Skip to content

NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database

Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Miami Beach, 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 Miami Beach, Florida since 1851, 39 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Eta in 2020. Since 1950, 209 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 4 of them rated EF3 or stronger.

Hurricanes
39

within 75 mi, since 1851

Tropical storms
48

below hurricane strength

Tornadoes
209

within 25 mi, since 1950

EF3 or stronger
4

2 deaths in all

Tropical storms and hurricanes near Miami Beach

Tropical systems that passed within 75 miles of Miami Beach, Florida, newest first
YearStormClosestStrength when closestPeak
2020EtaNov 973 miTropical storm (63 mph)Category 4
2020SallySep 1247 miTropical storm (40 mph)Category 2
2020IsaiasAug 256 miTropical storm (63 mph)Category 1
2018GordonSep 361 miTropical storm (52 mph)Tropical storm
2018HectorAug 1344 miTropical storm (51 mph)Category 4
2010NicoleSep 3059 miTropical storm (46 mph)Tropical storm
2010BonnieJul 2328 miTropical storm (39 mph)Tropical storm
2006ErnestoAug 3048 miTropical storm (44 mph)Category 1
2005WilmaOct 2456 miCategory 3 (110 mph)Category 5
2005KatrinaAug 2510 miCategory 1 (81 mph)Category 5
1999IreneOct 1535 miCategory 1 (75 mph)Category 2
1999HarveySep 2136 miTropical storm (53 mph)Tropical storm
1998MitchNov 574 miTropical storm (62 mph)Category 5
1995JerryAug 2348 miTropical storm (40 mph)Tropical storm
1992AndrewAug 2422 miCategory 5 (167 mph)Category 5
1991FabianOct 1644 miTropical storm (46 mph)Tropical storm
1988UlekiSep 845 miCategory 2 (104 mph)Category 3
1987FloydOct 1339 miTropical storm (69 mph)Category 1
1985BobJul 2371 miTropical storm (46 mph)Category 1
1984IsidoreSep 2743 miTropical storm (58 mph)Tropical storm
1981DennisAug 1766 miTropical storm (40 mph)Category 1
1979DavidSep 344 miCategory 2 (97 mph)Category 5
1976DottieAug 1934 miTropical storm (40 mph)Tropical storm
1974Unnamed 1974 stormOct 647 miTropical storm (47 mph)Tropical storm
1966InezOct 450 miCategory 1 (91 mph)Category 5
1965BetsySep 854 miCategory 3 (113 mph)Category 4
1964IsbellOct 1449 miCategory 1 (93 mph)Category 3
1964CleoAug 272 miCategory 2 (108 mph)Category 4
1960FlorenceSep 2465 miTropical storm (40 mph)Tropical storm
1956Unnamed 1956 stormOct 1630 miTropical storm (63 mph)Tropical storm
1953Unnamed 1953 stormOct 541 miTropical storm (40 mph)Tropical storm
1952Unnamed 1952 stormFeb 339 miTropical storm (63 mph)Tropical storm
1950KingOct 187 miCategory 4 (132 mph)Category 4
1949Unnamed 1949 stormAug 2648 miCategory 4 (132 mph)Category 4
1948Unnamed 1948 stormOct 62 miCategory 1 (92 mph)Category 3
1948Unnamed 1948 stormSep 2261 miCategory 2 (109 mph)Category 4
1947Unnamed 1947 stormOct 1214 miCategory 1 (81 mph)Category 2
1947Unnamed 1947 stormSep 1719 miCategory 4 (131 mph)Category 4
1946Unnamed 1946 stormNov 138 miTropical storm (46 mph)Tropical storm
1945Unnamed 1945 stormSep 1532 miCategory 3 (129 mph)Category 4
1941Unnamed 1941 stormOct 623 miCategory 2 (98 mph)Category 3
1936Unnamed 1936 stormJul 2937 miTropical storm (62 mph)Category 2
1936Unnamed 1936 stormJun 152 miTropical storm (46 mph)Tropical storm
1935Unnamed 1935 stormNov 45 miCategory 2 (97 mph)Category 2
1935Unnamed 1935 stormSep 2952 miCategory 4 (138 mph)Category 4
1933Unnamed 1933 stormOct 572 miCategory 3 (116 mph)Category 3
1933Unnamed 1933 stormSep 465 miCategory 3 (127 mph)Category 4
