NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Cape Canaveral, FL
Every tropical system within 75 miles since 1851 and every tornado within 25 miles since 1950.
Data: NOAA NHC HURDAT2 and NOAA SPC tornado and hail reports, through 2025 · Updated
85 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Cape Canaveral, Florida since 1851, 26 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Milton in 2024. Since 1950, 127 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 5 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 26
- Tropical storms
- 59
- Tornadoes
- 127
- EF3 or stronger
- 5
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
36 deaths in all
What the records show for Cape Canaveral
The strongest storm to pass near Cape Canaveral was an unnamed storm in 1854, a Category 3 hurricane with 127 mph winds when its centre passed 66 miles away. The closest pass by a hurricane was David in 1979, whose centre crossed the city. The record near Cape Canaveral begins with an unnamed storm in 1852; the most recent system was Milton in 2024, a Category 1 hurricane 3 miles away. The 1960s and the 2000s were the busiest decades, with 9 systems each. Of the 85 systems, 15 have come since 2000. Cape Canaveral has more hurricanes within 75 miles than 53% of the 407 Florida cities on this site. The strongest of the 127 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on April 4, 1966; its path came within 5 miles, and it killed 11 people. The deadliest, an F3 on February 22, 1998, killed 25 people. Of the 127, 19 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 41 have come since 2000. August has had the most tornadoes, 21. The most recent tornado was on October 9, 2024. Cape Canaveral has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 54% of the 407 Florida cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 63 times since 1970, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Cape Canaveral has more hail reports within 10 miles than 72% of the 407 Florida cities.
Compare Cape Canaveral's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Cape Canaveral
Of the 85 tracks on the map, 30 were moving northeast as they passed Cape Canaveral, 22 northwest and 20 north. The unnamed 1854 storm, the strongest pass, was heading northwest; its centre passed 66 miles northeast of Cape Canaveral. Within 75 miles of Cape Canaveral, 10 of the 85 came ashore, 5 of them as hurricanes. In the last 30 seasons (1996–2025), 16 came near Cape Canaveral: 5.3 a decade, against 4.8 a decade from 1851 to 1995.
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | MiltonOct 10 | 3 mi | Category 1 (78 mph) | Category 5 |
| 2022 | NicoleNov 10 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (70 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2022 | IanSep 29 | overhead | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 5 |
| 2020 | IsaiasAug 3 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2016 | MatthewOct 7 | 31 mi | Category 3 (122 mph) | Category 5 |
| 2016 | JuliaSep 13 | 16 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2008 | FayAug 20 | overhead | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2006 | ErnestoAug 31 | 2 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2005 | TammyOct 5 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2005 | OpheliaSep 8 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2004 | JeanneSep 26 | 68 mi | Category 2 (99 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2004 | FrancesSep 5 | 65 mi | Category 1 (84 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2004 | CharleyAug 14 | 50 mi | Category 1 (86 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2002 | EdouardSep 5 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2001 | GabrielleSep 15 | 20 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1999 | IreneOct 16 | 39 mi | Category 1 (75 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1995 | JerryAug 24 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1995 | ErinAug 2 | 39 mi | Category 1 (77 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1994 | GordonNov 16 | 43 mi | Tropical storm (62 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1988 | KeithNov 23 | 2 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1988 | ChrisAug 28 | 32 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1985 | BobJul 24 | 12 mi | Tropical storm (59 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1984 | IsidoreSep 27 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1984 | DianaSep 9 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (59 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1983 | BarryAug 25 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1981 | DennisAug 18 | 15 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1979 | DavidSep 4 | overhead | Category 2 (98 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1976 | DottieAug 20 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1974 | Unnamed 1974 stormOct 7 | 40 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1969 | GerdaSep 8 | 46 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1968 | DollyAug 10 | 2 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1968 | BrendaJun 19 | 31 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1968 | AbbyJun 5 | 13 mi | Tropical storm (59 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1965 | Unnamed 1965 stormOct 18 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1964 | CleoAug 28 | 17 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1962 | AlmaAug 27 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1960 | FlorenceSep 24 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1960 | DonnaSep 11 | 58 mi | Category 1 (78 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1959 | Unnamed 1959 stormJun 18 | 35 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1956 | Unnamed 1956 stormOct 16 | 5 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1954 | Unnamed 1954 stormJun 20 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1953 | HazelOct 9 | 46 mi | Tropical storm (71 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1953 | Unnamed 1953 stormJul 12 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1951 | HowOct 2 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (59 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1950 | KingOct 18 | 48 mi | Category 1 (84 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1950 | EasySep 6 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1945 | Unnamed 1945 stormSep 16 | 67 mi | Category 1 (81 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1939 | Unnamed 1939 stormAug 12 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (68 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1937 | Unnamed 1937 stormAug 30 | 40 mi | Tropical storm (68 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1937 | Unnamed 1937 stormJul 30 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1936 | Unnamed 1936 stormAug 21 | 26 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1933 | Unnamed 1933 stormSep 4 | 72 mi | Category 1 (90 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1928 | Unnamed 1928 stormAug 8 | 38 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1926 | Unnamed 1926 stormJul 28 | 9 mi | Category 2 (104 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1925 | Unnamed 1925 stormDec 1 | 15 mi | Tropical storm (66 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1921 | Unnamed 1921 stormOct 26 | 48 mi | Category 1 (81 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1921 | Unnamed 1921 stormOct 16 | 9 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 1 | 11 mi | Category 1 (75 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1909 | Unnamed 1909 stormJun 29 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1906 | Unnamed 1906 stormOct 21 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1899 | Unnamed 1899 stormOct 5 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1897 | Unnamed 1897 stormSep 21 | 38 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1896 | Unnamed 1896 stormOct 9 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1894 | Unnamed 1894 stormSep 26 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (70 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 12 | 37 mi | Category 3 (121 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 27 | 34 mi | Category 3 (121 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormOct 25 | 22 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1891 | Unnamed 1891 stormOct 7 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1889 | Unnamed 1889 stormOct 6 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1887 | Unnamed 1887 stormOct 30 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1885 | Unnamed 1885 stormAug 24 | 17 mi | Category 1 (93 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1880 | Unnamed 1880 stormAug 29 | 13 mi | Category 2 (101 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1876 | Unnamed 1876 stormOct 20 | 37 mi | Category 1 (92 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1873 | Unnamed 1873 stormOct 7 | 27 mi | Category 1 (92 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1873 | Unnamed 1873 stormSep 23 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1872 | Unnamed 1872 stormOct 23 | 31 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1871 | Unnamed 1871 stormAug 25 | 32 mi | Category 1 (91 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1871 | Unnamed 1871 stormAug 17 | 57 mi | Category 1 (87 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1870 | Unnamed 1870 stormOct 21 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (70 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1861 | Unnamed 1861 stormNov 1 | 6 mi | Tropical storm (64 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1859 | Unnamed 1859 stormOct 28 | 14 mi | Category 1 (85 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1858 | Unnamed 1858 stormSep 14 | 34 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1854 | Unnamed 1854 stormSep 7 | 66 mi | Category 3 (127 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1853 | Unnamed 1853 stormOct 19 | 70 mi | Category 1 (92 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1852 | Unnamed 1852 stormSep 12 | 5 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Cape Canaveral: a hurricane's worst winds sit within a few dozen miles of its centre, and inland cities are usually past that.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Cape Canaveral
By decade
- 2020s6
- 2010s19
- 2000s16
- 1990s29(1 EF3+)
- 1980s17
- 1970s23(3 EF3+)
- 1960s13(1 EF3+)
- 1950s4
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 4, 1966 | F4 | 5 mi | 135.8 mi | 11 / 530 |
| Feb 22, 1998 | F3 | 19 mi | 28 mi | 25 / 150 |
| Jun 19, 1972 | F3 | 7 mi | 3.8 mi | 0 / 23 |
| Jun 19, 1972 | F3 | 4 mi | 4.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 5, 1970 | F3 | 20 mi | 1.9 mi | 0 / 7 |
| Sep 10, 2017 | EF2 | 25 mi | 1.55 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 24, 2005 | F2 | 25 mi | 0.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 24, 1983 | F2 | 8 mi | 18 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 7, 1983 | F2 | 15 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 3, 1979 | F2 | 22 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 9, 1979 | F2 | 5 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 6 |
| Jan 28, 1973 | F2 | 10 mi | 5.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 127, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Cape Canaveral
The Storm Prediction Center has 63 hail reports within 10 miles of Cape Canaveral since 1970, made on 40 separate days. Of these, 32 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2 inches (hen egg size), fell on April 29, 2023. The most recent report is from January 19, 2025. June has the most reports, 18.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Cape Canaveral
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Titusville 7 E, FL, 16 miles north of Cape Canaveral at 3 feet. August is the warmest, with an average high of 89°F and low of 74°F; January is the coolest, at 70°F and 50°F. September is the wettest at 7.2 inches of precipitation on average and April the driest at 2.0 inches; the year adds up to 48.7 inches over 70 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 69% of the year's precipitation (33.6 of 48.7 inches); the other six months are drier. October has brought the most of the 85 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (26); a normal October there has highs of 82°F and 5.2 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 42 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 2 nights a year. That 48.7 inches is more than at 13 of the 125 Florida stations used on this site (10%). Cocoa Beach, 4 miles south, has its own station (Melbourne WFO, FL): 55.3 inches a year, 6.6 more than here, and an August average high of 91°F against 89°F.
