Do hurricanes ever hit the Florida Keys?

1999 - Hurricane Irene reached hurricane status while crossing the Florida Straits in 1999. Its eye passed over Key West, making landfall near Cape Sable. Most of its strong winds were confined to the Lower and Middle Keys. The storm resulted in indirect deaths on the mainland and significant damage in Florida.



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Visitors are asked to leave the Keys during any category storm while residents are mandated to leave during a severe hurricane of Category 3 or higher.

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Key West, like Miami, has a 16 percent chance of being impacted by a hurricane during any Atlantic hurricane season. Known as the Southernmost City in the Continental United States, Key West is directly impacted by a hurricane every 6.04 years, according to Hurricane City.

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Florida Keys and Monroe County Katrina weakened into a tropical storm while moving across Monroe County. Tides reached 3 to 5 ft (0.91 to 1.52 m) in mainland Monroe County, which flooded several houses and vehicles in Flamingo in Everglades National Park. Most of the Florida Keys reported tropical storm-force winds.

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August is the hottest month in Key West, with average temperatures ranging from an average high of 91 to a low of 81 degrees. The humidity is also quite high, with plenty of rainfall. For those sensitivy to humidity and weary of rain, August is probably the worst time to visit Key West.

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