Cheryl McCloudUSA TODAY NETWORK - Florida
Where's the safest place in Florida to avoid hurricanes?
Depends on who you ask, and people are definitely asking — and googling. And for good reason.
On average, close to seven hurricanes every four years strike the United States, while about three major hurricanes cross the U.S. coast every five years, according to NOAA.
Forty percent of all U.S. hurricanes hit Florida.
Sixty percent of major hurricanes hit either Florida or Texas. A major hurricane is one that is Category 3 or higher, with maximum sustained winds of at least 111 mph.
Bottom line: No place in Florida is entirely safe from hurricanes but there are some locations considered "safer" than others.
What portions of Florida have felt impact of tropical storms, hurricanes?
It might be easier to say what areas of the Sunshine State haven't felt some sort of impact from a tropical storm or hurricane.
A total of 301 hurricanes hit the U.S. coast — from Texas to Maine — between 1851 and 2022.
Of those, 120 hit Florida.
Here's the breakdown of where they have impacted the state:
- Northwest Florida: 66
- Southwest Florida: 51
- Southeast Florida: 48
- Northeast Florida: 28
In case you're wondering, Pennsylvania and New Hampshire both experienced one hurricane each during the same period.
Safest Florida city from hurricanes is Orlando
The one Florida city that popped up on most "safest" lists was Orlando.
While several websites were generic in saying Central Florida is the best bet to avoid storm surge and the worst winds, others favored Orlando, specifically.
The largest city on the list, Orlando's 2023 population of312,280, makes it the fourth largest city in Florida, according to World Population Review.
Don't think that being in the middle of the state means you'll never feel any of the impacts from a hurricane, though. The threat from some storms in recent years have prompted even Disney World and Universal Studios to close until the storms passed.
Leesburg, Kissimmee make list of top 10 safest Florida cities from hurricanes
Not surprisingly, two other Central Florida cities were noted by several websites as the place to live in Florida if you want to feel safe from hurricanes: Kissimmee and Leesburg came in a close second to Orlando.
Located 45 miles west of Orlando, Leesburg has a population of 29,178, according to the United States Census Bureau. It's considered a low risk fromtropical stormsand flooding, according to Terra Frma, a disaster preparedness products company.
Kissimmee, near Walt Disney World and located about 20 miles south of Orlando, has an estimated population of 333,287. was another city making the top 10 of several websites.
Next cities considered safe from hurricanes stretch from Sanford to Lake City, but with one surprise
Several Central Florida locations tied for the next safest cities from hurricanes, with one exception: Fernandina Beach.
The others were Palatka, Lake City, Sanford, Gainesville and Ocala.
Located in Northeast Florida close to the Georgia border, Fernandina Beach, has an estimated 2023 population of 13,566, according to World Population Review. It's one of only two cities located on a coast mentioned by all the websites surveyed.
Northeast Florida has seen 26 total hurricanes, including one Category 3 over the past 167 years, according to Universal Property
Palatka, located about 60 miles south of Jacksonville and southwest of St. Augustine, had a population of 10,512 in 2021. Found on the St. Johns River, the area has flooded in the past.
St. Johns River flooding: Forecasters want photos of flooding as coastal flood advisory cited for St. Johns River
Lake City has a low risk of flooding and being hit by tropical storms, according to Terra Frma. Located between Jacksonville and Tallahassee near the intersection of Interstates 10 and 75, Lake City had a 2021 population of 12,497.
Sanford on Lake Monroe is located about 20 miles north of downtown Orlando. It, too, suffered flooding in 2022 from Hurricane Ian.
Ocala is considered to have a low risk from hurricanes and flooding. Located between Gainesville and Orlando, Ocala is home to the Ocala National Forest and close to Silver Springs, a national landmark and nature theme park. Population was 63,591 in the 2020 Census.
Gainesville is the largest city in North CentralFlorida, with a population of 141,085 in 2020. Although it's in the middle of the state, it's about 75 miles from both the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean. Gainesville is home to Florida's largest and oldestuniversity, the University of Florida.
Rounding out the bottom of Florida's safest cities are ...
Other Florida cities mentioned by at least one website as safe from hurricanes are:
- The Villages: The Villages is a master-planned retirement community of 81,000 residents in central Florida.
- Minneola: Home to less than 10,000 residents, Minneola is part of the Orlando Metropolitan Statistical Area. It has one of the highest household income levels in Lake County
- Winter Springs: With a population of 38,021, Winter Springs is considered part of the Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford Metro Area.
- Naples: This city in Southwest Florida lost points with several sites after Hurricane Ian hit in 2022. Population was 19,115 in the 2020 Census.
- Wekiwa Springs: Located 16 miles from downtown Orlando, Wekiwa Springs has a population of 23,428, according to the 2020 Census.
- Heathrow: Founded in 1985, Heathrow is acensus-designated place19 miles northeast ofOrlandoand 38 miles southwest ofDaytona Beach. Population was 6,898 in 2020.
- Doctor Phillips: Dr. Phillips is a suburb ofOrlandoand is part of theOrlando–Kissimmee–Sanford, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 12,328 at the 2020 census
- St. Cloud: Located on the southern shore ofEast Lake TohopekaligainCentral Florida, St. Cloud was founded as a retirement community forCivil Warunion veterans. It's located about 26 miles southeast ofOrlando. Population was 59,404 in the 2020 Census. The city is part of theOrlando–Kissimmee–Sanfordmetropolitan area.
