Historical record — not a forecast
Panama City
Panama City, FL has had 54 storms pass within 75 km since 1851, the strongest being Michael (2018, Category 5 Hurricane).
Location 01
Panama City
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The historical record
Storm history
54 tropical storms and hurricanes have passed within 75 km of Panama City 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
- 11
- Tropical Storm
- 26
- Category 1 Hurricane
- 9
- Category 2 Hurricane
- 3
- Category 3 Hurricane
- 4
- Category 5 Hurricane
- 1
By decade
- 1850s
- 2
- 1860s
- 1
- 1870s
- 4
- 1880s
- 5
- 1890s
- 3
- 1900s
- 4
- 1910s
- 1
- 1920s
- 3
- 1930s
- 4
- 1940s
- 1
- 1950s
- 4
- 1960s
- 2
- 1970s
- 4
- 1980s
- 2
- 1990s
- 3
- 2000s
- 4
- 2010s
- 4
- 2020s
- 3
Strongest & most recent
- Strongest on record
- Michael (2018, Category 5 Hurricane, 140 kt) passed within 13.3 km in 2018
- Most recent
- Mindy (2021, Tropical Storm, 50 kt) passed within 72.9 km in 2021
- Coordinates
- 30.23950, -85.53029
- Basin
- atlantic
Notable storms on record
- Michael (2018) — Category 5 Hurricane, 140 kt, passed within 13.3 km on 2018-10-10
- Eloise (1975) — Category 3 Hurricane, 110 kt, passed within 74.1 km on 1975-09-23
- Unnamed storm (1894) — Category 3 Hurricane, 105 kt, passed within 5.3 km on 1894-10-09
- Unnamed storm (1877) — Category 3 Hurricane, 100 kt, passed within 26.8 km on 1877-10-03
- Unnamed storm (1851) — Category 3 Hurricane, 100 kt, passed within 22.5 km on 1851-08-23
- Unnamed storm (1856) — Category 2 Hurricane, 90 kt, passed within 35.8 km on 1856-08-31
- Kate (1985) — Category 2 Hurricane, 85 kt, passed within 29.4 km on 1985-11-21
- Unnamed storm (1886) — Category 2 Hurricane, 85 kt, passed within 67.9 km on 1886-06-30
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 4.1 years, historically
- Hurricane strength
- on average every 10.3 years, historically
- Major hurricane (Cat 3+)
- on average every 35.0 years, historically
How many hurricanes and storms have hit near Panama City?
Since 1851, 54 tropical storms and hurricanes have passed within 75 km of Panama City, FL, based on NOAA HURDAT2 best-track data.
What was the strongest storm to affect Panama City?
Michael (2018, Category 5 Hurricane, 140 kt) passed within 13.3 km in 2018, reaching Category 5 Hurricane strength.
Is this a hurricane forecast for Panama City?
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.
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