NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Palm Bay, 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
84 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Palm Bay, Florida since 1851, 29 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Milton in 2024. Since 1950, 106 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 29
- Tropical storms
- 55
- Tornadoes
- 106
- EF3 or stronger
- 0
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
1 deaths in all
What the records show for Palm Bay
The strongest storm to pass near Palm Bay was Matthew in 2016, a Category 3 hurricane with 124 mph winds when its centre passed 45 miles away. The closest pass by a hurricane was an unnamed storm in 1871, whose centre came within 9 miles. The record near Palm Bay begins with an unnamed storm in 1852; the most recent system was Milton in 2024, a Category 1 hurricane 26 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1950s, with 9 systems, one of them at hurricane strength. Of the 84 systems, 14 have come since 2000. Palm Bay has more hurricanes within 75 miles than 67% of the 407 Florida cities on this site. The highest rating among the 106 tornadoes within 25 miles is F2, reached 11 times; the most recent, on October 24, 2005, came within 6 miles. The deadliest, an F2 on November 15, 1994, killed 1 person. Of the 106, 4 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 47 have come since 2000. September has had the most tornadoes, 19. The most recent tornado was on September 7, 2025. Of the 407 Florida cities, 64% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Palm Bay. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 78 times since 1974, with stones up to 2.5 inches (tennis ball size). Palm Bay has more hail reports within 10 miles than 81% of the 407 Florida cities.
Compare Palm Bay's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Palm Bay
Of the 84 tracks on the map, 29 were moving northeast as they passed Palm Bay, 23 northwest and 19 north. Matthew (2016), the strongest pass, was heading northwest; its centre passed 45 miles northeast of Palm Bay. Within 75 miles of Palm Bay, 18 of the 84 came ashore, 12 of them as hurricanes. In the last 30 seasons (1996–2025), 15 came near Palm Bay: 5.0 a decade, against 4.8 a decade from 1851 to 1995.
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | MiltonOct 10 | 26 mi | Category 1 (79 mph) | Category 5 |
| 2022 | NicoleNov 10 | 18 mi | Tropical storm (71 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2022 | IanSep 29 | 12 mi | Tropical storm (71 mph) | Category 5 |
| 2022 | AlexJun 4 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2020 | IsaiasAug 2 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2016 | MatthewOct 7 | 45 mi | Category 3 (124 mph) | Category 5 |
| 2016 | JuliaSep 13 | 2 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2008 | FayAug 20 | 3 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2006 | ErnestoAug 30 | 4 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2005 | TammyOct 5 | 34 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2004 | JeanneSep 26 | 42 mi | Category 2 (101 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2004 | FrancesSep 5 | 38 mi | Category 1 (87 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2004 | CharleyAug 14 | 57 mi | Category 1 (86 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2001 | GabrielleSep 15 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1999 | IreneOct 16 | 36 mi | Category 1 (75 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1995 | JerryAug 24 | 32 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1995 | ErinAug 2 | 12 mi | Category 1 (78 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1994 | GordonNov 16 | 23 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1988 | KeithNov 23 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1988 | ChrisAug 28 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1985 | BobJul 24 | 17 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1984 | IsidoreSep 27 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1984 | DianaSep 9 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1983 | BarryAug 25 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1981 | DennisAug 18 | 17 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1979 | DavidSep 4 | 9 mi | Category 2 (98 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1976 | DottieAug 19 | 39 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1974 | Unnamed 1974 stormOct 7 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1969 | GerdaSep 8 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1968 | DollyAug 10 | 5 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1968 | BrendaJun 19 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1968 | AbbyJun 5 | 14 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1964 | IsbellOct 15 | 73 mi | Category 1 (92 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1964 | CleoAug 28 | 5 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1960 | FlorenceSep 24 | 31 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1960 | DonnaSep 11 | 67 mi | Category 1 (78 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1959 | JudithOct 18 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1959 | Unnamed 1959 stormJun 18 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1956 | Unnamed 1956 stormOct 16 | 3 mi | Tropical storm (59 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1954 | Unnamed 1954 stormJun 20 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1953 | HazelOct 9 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (72 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1953 | Unnamed 1953 stormJul 12 | 39 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1952 | Unnamed 1952 stormFeb 3 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1951 | HowOct 2 | 40 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1950 | KingOct 18 | 38 mi | Category 1 (86 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 27 | 57 mi | Category 2 (96 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1948 | Unnamed 1948 stormSep 22 | 58 mi | Category 1 (92 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1945 | Unnamed 1945 stormSep 16 | 67 mi | Category 1 (83 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1939 | Unnamed 1939 stormAug 12 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1937 | Unnamed 1937 stormAug 30 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (67 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1936 | Unnamed 1936 stormAug 21 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1933 | Unnamed 1933 stormSep 4 | 47 mi | Category 2 (97 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1933 | Unnamed 1933 stormJul 30 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (59 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1928 | Unnamed 1928 stormSep 17 | 60 mi | Category 3 (113 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1928 | Unnamed 1928 stormAug 8 | 15 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1926 | Unnamed 1926 stormJul 28 | 25 mi | Category 2 (104 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1925 | Unnamed 1925 stormDec 1 | 2 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1921 | Unnamed 1921 stormOct 26 | 72 mi | Category 1 (82 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1921 | Unnamed 1921 stormOct 16 | 7 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormMay 14 | 75 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 1 | 36 mi | Category 1 (75 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1909 | Unnamed 1909 stormJun 29 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1898 | Unnamed 1898 stormAug 2 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1897 | Unnamed 1897 stormSep 21 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1896 | Unnamed 1896 stormOct 9 | 36 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1894 | Unnamed 1894 stormSep 26 | 58 mi | Category 1 (77 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 12 | 56 mi | Category 3 (121 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 27 | 48 mi | Category 3 (121 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormOct 25 | 5 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1891 | Unnamed 1891 stormOct 7 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1889 | Unnamed 1889 stormOct 6 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormSep 8 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1885 | Unnamed 1885 stormAug 24 | 26 mi | Category 1 (90 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1880 | Unnamed 1880 stormAug 29 | 15 mi | Category 2 (104 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1876 | Unnamed 1876 stormOct 20 | 26 mi | Category 1 (92 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1873 | Unnamed 1873 stormOct 7 | 9 mi | Category 2 (96 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1872 | Unnamed 1872 stormOct 23 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1871 | Unnamed 1871 stormAug 25 | 9 mi | Category 2 (97 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1871 | Unnamed 1871 stormAug 17 | 38 mi | Category 1 (93 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1870 | Unnamed 1870 stormOct 21 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (72 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1861 | Unnamed 1861 stormNov 1 | 3 mi | Tropical storm (62 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1859 | Unnamed 1859 stormOct 28 | 38 mi | Category 1 (86 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1858 | Unnamed 1858 stormSep 14 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1852 | Unnamed 1852 stormSep 12 | 30 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 Palm Bay: a hurricane's worst winds sit within a few dozen miles of its centre, and inland cities are usually past that.
