Historical record — not a forecast

Melbourne

Melbourne, FL has had 48 storms pass within 75 km since 1851, the strongest being an unnamed storm (1871, Category 2 Hurricane).

FL48 storms since 185116 at hurricane strength or higher
Noir atlas

Location 01

Melbourne

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The historical record

Storm history

48 tropical storms and hurricanes have passed within 75 km of Melbourne since 1851, based on NOAA’s HURDAT2 best-track data (1851-2025). Atlantic storm counts before the mid-20th century undercount storms that stayed at sea; aircraft reconnaissance began in the 1940s and systematic satellite coverage in 1966. Storms that struck populated coastline are the most reliably recorded part of the record.

By storm category

Tropical Depression
9
Tropical Storm
23
Category 1 Hurricane
12
Category 2 Hurricane
4

By decade

1850s
1
1870s
4
1880s
2
1890s
3
1910s
2
1920s
3
1940s
1
1950s
2
1960s
8
1970s
3
1980s
6
1990s
4
2000s
4
2010s
2
2020s
3

Strongest & most recent

Strongest on record
an unnamed storm (1871, Category 2 Hurricane, 90 kt) passed within 48.4 km in 1871
Most recent
Milton (2024, Category 1 Hurricane, 70 kt) passed within 62.5 km in 2024
Coordinates
28.11044, -80.66272
Basin
atlantic

Notable storms on record

  • Unnamed storm (1926) Category 2 Hurricane, 90 kt, passed within 46.2 km on 1926-07-28
  • Unnamed storm (1880) Category 2 Hurricane, 90 kt, passed within 11.7 km on 1880-08-29
  • Unnamed storm (1871) Category 2 Hurricane, 90 kt, passed within 48.4 km on 1871-08-25
  • David (1979) Category 2 Hurricane, 85 kt, passed within 20.1 km on 1979-09-04
  • Unnamed storm (1885) Category 1 Hurricane, 80 kt, passed within 41.3 km on 1885-08-24
  • Unnamed storm (1876) Category 1 Hurricane, 80 kt, passed within 69.7 km on 1876-10-20
  • Unnamed storm (1873) Category 1 Hurricane, 80 kt, passed within 35.6 km on 1873-10-07
  • Unnamed storm (1871) Category 1 Hurricane, 80 kt, passed within 71.2 km on 1871-08-17

Historical return intervals

These are plain historical averages — years of record divided by how many times a storm of that strength has passed within 75 km. They are not a probability or a forecast of a future storm; they describe how often storms of each strength have occurred in the past.

Tropical storm strength or greater
on average every 4.5 years, historically
Hurricane strength
on average every 10.9 years, historically
Major hurricane (Cat 3+)
none on record
How many hurricanes and storms have hit near Melbourne?

Since 1851, 48 tropical storms and hurricanes have passed within 75 km of Melbourne, FL, based on NOAA HURDAT2 best-track data.

What was the strongest storm to affect Melbourne?

an unnamed storm (1871, Category 2 Hurricane, 90 kt) passed within 48.4 km in 1871, reaching Category 2 Hurricane strength.

Is this a hurricane forecast for Melbourne?

No. This page presents only historical, already-occurred storm data. It contains no forecast, prediction, or safety or evacuation guidance. Return-interval figures above are historical averages, not a probability of a future storm. See our methodology.