Hurricanes That Hit Jacksonville, Florida, Year by Year
Data: NOAA NHC HURDAT2 and NOAA SPC tornado and hail reports, through 2025 · Updated
20 hurricanes passed within 75 miles of Jacksonville at hurricane strength from 1851 to 2025: 12 of them within 50 miles and 4 within 25 miles. The most recent was Matthew in 2016, 59 miles east of the city as a Category 3 hurricane. 2 of the 20 came ashore within 75 miles, one of them as a major hurricane (Category 3 or stronger at landfall).
- Hurricanes, 75 mi
- 20
- Came ashore nearby
- 2
- Most recent
- Matthew 2016
- Longest gap
- 30 years
12 within 50 mi
1 as major
1898–1928
Every hurricane that passed within 75 miles of Jacksonville
| Year | Storm | Date | Closest | Strength there | Jacksonville on | Came ashore |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1853 | Unnamed 1853 storm | October 21 | 49 mi northeast | Category 2 (104 mph) | left side | — |
| 1854 | Unnamed 1854 storm | September 8 | 60 mi east | Category 3 (123 mph) | left side | — |
| 1874 | Unnamed 1874 storm | September 28 | 13 mi northwest | Category 1 (74 mph) | right side | — |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 storm | September 11 | 33 mi southeast | Category 1 (77 mph) | left side | — |
| 1885 | Unnamed 1885 storm | August 25 | 50 mi east | Category 2 (104 mph) | left side | — |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 storm | October 11 | 2 mi southeast | Category 1 (85 mph) | centre within 5 mi | — |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 storm | August 27 | 58 mi east | Category 3 (115 mph) | left side | — |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 storm | October 13 | 53 mi east | Category 3 (121 mph) | left side | — |
| 1894 | Unnamed 1894 storm | September 26 | 36 mi east | Category 1 (79 mph) | left side | — |
| 1896 | Unnamed 1896 storm | September 29 | 42 mi northwest | Category 2 (108 mph) | right side | — |
| 1898 | Unnamed 1898 storm | October 2 | 42 mi northeast | Category 4 (132 mph) | left side | 44 mi north, Category 4 |
| 1928 | Unnamed 1928 storm | September 18 | 3 mi southeast | Category 1 (77 mph) | centre within 5 mi | — |
| 1950 | King | October 18 | 50 mi southwest | Category 1 (75 mph) | right side | — |
| 1960 | Donna | September 11 | 55 mi southeast | Category 1 (87 mph) | left side | — |
| 1964 | Dora | September 10 | 24 mi south | Category 1 (92 mph) | right side | 34 mi southeast, Category 2 |
| 1968 | Gladys | October 19 | 41 mi southeast | Category 1 (82 mph) | left side | — |
| 1979 | David | September 4 | 42 mi east | Category 2 (97 mph) | left side | — |
| 1985 | Bob | July 24 | 69 mi east | Category 1 (74 mph) | left side | — |
| 2004 | Charley | August 14 | 52 mi east | Category 1 (86 mph) | left side | — |
| 2016 | Matthew | October 7 | 59 mi east | Category 3 (112 mph) | left side | — |
How often hurricanes reach Jacksonville
The 20 hurricanes came in 19 different seasons. The median wait from one hurricane season to the next was 5.5 years; the longest, 30 years, ran from 1898 to 1928. One season brought two or more: 1893 (unnamed, August and unnamed, October). In the last 30 seasons (1996–2025) 2 passed within 75 miles of Jacksonville at hurricane strength, against 3 in the 30 before (1966–1995) and 3.9 per 30 seasons from 1851 to 1965, when ships and coastal stations missed more storms.
The 1890s had the most hurricanes, 5. Tropical storms are the other 70 systems that passed within 75 miles below hurricane strength.
9 came in September, 7 came in October and 3 came in August. The earliest in the season was Bob, on July 24; the latest, the unnamed storm of October 1853, on October 21.
Strongest passes and the side of the storm Jacksonville was on
4 of the 20 passed with Jacksonville on their right-hand side, where wind and surge are usually strongest, and 14 with the city on the left; 2 passed within 5 miles of the city centre. The strongest right-side pass was the unnamed storm of September 1896, a Category 2 hurricane 42 miles northwest of Jacksonville. The strongest at their closest point: the unnamed storm of October 1898 (Category 4, 132 mph, 42 miles away), the unnamed storm of September 1854 (Category 3, 123 mph, 60 miles away) and the unnamed storm of October 1893 (Category 3, 121 mph, 53 miles away).
Jacksonville against nearby cities
Of the 5 cities compared here, Daytona Beach has the most hurricane passes within 75 miles (23) and St Augustine the fewest (20); Jacksonville ranks 4th. Daytona Beach, 83 miles southeast, shares the fewest: 14 of its 23 hurricanes also passed within 75 miles of Jacksonville at hurricane strength.
| City | Distance | Hurricanes, 75 mi | Within 50 mi | Shared with Jacksonville | Strongest | Most recent |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jacksonville, FL | — | 20 | 12 | — | Unnamed 1898, 132 mph | Matthew 2016 |
| Fernandina Beach, FL | 26 mi northeast | 21 | 15 | 20 | Unnamed 1898, 132 mph | Matthew 2016 |
| St Augustine, FL | 33 mi southeast | 20 | 15 | 18 | Unnamed 1898, 132 mph | Matthew 2016 |
| Brunswick, GA | 64 mi north | 22 | 13 | 16 | Unnamed 1893, 121 mph | Matthew 2016 |
| Daytona Beach, FL | 83 mi southeast | 23 | 16 | 14 | Unnamed 1854, 127 mph | Milton 2024 |
How each figure on this page is counted: methodology.