Check hail and hurricane history for any address
Tornadoes within 25 miles of Palm Bay
By decade
- 2020s10
- 2010s17
- 2000s20
- 1990s15
- 1980s15
- 1970s15
- 1960s9
- 1950s5
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 15, 1994 | F2 | 12 mi | 2.5 mi | 1 / 40 |
| Oct 24, 2005 | F2 | 6 mi | 0.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 24, 1983 | F2 | 24 mi | 18 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 7, 1983 | F2 | 9 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 3, 1979 | F2 | 8 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 9, 1979 | F2 | 23 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 6 |
| Jun 18, 1972 | F2 | 5 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 11 |
| Aug 4, 1971 | F2 | 17 mi | 4.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 3, 1970 | F2 | 16 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 14, 1964 | F2 | 10 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 17 |
| Nov 10, 1963 | F2 | 21 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 9, 2024 | EF1 | 24 mi | 5.24 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 106, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Palm Bay
The Storm Prediction Center has 78 hail reports within 10 miles of Palm Bay since 1974, made on 50 separate days. Of these, 45 were 1 inch across or larger, and 6 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.5 inches (tennis ball size), fell on March 17, 2003. The most recent report is from May 24, 2025. April has the most reports, 19.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Palm Bay
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Melbourne International Airport, FL, 8 miles north of Palm Bay at 22 feet. August is the warmest, with an average high of 89°F and low of 75°F; January is the coolest, at 72°F and 52°F. September is the wettest at 7.6 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.0 inches; the year adds up to 50.9 inches over 73 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 70% of the year's precipitation (35.4 of 50.9 inches); the other six months are drier. August has brought the most of the 84 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (24); a normal August there has highs of 89°F and 6.7 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 63 days a year, almost all from April to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 2 nights a year. That 50.9 inches is more than at 23 of the 125 Florida stations used on this site (18%). Melbourne, 10 miles north, has its own station (Melbourne WFO, FL): 55.3 inches a year, 4.4 more than here, and an August average high of 91°F against 89°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 72 | 52 | 2.6 | 4 |
| Feb | 74 | 54 | 2.0 | 4 |
| Mar | 77 | 58 | 2.7 | 4 |
| Apr | 81 | 63 | 2.3 | 4 |
| May | 85 | 69 | 3.5 | 5 |
| Jun | 88 | 73 | 7.1 | 10 |
| Jul | 90 | 74 | 6.5 | 10 |
| Aug | 89 | 75 | 6.7 | 10 |
| Sep | 88 | 74 | 7.6 | 9 |
| Oct | 84 | 69 | 4.9 | 6 |
| Nov | 77 | 61 | 2.6 | 4 |
| Dec | 74 | 56 | 2.4 | 4 |
| Year | 82 | 65 | 50.9 | 73 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Melbourne International Airport, FL (22 ft), from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals. 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 Palm Bay
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 94 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Palm Bay: 77 thunderstorm wind reports, 6 heavy rain events, 5 lightning strikes, 3 flash floods and 3 floods. They killed 1 person and injured 32, and the NWS estimated $670,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 78 mph, on August 21, 2012.
July 8, 2009: lightning strike 8 miles from the centre of Palm Bay — 1 killed, 2 injured.
March 29, 1997: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Palm Bay — 26 injured, $100,000 damage.
May 5, 2010: thunderstorm wind 5 miles from the centre of Palm Bay — 1 injured.
NWS: “Police and SKYWARN reports, along with radar data, indicate that a cluster of slow eastward moving thunderstorms produced strong downburst winds which resulted in some minor damage in Palm Bay. An aluminum carport was blown across the road near the intersection of Fears Road SE and San Fillippo Drive.”
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 Palm Bay's 4 ZIP codes have filed 388 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1979, and were paid $3.8 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Tropical Storm Fay in 2008: 72 claims (19% of all) and $1.5 million, then Hurricane Jeanne in 2004 with 70 and Hurricane Frances in 2004 with 43. The year with the most claims was 2004, with 116. 77% 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, 191 have fewer than Palm Bay.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Tropical Storm Fay2008 | 72 | $1.5 million |
| Hurricane Jeanne2004 | 70 | $487,000 |
| Hurricane Frances2004 | 43 | $207,000 |
| Flooding1995 | 38 | $20,000 |
| Hurricane Irma2017 | 38 | $1.4 million |
Brevard County, which includes Palm Bay, 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 Palm Bay
- Malabar, FL5 mi
- Melbourne Beach, FL7 mi
- Grant, FL9 mi
- Indialantic, FL9 mi
- Melbourne, FL10 mi
- Barefoot Bay, FL12 mi
- Indian Harbour Beach, FL13 mi
- Fellsmere, FL16 mi
- Sebastian, FL17 mi
- Rockledge, FL22 mi
- Cocoa Beach, FL23 mi
- Harmony, FL24 mi
All Florida cities →All hurricanes since 1851 →Compare Palm Bay with another place →