List of Hurricanes That Hit Pensacola, Year by Year

The 25 hurricanes came in 23 different seasons. The median wait from one hurricane season to the next was 5.5 years; the longest, 25 years, ran from 1852 to 1877. 2 seasons brought two or more: 1916 (unnamed, July and unnamed, October) and 1995 (Erin and Opal). In the last 30 seasons (1996–2025) 3 passed within 75 miles of Pensacola at hurricane strength, against 5 in the 30 before (1966–1995) and 4.4 per 30 seasons from 1851 to 1965, when ships and coastal stations missed more storms.

13 came in September, 5 came in July and 4 came in August. The earliest in the season was the unnamed storm of July 1916, on July 5; the latest, the unnamed storm of October 1916, on October 18.

13 of the 25 passed with Pensacola on their right-hand side, where wind and surge are usually strongest, and 11 with the city on the left; 1 passed within 5 miles of the city centre. The strongest right-side pass was Frederic (1979), a Category 3 hurricane 60 miles west of Pensacola. The strongest at their closest point: the unnamed storm of September 1882 (Category 3, 127 mph, 25 miles away), Eloise (1975, Category 3, 125 mph, 57 miles away) and Frederic (1979, Category 3, 123 mph, 60 miles away).

Of the 7 cities compared here, Destin has the most hurricane passes within 75 miles (31) and Milton the fewest (22); Pensacola ranks 5th. Destin, 50 miles east, shares the fewest: 17 of its 31 hurricanes also passed within 75 miles of Pensacola at hurricane strength.