NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Pensacola, 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
72 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Pensacola, Florida since 1851, 25 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Sally in 2020. Since 1950, 181 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 6 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 25
- Tropical storms
- 47
- Tornadoes
- 181
- EF3 or stronger
- 6
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
18 deaths in all
What the records show for Pensacola
The strongest storm to pass near Pensacola was an unnamed storm in 1882, a Category 3 hurricane with 127 mph winds when its centre passed 25 miles away. The closest pass by a hurricane was Erin in 1995, whose centre came within 4 miles. The record near Pensacola begins with an unnamed storm in 1852; the most recent system was Sally in 2020, a Category 1 hurricane 19 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1880s, with 9 systems, 2 of them at hurricane strength. Of the 72 systems, 11 have come since 2000. Pensacola has more hurricanes within 75 miles than 48% of the 407 Florida cities on this site. The highest rating among the 181 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3 or EF3, reached 6 times; the most recent, on February 23, 2016, came within 4 miles. The deadliest, an F3 on March 31, 1962, killed 17 people. Of the 181, 37 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 61 have come since 2000. March has had the most tornadoes, 24. The most recent tornado was on October 26, 2025. Pensacola has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 76% of the 407 Florida cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 48 times since 1962, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Pensacola has more hail reports within 10 miles than 58% of the 407 Florida cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Pensacola
Of the 72 tracks on the map, 27 were moving northeast as they passed Pensacola, 17 northwest and 16 north. The unnamed 1882 storm, the strongest pass, was heading northeast and came ashore 28 miles east of Pensacola. Within 75 miles of Pensacola, 48 of the 72 came ashore, 24 of them as hurricanes. In the last 30 seasons (1996–2025), 13 came near Pensacola: 4.3 a decade, against 4.1 a decade from 1851 to 1995.
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | SallySep 16 | 19 mi | Category 1 (93 mph) | Category 2 |
| 2018 | GordonSep 5 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2018 | AlbertoMay 28 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2009 | IdaNov 10 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 2009 | ClaudetteAug 17 | 33 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2005 | DennisJul 10 | 7 mi | Category 3 (115 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2005 | ArleneJun 11 | 15 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2004 | IvanSep 16 | 35 mi | Category 2 (109 mph) | Category 5 |
| 2002 | HannaSep 14 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2001 | BarryAug 6 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (66 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2000 | HeleneSep 22 | 34 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1998 | GeorgesSep 29 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1997 | DannyJul 20 | 11 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1995 | OpalOct 4 | 13 mi | Category 3 (112 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1995 | ErinAug 3 | 4 mi | Category 1 (82 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1994 | AlbertoJul 3 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1985 | JuanOct 31 | 20 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1985 | ElenaSep 2 | 49 mi | Category 3 (120 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 13 | 60 mi | Category 3 (123 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1975 | EloiseSep 23 | 57 mi | Category 3 (125 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1969 | Unnamed 1969 stormOct 1 | 28 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1965 | Unnamed 1965 stormJun 15 | 18 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1964 | HildaOct 5 | 5 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1959 | IreneOct 8 | 20 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1957 | DebbieSep 8 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1956 | FlossySep 24 | 26 mi | Category 1 (92 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1953 | FlorenceSep 26 | 63 mi | Category 1 (92 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1950 | BakerAug 31 | 40 mi | Category 1 (86 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1948 | Unnamed 1948 stormJul 9 | 4 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1947 | Unnamed 1947 stormSep 8 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1944 | Unnamed 1944 stormSep 11 | 43 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1939 | Unnamed 1939 stormAug 13 | 34 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1939 | Unnamed 1939 stormJun 16 | 23 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1937 | Unnamed 1937 stormSep 20 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1936 | Unnamed 1936 stormJul 31 | 31 mi | Category 1 (86 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormOct 6 | 3 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormSep 1 | 49 mi | Category 1 (86 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1926 | Unnamed 1926 stormSep 20 | 11 mi | Category 3 (115 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormJun 26 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1919 | Unnamed 1919 stormJul 4 | 13 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1917 | Unnamed 1917 stormSep 28 | 27 mi | Category 3 (115 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormOct 18 | 7 mi | Category 2 (107 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormJul 5 | 58 mi | Category 3 (121 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1914 | Unnamed 1914 stormSep 18 | overhead | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1912 | Unnamed 1912 stormSep 14 | 66 mi | Category 1 (75 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1911 | Unnamed 1911 stormAug 11 | 17 mi | Category 1 (81 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1907 | Unnamed 1907 stormSep 28 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1907 | Unnamed 1907 stormJun 28 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1904 | Unnamed 1904 stormNov 3 | 31 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormOct 10 | 3 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1901 | Unnamed 1901 stormSep 17 | 35 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1901 | Unnamed 1901 stormAug 16 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1898 | Unnamed 1898 stormAug 3 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1896 | Unnamed 1896 stormJul 7 | 45 mi | Category 2 (98 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1894 | Unnamed 1894 stormAug 7 | 22 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 2 | 63 mi | Category 1 (81 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1889 | Unnamed 1889 stormSep 23 | 7 mi | Tropical storm (67 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1887 | Unnamed 1887 stormOct 19 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1887 | Unnamed 1887 stormJul 27 | 39 mi | Category 1 (86 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1885 | Unnamed 1885 stormSep 28 | 10 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1885 | Unnamed 1885 stormSep 21 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1885 | Unnamed 1885 stormAug 30 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1882 | Unnamed 1882 stormSep 10 | 25 mi | Category 3 (127 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1881 | Unnamed 1881 stormAug 3 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1880 | Unnamed 1880 stormAug 31 | 23 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1879 | Unnamed 1879 stormOct 16 | 34 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1877 | Unnamed 1877 stormSep 19 | 17 mi | Category 1 (81 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1875 | Unnamed 1875 stormSep 27 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1868 | Unnamed 1868 stormOct 4 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1860 | Unnamed 1860 stormAug 12 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (71 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1859 | Unnamed 1859 stormSep 16 | 36 mi | Tropical storm (68 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1852 | Unnamed 1852 stormAug 26 | 69 mi | Category 1 (90 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Pensacola: 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 Pensacola
By decade
- 2020s19
- 2010s15(1 EF3+)
- 2000s27(1 EF3+)
- 1990s27
- 1980s25
- 1970s43(1 EF3+)
- 1960s19(2 EF3+)
- 1950s6(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 31, 1962 | F3 | 15 mi | 6.9 mi | 17 / 100 |
| Feb 23, 2016 | EF3 | 4 mi | 2.99 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Oct 13, 2001 | F3 | 25 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 7, 1971 | F3 | 9 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 112 |
| Oct 30, 1967 | F3 | 2 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 44 |
| May 5, 1956 | F3 | 3 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 1 |
| May 26, 1973 | F2 | 10 mi | 105.4 mi | 1 / 4 |
| Jun 15, 2023 | EF2 | 3 mi | 8.58 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 30, 1996 | F2 | 10 mi | 0.4 mi | 0 / 7 |
| Dec 13, 1983 | F2 | 19 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 2, 1972 | F2 | 19 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jan 12, 1972 | F2 | 22 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 1 |
The strongest 12 of 181, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Pensacola
The Storm Prediction Center has 48 hail reports within 10 miles of Pensacola since 1962, made on 38 separate days. Of these, 34 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), was reported on 13 days, most recently June 6, 2011. The most recent report is from October 26, 2025. March has the most reports, 17.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Pensacola
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Pensacola Regional Airport, FL, 5 miles east of Pensacola at 112 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 92°F and low of 75°F; January is the coolest, at 63°F and 44°F. July is the wettest at 7.9 inches of precipitation on average and May the driest at 3.9 inches; the year adds up to 68.3 inches over 79 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 56% of the year's precipitation (38.4 of 68.3 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 72 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (29); a normal September there has highs of 89°F and 6.6 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 68 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 11 nights a year. That 68.3 inches is more than at 119 of the 125 Florida stations used on this site (95%). Cantonment, 11 miles north, has its own station (Pensacola 7 NNE, FL): 67.9 inches a year, 0.4 less than here, and a July average high of 91°F against 92°F.