Water temperature at the NOAA tide station Trident Pier, Port Canaveral, FL, 2 miles northeast, averaged 87°F in September and 69°F in January over 2021–2025. It averaged 80°F or warmer from May to October. Sea level at the Port Canaveral tide gauge, 2 miles from Cape Canaveral, has risen 2.52 ± 0.26 inches per decade from 1994 to 2025, NOAA's linear trend; at that pace it is 25.2 inches in a hundred years. That is faster than at 137 of the 144 U.S. gauges with a NOAA trend.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Water °F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 70 | 50 | 2.3 | 4 | 69 |
| Feb | 73 | 52 | 2.4 | 4 | 71 |
| Mar | 75 | 56 | 3.3 | 3 | 75 |
| Apr | 80 | 60 | 2.0 | 4 | 79 |
| May | 84 | 66 | 2.9 | 6 | 83 |
| Jun | 87 | 71 | 6.9 | 9 | 85 |
| Jul | 89 | 73 | 5.8 | 9 | 87 |
| Aug | 89 | 74 | 6.0 | 10 | 86 |
| Sep | 87 | 72 | 7.2 | 9 | 87 |
| Oct | 82 | 67 | 5.2 | 6 | 83 |
| Nov | 76 | 60 | 2.5 | 4 | 77 |
| Dec | 72 | 55 | 2.2 | 3 | 72 |
| Year | 80 | 63 | 48.7 | 70 | 79 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Titusville 7 E, FL (3 ft), from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals; water temperature: average of hourly readings 2021–2025 at the NOAA tide station Trident Pier, Port Canaveral, FL, from NOAA Tides & Currents. Normals describe the station; the farther a place is from it, and the bigger the difference in height, the more its weather can differ.
Floods, thunderstorm wind and lightning near Cape Canaveral
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 110 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Cape Canaveral: 99 thunderstorm wind reports, 4 heavy rain events, 4 lightning strikes and 3 flash floods. They killed 2 people and injured 11, and the NWS estimated $4.3 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 97 mph, on June 10, 2015.
June 4, 2025: thunderstorm wind 5 miles from the centre of Cape Canaveral — 2 killed.
August 3, 2017: thunderstorm wind 2 miles from the centre of Cape Canaveral — 3 injured, $50,000 damage.
NWS: “Photos and information provided by Brevard County Emergency Management and local media helped confirm that a thunderstorm produced a microburst which impacted a portion of the Cocoa Beach Pier. The wood and metal awning-like roof of a outdoor bar/restaurant along the pier was peeled back and dislodged.”
August 4, 2013: thunderstorm wind 5 miles from the centre of Cape Canaveral — 3 injured.
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, events whose starting point is on record, 1996 to June 30, 2026. Damage is the NWS estimate in the dollars of the year, not insured losses, and NWS notes that some reports are unverified.
Flood insurance claims, disaster declarations and FEMA risk ratings
Flood insurance policyholders in Cape Canaveral's ZIP code 32920 have filed 149 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1982, and were paid $1.6 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Tropical Storm Fay in 2008: 71 claims (48% of all) and $1.1 million, then Hurricane Frances in 2004 with 20 and Hurricane Irma in 2017 with 10. 81% of the claims carry the name of a storm or flood event; the rest have no event name. Of the 340 Florida cities on this site with 10 or more claims, 133 have fewer than Cape Canaveral.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Tropical Storm Fay2008 | 71 | $1.1 million |
| Hurricane Frances2004 | 20 | $101,000 |
| Hurricane Irma2017 | 10 | $125,000 |
Brevard County, which includes Cape Canaveral, has been named in 45 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1972, 26 of them major disasters (by incident: 24 hurricanes, 6 fires, 4 severe storms, 4 tropical storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Hurricane Milton, on October 11, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Brevard County a Relatively High rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Very High for hurricanes and lightning; Relatively High for tornadoes, inland flooding and strong wind; Relatively Moderate for coastal flooding and heat waves; Relatively Low for hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $389.3 million a year, the 8th highest of 67 Florida counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $281.5 million (72%), is from hurricanes.
Claims: FEMA, OpenFEMA Dataset FIMA NFIP Redacted Claims – v3, summed over ZIP codes; payments in the dollars of each year, not adjusted for inflation. Declarations: Disaster Declarations Summaries – v2, by county. Retrieved October 25, 2026. This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).
Risk ratings: FEMA, National Risk Index county table, December 2025 (v1.20), retrieved October 26, 2026; ratings compare counties nationwide, are meant for planning and are no substitute for a local risk assessment. This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's National Risk Index dataset API or downloadable datasets but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).
What counts as a pass, the distances and the sources: how this storm history is built.
Cities near Cape Canaveral
- Cocoa Beach, FL4 mi
- Merritt Island, FL5 mi
- Rockledge, FL9 mi
- Cocoa, FL11 mi
- Indian Harbour Beach, FL15 mi
- Melbourne, FL18 mi
- Titusville, FL19 mi
- Indialantic, FL20 mi
- Melbourne Beach, FL26 mi
- Palm Bay, FL28 mi
- Mims, FL28 mi
- Harmony, FL29 mi
All Florida cities →All hurricanes since 1851 →Compare Cape Canaveral with another place →