When was the last hurricane to hit Florida Keys?

Hurricane Irma struck the Florida Keys on Sept. 10, 2017 as a category 4 storm with maximum sustained winds of 132 mph and storm surge up to 8 feet in the hardest-hit areas in the Lower and Middle Keys.



As of early 2026, the last major hurricane to directly impact the Florida Keys was Hurricane Ian in September 2022. While the center of Ian made landfall near Fort Myers, the Florida Keys experienced significant impacts from the storm's outer bands, including a catastrophic storm surge that flooded over 150 homes in Key West and damaged hundreds more throughout the archipelago. More recently, in 2024, Hurricane Helene passed to the west of the Keys, bringing tropical-storm-force winds and minor coastal flooding, but it did not make a "direct hit." In late 2025, the region watched Hurricane Melissa closely, but it ultimately tracked south toward Jamaica. Consequently, the 2017 landfall of Hurricane Irma remains the last time a Category 4 storm center crossed directly over the Middle Keys (Cudjoe Key), serving as the benchmark for modern hurricane recovery and infrastructure resilience in the "Conch Republic."

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On September 2, 1935, Labor Day, the hurricane reached a peak intensity of 892 mb. The hurricane made landfall later that night as a Category 5 storm, crossing the Florida Keys between Key West and Miami, FL. As it made landfall, the hurricane delivered maximum sustained winds of approximately 298 km/h (185 mph).

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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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Idalia made landfall at Keaton Beach in Florida's Big Bend area (wind speeds around 125 mph) as a Category 3 hurricane on Aug. 30, after briefly undergoing a rapid intensification to a Category 4 storm overnight. This area had not been hit by a strong storm in 125 years.

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Florida summers are generally very hot and humid with daily highs often reaching the mid-30s (90+°F). The wet season is from June to November. It's particularly hot and muggy down south from mid-August to mid-October, and there's also a risk of hurricanes. The dry season is from December to May.

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Pack a light fleece jacket, hoodie, or comfy cardigan for evening dockside drinking. Jeans, leggings, joggers, or lightweight active pants are also practical. They can be easily cuffed during the day and let down when the night chills begin.

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The crime rate in the Florida Keys is low, but you should still use common sense when exploring Key West, especially at night and around hectic Duval Street and Mallory Square. Exercise caution when going into the water as well; be sure to heed all flags and warnings from authorities.

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The area has a 16 percent chance of being hit by a hurricane or tropical storm. The first hurricane recorded as most likely hitting Key West took place in 1557. In 1588, Havana was recorded as being struck by a worse storm than the first.

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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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Yes, Orlando can experience hurricanes. Hurricane season in Orlando runs from the start of June until late November. During this time, anyone in the Orlando area should look out for news on tropical storms forming around the Atlantic Ocean or the Gulf of Mexico.

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S?everal Florida cities also rewrote their summer heat record books in 2023, including Key West, Miami, Pensacola and Sarasota. While Tampa fell just short of their record summer, they've now had their four hottest summers all within the past four years.

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There is officially no such thing as a Category 6 hurricane. But the idea of revising or adding to the scale has been discussed by some climate scientists who believe the current categories may not be adequate for increasingly extreme storms in the future.

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