Palm Coast, Florida's History with Tropical Systems

(br) = Brush (ts) = Tropical Storm (bd) = Back Door, meaning coming from over land from opposite coast. Not all names are noted. Also, storms before 1950 were not named. Not every stat on every storm description is given. (since 1871)

Palm Coast most likely to be hit by a hurricane between September 14th and September 20th

Years near or within core winds

1871bdbr
1871bdtsbr
1873bdtsbr
1873bdts
1874bdbr
1877bdts
1878bdts
1879bdts
1880br
1880bdtsbr
1880bdbr
1885
1885bdtsbr
1886bdbr
1886bdts
1888bdbr
1889bdts
1893-2m
1894bd
1896bdbrm
1898m
1906ts
1910bdts
1914ts
1915ts
1920bdts
1921bdbr
1926ts
1928tsbr
1928
1932bdtsbr
1936ts
1937bdts
1937ts
1944bdts
1945-bdts
1949bdbr
1950bdts
1950bdtsbr
1952br
1960bd
1964ts
1964
1968ts
1968bd
1974stsbdbr
1979
1982stsbr
1984ts
1984bdts
1985ts
1988bdtsbr
2001bdts
2002ts
2004bd
2004bdts
2005ts
2008ts
2012ts
2013bdtsbr
2016-2bdts
2016m
2017bdts
2019br
2020bdtsbr
2022bdts
2022br
2023bdbr
2024bdtsbr
2024bdmbr
2024bdbr

73 times in 153 years (as of end of 2024)

Names from list above (D storms most likely to impact the area)

Easy
King
Able
Donna
Cleo
Dora
Abby
Gladys
David
Diana
Isidore
Bob
Keith
Gabrielle
Edouard
Charley
Jeanne
Tammy
Fay
Beryl
Andrea
Colin
Hermine
Matthew
Irma
Dorian
Eta
Ian
Nicole
Idalia
Debby
Helene
Milton

Tropical Storm to Hurricane ratio

TS = 47, 64.38%
H = 26, 35.62%

only 8.22% of all tropical systems affecting Palm Coast are major hurricanes this includes brushes

Longest gap between storms

12 years 1989-2000

How often this area gets affected?

Brushed or hit every 2.10 years

Average years between direct hurricane hits. (hurricane force winds for a few hours)

Once every 12.75 years. (12 hits) State stats

Average years between direct major hurricane hits. (major hurricane in advisory upon passage)

Once every 76.5 years. (2 hits)

Average MPH of hurricane hits. (based on sustained winds from advisories, not gusts)

103 mph

Statistically when this area should be affected next

Before the end of 2026

This is just a statistical average & does not mean the area will be affected by that year.

Last affected by

2024 October 10th Hurricane Milton brushes to south by 75 miles with 85 mph winds while moving offshore from gulf.

This area's hurricane history

1885 August 24th, 95 mph from the south-southeast just east by 30 miles.
1893 August 27th a 115 mph hurricane moving north-northwest just offshore by 33 miles. Hit map
1893 October 12th, 120 mph just east by 30 miles from the south-southeast. Hit map
1894 September 26th, 75 mph directly over from the south-southwest
1898 October 2nd, 130 mph just northeast by 58 miles from the southeast. Hit map
1928 September 17th, 95 mph from the south just west by 38 miles.
1960, September 11th donna from South West as a category 2 with 110 mph winds directly over. More here | Weather service post sketch
1964 Dora September 10th just north by 17 miles as a category 2 with 110 mph (HURDAT2) winds batter this area over hurricane force for 15 hrs gusts over 100 mph. Hit map | Video Dora as it happened | NHC Wallet
1968 October 19th Gladys back door category 1 with 80 mph winds from the southwest. 15 miles to north. NHC Wallet
1979 September 4th, Hurricane David hits from the south 19 miles east with 95 mph winds. NHC Wallet
2004 August 14th Hurricane Charley hits with 85 mph winds from the south-southwest 14 miles southeast while moving offshore. Radar animation (Brian McNoldy, Univ. of Miami, Rosenstiel School) NHC report
2016, October 7th Hurricane Matthew passes just east by 28 miles with 115 mph winds while moving north-northwest. A post-storm assessment conducted by the Weather Forecast Office (WFO) in Jacksonville also suggested that inundation could have been as high as 7 ft in several locations along the immediate coastline, particularly near Matanzas Inlet and Marineland. Severe storm surge flooding produced inundation of 6-7 ft above ground level, causing a new inlet to be cut in the barrier island between Marineland and Matanzas Inlet. Radar animation (Brian McNoldy, Univ. of Miami, Rosenstiel School) | Best models | Matthew timeline | NHC final report | USGS surge info | A disaster named Matthew video

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Stat sources:

Text Sources:

"Divine Wind" by Kerry Emanuel
"Florida Hurricanes and Tropical Storms" by John M. Williams and Iver W. Duedall
"Florida's Hurricane History" by Jay Barnes
"Hurricane Almanac" by Bryan Norcross
HurricaneCity.com calculations by Jim Williams
"Hurricanes and the Middle Atlantic States" by Rick Schwartz
"Hurricane Watch" by Dr. Bob Sheets and Jack Williams
"Inside the Hurricane" by Pete Davies
"Isaac's Storm" by Erik Larson
"Killer 'Cane" by Robert Mykle
"Lunatic Wind" by William Price Fox
Miami Herald newspaper (microfilm)
"Path of Destruction" by John McQuaid and Mark Schleifstein
Sun Sentinel newspaper (microfilm)
"The Major Hurricanes To Affect The Bahamas" by Wayne Neely
"The Ship and the Storm" by Jim Carrier
Plus many more......