accessed June 02, 2022.

  4. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

    . "

    Tropical Cyclone Climatology

    ." Accessed September 15, 2021.

Authors

Pat Howard is a licensed insurance expert and managing editor at Policygenius. Pat has written extensively about the home insurance industry and his insights as a subject matter expert have appeared in several top tier publications, including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, CNBC, and Reuters. Pat has a bachelor's degree in journalism from Michigan State University.

Kara McGinley is a former senior editor and licensed home insurance expert at Policygenius, where she specialized in homeowners and renters insurance. As a journalist and as an insurance expert, her work and insights have been featured in Forbes Advisor, Kiplinger, Lifehacker, MSN, WRAL.com, and elsewhere.

Expert reviewer

Michael Reynolds, CSRIC®, AIF®, CFT-I™, is a financial advisor, principal and founder of Elevation Financial, host of the weekly personal finance podcast Wealth Redefined®, and a member of the Financial Review Council at Policygenius.

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