NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Key Biscayne, FL
Every tropical system within 75 miles since 1851 and every tornado within 25 miles since 1950.
87 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Key Biscayne, Florida since 1851, 41 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Eta in 2020. Since 1950, 166 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 2 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 41
- Tropical storms
- 46
- Tornadoes
- 166
- EF3 or stronger
- 2
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
1 deaths in all
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Key Biscayne
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | EtaNov 9 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2020 | SallySep 12 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 2020 | IsaiasAug 2 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2018 | GordonSep 3 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2018 | HectorAug 13 | 36 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2010 | NicoleSep 30 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2010 | BonnieJul 23 | 20 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2006 | ErnestoAug 30 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2005 | WilmaOct 24 | 61 mi | Category 3 (110 mph) | Category 5 |
| 2005 | KatrinaAug 25 | 16 mi | Category 1 (81 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1999 | IreneOct 15 | 37 mi | Category 1 (76 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1999 | HarveySep 21 | 43 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1995 | JerryAug 23 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1992 | AndrewAug 24 | 14 mi | Category 5 (167 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1991 | FabianOct 16 | 40 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1988 | UlekiSep 8 | 37 mi | Category 2 (104 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1987 | FloydOct 12 | 32 mi | Tropical storm (70 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1984 | IsidoreSep 27 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1981 | DennisAug 17 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1979 | DavidSep 3 | 49 mi | Category 2 (96 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1976 | DottieAug 19 | 39 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1974 | Unnamed 1974 stormOct 6 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1966 | InezOct 4 | 42 mi | Category 1 (91 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1965 | BetsySep 8 | 46 mi | Category 3 (113 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1964 | IsbellOct 14 | 55 mi | Category 1 (94 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1964 | CleoAug 27 | 6 mi | Category 2 (109 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1960 | FlorenceSep 24 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1960 | DonnaSep 10 | 74 mi | Category 4 (137 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1956 | Unnamed 1956 stormOct 16 | 28 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1953 | Unnamed 1953 stormOct 5 | 38 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1952 | Unnamed 1952 stormFeb 3 | 43 mi | Tropical storm (62 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1950 | KingOct 18 | 2 mi | Category 4 (132 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 26 | 55 mi | Category 4 (132 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1948 | Unnamed 1948 stormOct 5 | 6 mi | Category 1 (93 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1948 | Unnamed 1948 stormSep 22 | 64 mi | Category 3 (115 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1947 | Unnamed 1947 stormOct 12 | 19 mi | Category 1 (81 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1947 | Unnamed 1947 stormSep 17 | 28 mi | Category 4 (130 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1946 | Unnamed 1946 stormNov 1 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1945 | Unnamed 1945 stormSep 15 | 25 mi | Category 4 (130 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormOct 6 | 14 mi | Category 2 (98 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1936 | Unnamed 1936 stormJul 29 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1936 | Unnamed 1936 stormJun 15 | 10 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1935 | Unnamed 1935 stormNov 4 | 13 mi | Category 2 (97 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1935 | Unnamed 1935 stormSep 29 | 48 mi | Category 4 (138 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1935 | Unnamed 1935 stormSep 3 | 71 mi | Category 5 (184 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1933 | Unnamed 1933 stormOct 5 | 67 mi | Category 3 (116 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1933 | Unnamed 1933 stormSep 4 | 73 mi | Category 3 (127 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormAug 30 | 28 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1929 | Unnamed 1929 stormSep 28 | 53 mi | Category 3 (115 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1928 | Unnamed 1928 stormSep 16 | 63 mi | Category 4 (146 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1928 | Unnamed 1928 stormAug 7 | 72 mi | Category 2 (104 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1926 | Unnamed 1926 