NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Sanibel, 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
73 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Sanibel, Florida since 1851, 27 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Milton in 2024. Since 1950, 129 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 27
- Tropical storms
- 46
- Tornadoes
- 129
- 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 Sanibel
The strongest storm to pass near Sanibel was an unnamed storm in 1935, a Category 4 hurricane with 151 mph winds when its centre passed 8 miles away. The closest pass by a hurricane was an unnamed storm in 1947, whose centre crossed the city. The record near Sanibel begins with an unnamed storm in 1858; the most recent system was Milton in 2024, a Category 3 hurricane 70 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1890s, with 8 systems, one of them at hurricane strength. Of the 73 systems, 13 have come since 2000. Sanibel has more hurricanes within 75 miles than 59% of the 407 Florida cities on this site. The highest rating among the 129 tornadoes within 25 miles is F2 or EF2, reached 14 times; the most recent, on October 9, 2024, came within 15 miles. The deadliest, an F2 on October 31, 1960, killed 1 person. Of the 129, 16 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 44 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 25. The most recent tornado was on October 9, 2024. Sanibel has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 55% of the 407 Florida cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 5 times since 1991, with stones up to 1.5 inches (ping pong ball size). Of the 407 Florida cities, 97% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Sanibel.
Compare Sanibel's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Sanibel
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | MiltonOct 9 | 70 mi | Category 3 (122 mph) | Category 5 |
| 2022 | IanSep 28 | 19 mi | Category 4 (151 mph) | Category 5 |
| 2022 | AlexJun 4 | 16 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2021 | ElsaJul 6 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (72 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2020 | SallySep 12 | 39 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 2018 | GordonSep 3 | 31 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2017 | IrmaSep 10 | 24 mi | Category 2 (101 mph) | Category 5 |
| 2017 | EmilyJul 31 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2008 | FayAug 19 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2006 | ErnestoAug 30 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2005 | WilmaOct 24 | 44 mi | Category 3 (121 mph) | Category 5 |
| 2004 | CharleyAug 13 | 11 mi | Category 4 (148 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2001 | GabrielleSep 14 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (67 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1999 | HarveySep 21 | 35 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1998 | MitchNov 5 | 20 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1994 | GordonNov 16 | 6 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1992 | AndrewAug 24 | 51 mi | Category 4 (132 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1990 | MarcoOct 11 | 32 mi | Tropical storm (61 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1988 | KeithNov 23 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1985 | BobJul 23 | 3 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1981 | DennisAug 17 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1969 | JennyOct 2 | 24 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1968 | AbbyJun 4 | 21 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1966 | Unnamed 1966 stormJul 1 | 39 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1966 | AlmaJun 9 | 52 mi | Category 2 (104 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1964 | IsbellOct 14 | 61 mi | Category 2 (104 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1960 | DonnaSep 10 | 16 mi | Category 3 (117 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1959 | JudithOct 18 | 20 mi | Tropical storm (62 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1953 | HazelOct 9 | 18 mi | Category 1 (86 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1951 | HowOct 2 | 20 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1950 | EasySep 4 | 47 mi | Category 1 (92 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1948 | Unnamed 1948 stormSep 22 | 62 mi | Category 4 (132 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1947 | Unnamed 1947 stormSep 18 | overhead | Category 2 (99 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1946 | Unnamed 1946 stormOct 7 | 58 mi | Category 1 (87 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1945 | Unnamed 1945 stormSep 16 | 38 mi | Category 2 (98 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1945 | Unnamed 1945 stormSep 4 | overhead | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1944 | Unnamed 1944 stormOct 19 | 34 mi | Category 2 (107 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormOct 6 | 3 mi | Tropical storm (72 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1936 | Unnamed 1936 stormJul 29 | 22 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1936 | Unnamed 1936 stormJun 15 | 32 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1935 | Unnamed 1935 stormNov 5 | 57 mi | Category 1 (76 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1935 | Unnamed 