Water temperature at the NOAA tide station Pensacola, FL, 5 miles southeast, averaged 88°F in August and 58°F in January over 2021–2025. It averaged 80°F or warmer from June to September. Sea level at the Pensacola tide gauge, 5 miles from Pensacola, has risen 1.07 ± 0.05 inches per decade from 1923 to 2025, NOAA's linear trend; at that pace it is 10.7 inches in a hundred years. That is faster than at 60 of the 144 U.S. gauges with a NOAA trend.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Water °F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 63 | 44 | 5.0 | 7 | 58 |
| Feb | 66 | 47 | 4.8 | 6 | 60 |
| Mar | 72 | 53 | 5.3 | 6 | 68 |
| Apr | 78 | 59 | 5.5 | 5 | 73 |
| May | 85 | 67 | 3.9 | 5 | 79 |
| Jun | 90 | 74 | 7.3 | 9 | 85 |
| Jul | 92 | 75 | 7.9 | 11 | 87 |
| Aug | 91 | 75 | 7.5 | 10 | 88 |
| Sep | 89 | 72 | 6.6 | 6 | 84 |
| Oct | 81 | 62 | 4.7 | 4 | 76 |
| Nov | 72 | 51 | 4.4 | 5 | 69 |
| Dec | 65 | 46 | 5.4 | 7 | 62 |
| Year | 79 | 60 | 68.3 | 79 | 74 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Pensacola Regional Airport, FL (112 ft), from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals; water temperature: average of hourly readings 2021–2025 at the NOAA tide station Pensacola, 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 Pensacola
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 183 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Pensacola: 118 thunderstorm wind reports, 48 flash floods, 10 lightning strikes, 6 heavy rain events and 1 flood. They killed 0 people and injured 16, and the NWS estimated $1.5 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 92 mph, on January 28, 1997. June has had the most flash floods, 20 of 48. Of the 277 Florida cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 270 have had fewer than Pensacola.
April 3, 2000: thunderstorm wind 5 miles from the centre of Pensacola — 4 injured, $70,000 damage.
NWS: “Strong thunderstorm winds produced damage at the intersection South Fairfield Drive and Dalton Street. A mobile home was overturned by the high winds, and one end of the structure was sheared off to the floor level by some pine trees as it overturned.”
July 12, 2008: lightning strike 4 miles from the centre of Pensacola — 4 injured.
January 9, 2024: thunderstorm wind 4 miles from the centre of Pensacola — 2 injured.
NWS: “A tree fell on a home on the 6900 block of W Jackson St, causing a partial roof collapse and injuring 2 people.”
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 Pensacola's 12 ZIP codes have filed 9,707 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $456.0 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Hurricane Ivan in 2004: 2,849 claims (29% of all) and $263.1 million, then Hurricane Sally in 2020 with 2,056 and Mid-spring storms in 2014 with 1,427. 84% 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, 333 have fewer than Pensacola.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Hurricane Ivan2004 | 2,849 | $263.1 million |
| Hurricane Sally2020 | 2,056 | $81.0 million |
| Mid-spring storms2014 | 1,427 | $66.7 million |
| Hurricane Georges (Panhandle)1998 | 760 | $5.5 million |
| Hurricane Opal1995 | 663 | $6.7 million |
| Severe Storms and Flooding1979 | 86 | $777,000 |
Escambia County, which includes Pensacola, has been named in 41 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1970, 24 of them major disasters (by incident: 24 hurricanes, 5 severe storms, 4 floods, 4 tropical storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Hurricane Helene, on September 28, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Escambia County a Relatively High rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Very High for hurricanes and lightning; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, inland flooding, coastal flooding and heat waves; Relatively Low for hail and strong wind. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $173.7 million a year, the 17th highest of 67 Florida counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $120.9 million (70%), 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).
Pensacola in the notable storm records: Hurricane Ivan (2004)
What counts as a pass, the distances and the sources: how this storm history is built.
Cities near Pensacola
- Cantonment, FL11 mi
- Lillian, AL12 mi
- Pace, FL13 mi
- Gulf Breeze, FL16 mi
- Elberta, AL18 mi
- Milton, FL20 mi
- Molino, FL21 mi
- Orange Beach, AL21 mi
- Navarre, FL22 mi
- Robertsdale, AL24 mi
- Foley, AL26 mi
- Summerdale, AL27 mi
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