Hurricane History Map

Hurricanes that hit Highlands County, Florida: hurricane history

74 storms have passed within 50 km of Highlands County from 1852 to 2024, coloured by intensity on the map.

Tap or scroll to load the interactive map

Years1842 to 2026
Ocean basin

Choosing a minimum category hides storms with no wind speed in the record. To see which storms have passed near you, search a town or ZIP code, or tap the map.

Key
  • Tropical depression Winds below 34 knots (39 mph)
  • Tropical storm 34 to 63 knots (39 to 73 mph)
  • Category 1 64 to 82 knots (74 to 95 mph)
  • Category 2 83 to 95 knots (96 to 110 mph)
  • Category 3 96 to 112 knots (111 to 129 mph), major
  • Category 4 113 to 136 knots (130 to 156 mph), major
  • Category 5 137 knots (157 mph) or more, major
  • Unknown intensity No wind speed in the record
  • Post-tropical Storm has become post-tropical (dashed line)

How to read the lines. Each line is the track of one storm, drawn through its six-hourly positions and coloured by its intensity at each point (the Saffir-Simpson scale), so a line changes colour as the storm strengthens or weakens. Tap a line for its details, or tap anywhere else to see which storms have passed nearby. Weaker storms appear as you zoom in. Hurricanes, typhoons and cyclones are the same kind of storm with different names in different oceans.

Storms near Highlands County

The record holds 74 tropical cyclones whose tracks passed within 50 km of Highlands County, Florida between 1852 and 2024. The busiest month is August, with 20 of them. The strongest, measured where each came closest to the place, reached category 4 strength. 4 of the storms have no wind speed in the record.

  • 74storms within 50 km
  • 12major (category 3 to 5) near here
  • 25at category 1 strength or more

A storm counts once, however many times it came close. The category is the storm's strongest point within 50 km, which can be weaker than its peak elsewhere.

How strong were the storms near Highlands County?

Category near hereStormsShare
Tropical depression68%
Tropical storm3953%
Category 179%
Category 268%
Category 379%
Category 457%
Category 500%
Unknown intensity45%

The agency behind most of the intensity figures here is the NOAA National Hurricane Center (HURDAT2, Atlantic).

Highlands County storms over time

Storms by decade
Bar chart of storms by period. The most is 9 in 1960s.1850s1870s1890s1910s1930s1950s1970s1990s2010s

The 2020s only run to 2024, so that bar is for a shorter period. This place's record starts in 1852, and records before the satellite era (about the 1960s) are far less complete.

Show the numbers
PeriodCount
1850s3
1860s2
1870s5
1880s2
1890s5
1900s6
1910s3
1920s4
1930s3
1940s3
1950s6
1960s9
1970s2
1980s6
1990s4
2000s6
2010s2
2020s3

Earlier decades hold fewer storms partly because they were harder to see. Before weather satellites (about the 1960s) many storms that stayed at sea went unrecorded, so compare decades with care.

Storms by month
Bar chart of storms by period. The most is 20 in Aug.Jan0Feb0Mar0Apr0May1Jun3Jul4Aug20Sep20Oct18Nov7Dec1
Show the numbers
PeriodCount
Jan0
Feb0
Mar0
Apr0
May1
Jun3
Jul4
Aug20
Sep20
Oct18
Nov7
Dec1

Strongest storms near Highlands County

  • Ian (2022)22 September 2022 to 1 October 2022, Category 4 (135 kt) near here, peak Category 5 (140 kt), 937 hPa
  • Unnamed storm of September 1928 (North Atlantic)6 September 1928 to 21 September 1928, Category 4 (125 kt) near here, peak Category 5 (140 kt), 929 hPa
  • Charley (2004)9 August 2004 to 15 August 2004, peak Category 4 (125 kt), 947 hPa
  • Unnamed storm of August 1949 (North Atlantic)23 August 1949 to 1 September 1949, peak Category 4 (115 kt), 954 hPa
  • King (1950)13 October 1950 to 20 October 1950, peak Category 4 (115 kt), 955 hPa

Most recent storms near Highlands County

  • Milton (2024)4 October 2024 to 11 October 2024, Category 3 (105 kt) near here, peak Category 5 (150 kt), 902 hPa
  • Nicole (2022)6 November 2022 to 11 November 2022, peak Category 1 (65 kt), 980 hPa
  • Ian (2022)22 September 2022 to 1 October 2022, Category 4 (135 kt) near here, peak Category 5 (140 kt), 937 hPa

Many of these storms killed people and destroyed homes. The figures are the official record's, and this page says nothing about their human cost.

A storm that came near several counties counts in each one, so county counts add up to more than the state's.

Notable storms near Highlands County

  • Irma (2017)30 August 2017 to 13 September 2017, peak Category 5 (155 kt), 914 hPa
  • Mitch (1998)22 October 1998 to 9 November 1998, peak Category 5 (155 kt), 905 hPa
  • Milton (2024)4 October 2024 to 11 October 2024, peak Category 5 (150 kt), 902 hPa
  • Ian (2022)22 September 2022 to 1 October 2022, peak Category 5 (140 kt), 937 hPa
  • Cleo (1964)20 August 1964 to 11 September 1964, peak Category 4 (130 kt), 938 hPa
  • Charley (2004)9 August 2004 to 15 August 2004, peak Category 4 (125 kt), 947 hPa
  • Donna (1960)29 August 1960 to 14 September 1960, peak Category 4 (125 kt), 930 hPa
  • Frances (2004)25 August 2004 to 10 September 2004, peak Category 4 (125 kt), 937 hPa
  • King (1950)13 October 1950 to 20 October 1950, peak Category 4 (115 kt), 955 hPa
  • Gerda (1969)7 September 1969 to 12 September 1969, peak Category 3 (105 kt), 980 hPa
  • Jeanne (2004)13 September 2004 to 29 September 2004, peak Category 3 (105 kt), 951 hPa

More in Florida

Embed this map

Copy this code into your web page. It is free to use. Please keep the link under the map, as it is how people find where the map comes from.