1935 stormSep 3 | 8 mi | Category 4 (151 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1933 | Unnamed 1933 stormJul 31 | 39 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormAug 30 | 22 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1929 | Unnamed 1929 stormSep 29 | 45 mi | Category 2 (104 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1928 | Unnamed 1928 stormAug 13 | 22 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1926 | Unnamed 1926 stormSep 18 | 5 mi | Category 2 (109 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1925 | Unnamed 1925 stormDec 1 | 15 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1924 | Unnamed 1924 stormOct 21 | 46 mi | Category 1 (92 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormMay 14 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1910 | Unnamed 1910 stormOct 18 | 4 mi | Category 3 (110 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1909 | Unnamed 1909 stormAug 29 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1907 | Unnamed 1907 stormSep 19 | 46 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1904 | Unnamed 1904 stormOct 18 | 22 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1903 | Unnamed 1903 stormSep 12 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (67 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1901 | Unnamed 1901 stormAug 11 | 30 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1899 | Unnamed 1899 stormJul 30 | 16 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1897 | Unnamed 1897 stormSep 21 | 20 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1896 | Unnamed 1896 stormOct 9 | 5 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1895 | Unnamed 1895 stormOct 16 | 64 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1894 | Unnamed 1894 stormSep 25 | 5 mi | Category 2 (104 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormJun 10 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1891 | Unnamed 1891 stormOct 7 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1891 | Unnamed 1891 stormAug 25 | 36 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 17 | 12 mi | Category 1 (81 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormSep 8 | 30 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormJul 2 | 33 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1876 | Unnamed 1876 stormOct 20 | 57 mi | Category 2 (102 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1873 | Unnamed 1873 stormOct 7 | 8 mi | Category 3 (115 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1870 | Unnamed 1870 stormOct 20 | 33 mi | Category 1 (90 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1861 | Unnamed 1861 stormNov 1 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (67 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1859 | Unnamed 1859 stormOct 18 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1858 | Unnamed 1858 stormSep 14 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 2 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Sanibel: 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 Sanibel
By decade
- 2020s10
- 2010s10
- 2000s24
- 1990s39
- 1980s16
- 1970s16
- 1960s10
- 1950s4
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 31, 1960 | F2 | 2 mi | 0.1 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Oct 9, 2024 | EF2 | 15 mi | 16.29 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jan 16, 2022 | EF2 | 7 mi | 7.01 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jan 9, 2016 | EF2 | 9 mi | 3.35 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Jul 23, 1989 | F2 | 19 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 4, 1988 | F2 | 19 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 9, 1986 | F2 | 13 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 12 |
| Jun 18, 1972 | F2 | 14 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 18, 1972 | F2 | 3 mi | 0.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 3, 1971 | F2 | 7 mi | 0.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 11, 1968 | F2 | 24 mi | 65.4 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Feb 23, 1965 | F2 | 18 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 129, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Sanibel
The Storm Prediction Center has 5 hail reports within 10 miles of Sanibel since 1991. Of these, one was 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest, 1.5 inches (ping pong ball size), fell on July 10, 1993. The most recent report is from July 1, 2015.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Sanibel
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Fort Myers Page Field Airport, FL, 17 miles northeast of Sanibel at 15 feet. August is the warmest, with an average high of 92°F and low of 75°F; January is the coolest, at 75°F and 54°F. August is the wettest at 10.4 inches of precipitation on average and February and November the driest at 1.8 inches; the year adds up to 57.5 inches over 77 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 75% of the year's precipitation (43.4 of 57.5 inches); the other six months are drier. Highs reach 90°F on about 120 days a year, almost all from April to October. A night below freezing comes less than once a year on average. That 57.5 inches is more than at 88 of the 125 Florida stations used on this site (70%). Estero, 17 miles east, has its own station (Fort Myers SW Fl Regional Airport, FL): 53.5 inches a year, 4.0 less than here, and an August average high of 91°F against 92°F.