stormOct 21 | 25 mi | Category 3 (127 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1926 | Unnamed 1926 stormSep 18 | 10 mi | Category 4 (144 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1924 | Unnamed 1924 stormOct 21 | 20 mi | Tropical storm (70 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormNov 16 | 11 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormAug 25 | 11 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormMay 14 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1909 | Unnamed 1909 stormOct 11 | 27 mi | Category 2 (109 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1909 | Unnamed 1909 stormAug 29 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1909 | Unnamed 1909 stormJun 28 | 17 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1906 | Unnamed 1906 stormOct 18 | 8 mi | Category 3 (116 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1906 | Unnamed 1906 stormJun 17 | 6 mi | Category 1 (86 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1904 | Unnamed 1904 stormOct 17 | 25 mi | Category 1 (76 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1903 | Unnamed 1903 stormSep 11 | 27 mi | Category 1 (86 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1901 | Unnamed 1901 stormAug 10 | 39 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1899 | Unnamed 1899 stormJul 30 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1898 | Unnamed 1898 stormOct 11 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1898 | Unnamed 1898 stormSep 27 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1895 | Unnamed 1895 stormOct 16 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1895 | Unnamed 1895 stormOct 2 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormJun 11 | 33 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1891 | Unnamed 1891 stormOct 7 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1891 | Unnamed 1891 stormAug 24 | 21 mi | Category 1 (78 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1889 | Unnamed 1889 stormOct 6 | 33 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormSep 23 | 3 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormSep 7 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 16 | 8 mi | Category 3 (127 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1885 | Unnamed 1885 stormAug 23 | 48 mi | Category 1 (78 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1881 | Unnamed 1881 stormAug 17 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormOct 21 | 10 mi | Category 1 (81 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormSep 8 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (64 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1876 | Unnamed 1876 stormOct 20 | 73 mi | Category 2 (102 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1876 | Unnamed 1876 stormSep 16 | 30 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1870 | Unnamed 1870 stormOct 11 | 40 mi | Category 2 (104 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1865 | Unnamed 1865 stormOct 23 | 35 mi | Category 2 (98 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1863 | Unnamed 1863 stormSep 16 | 22 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1859 | Unnamed 1859 stormOct 17 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Tropical storm |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Key Biscayne: a hurricane's worst winds sit within a few dozen miles of its centre, and inland cities are usually past that.
Tornadoes within 25 miles of Key Biscayne
By decade
- 2020s12
- 2010s12
- 2000s31
- 1990s45
- 1980s28
- 1970s10
- 1960s19
- 1950s9(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 17, 1959 | F3 | 7 mi | 12.7 mi | 0 / 77 |
| Apr 10, 1956 | F3 | 21 mi | 7.8 mi | 0 / 20 |
| Mar 27, 2003 | F2 | 5 mi | 6 mi | 1 / 14 |
| Feb 2, 1998 | F2 | 10 mi | 21 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Dec 20, 1973 | F2 | 18 mi | 7.6 mi | 0 / 9 |
| Jun 22, 1971 | F2 | 9 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 19, 1968 | F2 | 15 mi | 5.7 mi | 0 / 21 |
| Sep 22, 1954 | F2 | 22 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 27, 2022 | EF1 | 21 mi | 5.73 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 24, 2020 | EF1 | 20 mi | 4.83 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 9, 2017 | EF1 | 24 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jan 23, 2017 | EF1 | 12 mi | 2.79 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 166, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
How to read this page
A storm is listed when the centre of its track passed within 75 miles of Key Biscayne while it was at least a tropical storm, which is the reach of damaging wind and rain for a typical hurricane. Being on the list does not mean the city took a direct hit; the "closest" column says how near the centre came. Tornadoes are counted when any part of the path came within 25 miles.
Tornado records before the 1990s are thinner, because weak tornadoes in open country often went unreported before Doppler radar and mobile phones. A rise in the decade counts is mostly better reporting, not a change in the weather.
Tracks come from the National Hurricane Center's HURDAT2 database, tornadoes from the Storm Prediction Center's database. Both are the official federal records and both are revised as old storms are re-analysed.