Historical record — not a forecast
Sarasota
Sarasota, FL has had 47 storms pass within 75 km since 1851, the strongest being Charley (2004, Category 4 Hurricane).
Location 01
Sarasota
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The historical record
Storm history
47 tropical storms and hurricanes have passed within 75 km of Sarasota 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
- 3
- Category 2 Hurricane
- 3
- Category 3 Hurricane
- 2
- Category 4 Hurricane
- 2
By decade
- 1850s
- 2
- 1870s
- 3
- 1890s
- 5
- 1900s
- 3
- 1910s
- 1
- 1920s
- 3
- 1930s
- 3
- 1940s
- 4
- 1950s
- 2
- 1960s
- 6
- 1970s
- 2
- 1980s
- 5
- 1990s
- 2
- 2000s
- 4
- 2010s
- 1
- 2020s
- 1
Strongest & most recent
- Strongest on record
- Charley (2004, Category 4 Hurricane, 125 kt) passed within 65.6 km in 2004
- Most recent
- Milton (2024, Category 3 Hurricane, 105 kt) passed within 8.8 km in 2024
- Coordinates
- 27.33826, -82.54372
- Basin
- atlantic
Notable storms on record
- Charley (2004) — Category 4 Hurricane, 125 kt, passed within 65.6 km on 2004-08-13
- Unnamed storm (1935) — Category 4 Hurricane, 115 kt, passed within 36.7 km on 1935-09-04
- Milton (2024) — Category 3 Hurricane, 105 kt, passed within 8.8 km on 2024-10-10
- Unnamed storm (1926) — Category 3 Hurricane, 105 kt, passed within 60.0 km on 1926-09-19
- Unnamed storm (1944) — Category 2 Hurricane, 90 kt, passed within 16.0 km on 1944-10-19
- Donna (1960) — Category 2 Hurricane, 85 kt, passed within 63.7 km on 1960-09-11
- Unnamed storm (1928) — Category 2 Hurricane, 85 kt, passed within 74.2 km on 1928-09-17
- Unnamed storm (1859) — Category 1 Hurricane, 80 kt, passed within 47.5 km on 1859-10-28
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 4.9 years, historically
- Hurricane strength
- on average every 17.5 years, historically
- Major hurricane (Cat 3+)
- on average every 43.8 years, historically
How many hurricanes and storms have hit near Sarasota?
Since 1851, 47 tropical storms and hurricanes have passed within 75 km of Sarasota, FL, based on NOAA HURDAT2 best-track data.
What was the strongest storm to affect Sarasota?
Charley (2004, Category 4 Hurricane, 125 kt) passed within 65.6 km in 2004, reaching Category 4 Hurricane strength.
Is this a hurricane forecast for Sarasota?
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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