Water temperature at the NOAA tide station Fort Myers, FL, 19 miles northeast, averaged 88°F in July and August and 67°F in January over 2021–2025. It averaged 80°F or warmer from May to October. Sea level at the Fort Myers tide gauge, 19 miles from Sanibel, has risen 1.43 ± 0.08 inches per decade from 1965 to 2025, NOAA's linear trend; at that pace it is 14.3 inches in a hundred years. That is faster than at 86 of the 144 U.S. gauges with a NOAA trend.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Water °F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 75 | 54 | 2.4 | 3 | 67 |
| Feb | 78 | 57 | 1.8 | 3 | 72 |
| Mar | 81 | 60 | 2.1 | 3 | 76 |
| Apr | 85 | 64 | 2.4 | 4 | 79 |
| May | 90 | 69 | 3.5 | 5 | 85 |
| Jun | 91 | 74 | 9.7 | 12 | 86 |
| Jul | 92 | 75 | 9.4 | 13 | 88 |
| Aug | 92 | 75 | 10.4 | 14 | 88 |
| Sep | 90 | 74 | 9.0 | 11 | 86 |
| Oct | 87 | 69 | 3.1 | 5 | 81 |
| Nov | 81 | 62 | 1.8 | 3 | 75 |
| Dec | 77 | 57 | 1.9 | 3 | 71 |
| Year | 85 | 66 | 57.5 | 77 | 79 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Fort Myers Page Field Airport, FL (15 ft), from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals; water temperature: average of hourly readings 2021–2025 at the NOAA tide station Fort Myers, 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 Sanibel
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 14 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Sanibel: 8 thunderstorm wind reports, 3 floods and 3 lightning strikes. They killed 2 people and injured 3, and the NWS estimated $155,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 68 mph, on January 9, 2016.
July 22, 2014: lightning strike 8 miles from the centre of Sanibel — 1 killed, 2 injured.
July 24, 2021: lightning strike 2 miles from the centre of Sanibel — 1 killed, 1 injured.
NWS: “A family of four was on the beach at Sanibel Island as a thunderstorm moved overhead. Unfortunately a lightning strike hit the father and he died of his injuries.”
August 28, 2017: flood 6 miles from the centre of Sanibel — $100,000 damage.
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 Sanibel's ZIP code 33957 have filed 7,057 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $693.6 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Hurricane Ian in 2022: 4,319 claims (61% of all) and $636.0 million, then Hurricane Charley in 2004 with 827 and Hurricane Milton in 2024 with 691. 97% 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, 326 have fewer than Sanibel.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Hurricane Ian2022 | 4,319 | $636.0 million |
| Hurricane Charley2004 | 827 | $5.0 million |
| Hurricane Milton2024 | 691 | $21.2 million |
| Hurricane Helene2024 | 471 | $25.9 million |
| Torrential rain2001 | 210 | $1.4 million |
| Hurricane Sally2020 | 87 | $1.1 million |
Lee County, which includes Sanibel, has been named in 45 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 26 of them major disasters (by incident: 21 hurricanes, 6 fires, 5 tropical storms, 4 severe storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Hurricane Milton, on October 11, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Lee County a Relatively High rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Very High for hurricanes, coastal flooding and lightning; Relatively High for inland flooding; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, strong wind and heat waves; Very Low for hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $433.3 million a year, the 5th highest of 67 Florida counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $300.4 million (69%), 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).
Sanibel in the notable storm records: Hurricane Ian (2022)
What counts as a pass, the distances and the sources: how this storm history is built.
Cities near Sanibel
- St James City, FL7 mi
- Fort Myers Beach, FL9 mi
- Cape Coral, FL15 mi
- Bokeelia, FL16 mi
- Estero, FL17 mi
- Fort Myers, FL18 mi
- Bonita Springs, FL19 mi
- North Fort Myers, FL22 mi
- Naples, FL29 mi
- Lehigh Acres, FL29 mi
- Placida, FL31 mi
- Rotonda West, FL33 mi
All Florida cities →All hurricanes since 1851 →Compare Sanibel with another place →