1932Unnamed 1932 stormAug 3036 miTropical storm (63 mph)Category 1
1929Unnamed 1929 stormSep 2861 miCategory 3 (115 mph)Category 4
1928Unnamed 1928 stormSep 1656 miCategory 4 (145 mph)Category 5
1928Unnamed 1928 stormAug 765 miCategory 2 (104 mph)Category 2
1926Unnamed 1926 stormOct 2130 miCategory 3 (127 mph)Category 4
1926Unnamed 1926 stormSep 1818 miCategory 4 (144 mph)Category 4
1924Unnamed 1924 stormOct 2112 miTropical storm (70 mph)Category 5
1916Unnamed 1916 stormNov 1618 miTropical storm (58 mph)Tropical storm
1916Unnamed 1916 stormAug 2516 miTropical storm (46 mph)Category 2
1916Unnamed 1916 stormMay 1464 miTropical storm (43 mph)Tropical storm
1909Unnamed 1909 stormOct 1133 miCategory 2 (108 mph)Category 3
1909Unnamed 1909 stormAug 2940 miTropical storm (52 mph)Tropical storm
1909Unnamed 1909 stormJun 2810 miTropical storm (52 mph)Tropical storm
1906Unnamed 1906 stormOct 184 miCategory 3 (116 mph)Category 3
1906Unnamed 1906 stormJun 17overheadCategory 1 (86 mph)Category 2
1904Unnamed 1904 stormOct 1732 miCategory 1 (75 mph)Category 1
1903Unnamed 1903 stormSep 1119 miCategory 1 (86 mph)Category 1
1901Unnamed 1901 stormAug 1031 miTropical storm (46 mph)Category 1
1899Unnamed 1899 stormJul 3065 miTropical storm (40 mph)Category 2
1898Unnamed 1898 stormOct 1147 miTropical storm (69 mph)Tropical storm
1898Unnamed 1898 stormSep 2767 miTropical storm (44 mph)Tropical storm
1895Unnamed 1895 stormOct 1673 miTropical storm (40 mph)Tropical storm
1895Unnamed 1895 stormOct 264 miTropical storm (58 mph)Tropical storm
1892Unnamed 1892 stormJun 1127 miTropical storm (40 mph)Tropical storm
1891Unnamed 1891 stormOct 753 miTropical storm (46 mph)Tropical storm
1891Unnamed 1891 stormAug 2429 miCategory 1 (78 mph)Category 3
1889Unnamed 1889 stormOct 632 miTropical storm (46 mph)Tropical storm
1888Unnamed 1888 stormSep 235 miTropical storm (41 mph)Category 1
1888Unnamed 1888 stormSep 753 miTropical storm (52 mph)Tropical storm
1888Unnamed 1888 stormAug 16overheadCategory 3 (125 mph)Category 3
1885Unnamed 1885 stormAug 2344 miCategory 1 (79 mph)Category 2
1881Unnamed 1881 stormAug 1762 miTropical storm (46 mph)Category 1
1878Unnamed 1878 stormOct 2114 miCategory 1 (81 mph)Category 2
1878Unnamed 1878 stormSep 864 miTropical storm (62 mph)Category 2
1876Unnamed 1876 stormOct 2071 miCategory 2 (101 mph)Category 3
1876Unnamed 1876 stormSep 1631 miTropical storm (69 mph)Category 3
1870Unnamed 1870 stormOct 1144 miCategory 2 (104 mph)Category 3
1865Unnamed 1865 stormOct 2331 miCategory 2 (97 mph)Category 2
1863Unnamed 1863 stormSep 1622 miTropical storm (58 mph)Tropical storm
1859Unnamed 1859 stormOct 1738 miTropical storm (69 mph)Tropical storm

Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Miami Beach: 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 Miami Beach

By decade

  • 2020s15
  • 2010s24
  • 2000s33
  • 1990s50
  • 1980s42(1 EF3+)
  • 1970s11
  • 1960s22(1 EF3+)
  • 1950s12(2 EF3+)
Strongest tornadoes near Miami Beach, Florida
DateRatingDistancePathKilled / injured
Mar 1, 1980F324 mi7.8 mi1 / 33
Feb 23, 1965F319 mi5.7 mi0 / 6
Jun 17, 1959F34 mi12.7 mi0 / 77
Apr 10, 1956F314 mi7.8 mi0 / 20
Mar 27, 2003F25 mi6 mi1 / 14
Oct 18, 2011EF224 mi1.11 mi0 / 0
Feb 2, 1998F28 mi21 mi0 / 0
May 24, 1979F219 mi3 mi0 / 2
Mar 4, 1972F221 mi2 mi0 / 6
Jun 22, 1971F27 mi2 mi0 / 0
Feb 19, 1968F28 mi5.7 mi0 / 21
Oct 14, 1964F218 mi0.1 mi0 / 0

The strongest 12 of 209, 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 Miami Beach 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.

Other cities in Florida