No active hurricanes threatening Fort Myers right now

Could the next one hit soon? 193 hurricanes have impacted the Fort Myers area since 1852 — set up free alerts so you'll have time to prepare when one's on the way.

193
Hurricanes affecting Fort Myers area
2024
Most recent
160 kt
Strongest peak winds
8 mi
Closest approach
Local note: Fort Myers' low-lying, bayside location on San Carlos Bay makes storm surge and extreme coastal flooding the primary threat — Hurricane Ian's 2022 Category 5 impact and extensive surge damage are the defining recent events.

Coverage on this page applies broadly to the Fort Myers area — including North Fort Myers, Cape Coral, Fort Myers Beach, Estero, Saint James City, Alva, Lehigh Acres, Bokeelia. Tropical storms rarely respect city limits.

When do hurricanes typically threaten the Fort Myers area?

Distribution of 193 hurricanes that have come within 150 mi of Fort Myers, by month of closest approach.

J
1 F
M
A
3 M
19 J
15 J
41 A
51 S
50 O
12 N
1 D

Recent notable storms affecting the Fort Myers area

Year Name Peak Cat Peak Winds Closest Approach
2024 MILTON Cat 5 155 kt 69 mi
2024 DEBBY Cat 1 70 kt 153 mi
2024 HELENE Cat 4 120 kt 193 mi
2023 IDALIA Cat 4 115 kt 176 mi
2022 IAN Cat 5 140 kt 15 mi
2022 NICOLE Cat 1 65 kt 97 mi
2021 ELSA Cat 1 75 kt 82 mi
2020 SALLY Cat 2 95 kt 58 mi
2020 ETA Cat 4 130 kt 114 mi
2020 ISAIAS Cat 1 80 kt 147 mi
2017 IRMA Cat 5 155 kt 16 mi
2016 MATTHEW Cat 5 145 kt 153 mi
2016 HERMINE Cat 1 70 kt 197 mi
2014 ARTHUR Cat 2 85 kt 175 mi
2012 ISAAC Cat 1 70 kt 155 mi
Hurricane-strength storms (Cat 1+) since 2006 that came within 200 miles of Fort Myers. Includes storms whose center stayed offshore or hit nearby cities — wind, surge, and rainfall impacts extend far beyond the storm's path.

All-time closest approaches to Fort Myers

Year Name Peak Cat Peak Winds Closest Approach Date of Closest
1888 UNNAMED Cat 3 110 kt 8 mi Aug 17, 1888
1994 GORDON Cat 1 75 kt 8 mi Nov 16, 1994
1894 UNNAMED Cat 3 105 kt 12 mi Sep 25, 1894
1910 UNNAMED Cat 4 130 kt 12 mi Oct 18, 1910
1904 UNNAMED Cat 1 70 kt 12 mi Oct 18, 1904
2022 IAN Cat 5 140 kt 15 mi Sep 28, 2022
1953 HAZEL Cat 1 75 kt 15 mi Oct 09, 1953
1945 UNNAMED TS 35 kt 16 mi Sep 05, 1945
1951 HOW Cat 2 85 kt 16 mi Oct 02, 1951
2017 IRMA Cat 5 155 kt 16 mi Sep 11, 2017
Showing the 10 closest of 193 total storms within 150 mi of Fort Myers since 1852.

If a hurricane threatens Fort Myers

  1. Know your evacuation zone. Look up yours by address via your state or county emergency management office (Lee County and surrounding areas).
  2. Set up alerts ahead of time. During an active storm, watches and warnings change every six hours. Email or text alerts from TropicalInfo give you the official NHC update the moment it's posted, with a plain-language summary.
  3. Prep your supplies before the storm is named. Stores empty out within hours of a watch. The 72-hour rule: water, food, batteries, fuel, medications, important documents. Our alerts can notify you of a storm long before it makes the news — giving you more time to get what you need before the panic-buying starts.
  4. Follow the cone, not the line. The forecast track is a best estimate — the cone shows where the center is likely to go. Impacts extend hundreds of miles from the center.

Set up free location-based alerts for Fort Myers

Historical data: NOAA HURDAT2 Atlantic and Eastern North Pacific hurricane databases. Closest-approach calculated using great-circle distance between Fort Myers (26.6204°N, 81.8725°W) and each 6-hourly observation. Storms are included if their center passed within 150 mi of Fort Myers — impacts (wind, surge, rainfall) routinely extend much further.