Hurricane Season

Lee County is reopening the application process to help people whose homes were damaged or destroyed by Hurricane Ian.

Hurricane tracking has been around for roughly 100 years. But is there a way to check the weather patterns in Florida from thousands of years ago.

Life threatening rip currents and high surf this week

Hurricane Erin pelted parts of the Caribbean and was forecast to create dangerous surf and rip currents along the U.S. East Coast this week. It reintensified to a Category 4 storm with 130 mph winds and early Monday had edged closer to the Southeast Bahamas. Additional strengthening was forecast for Monday followed by gradual weakening, but Erin was expected to remain a large, major hurricane into midweek. Hurricane-force winds extended up to 60 miles and tropical-storm-force winds up to 230 miles. Erin will impact coastal areas even though it isn't forecast to make a direct landfall.

Hurricane Erin has been downgraded to a Category 3 hurricane. A tropical storm warning is in effect for the Turks and Caicos Islands as winds and heavy rains continue to lash the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. Erin, the first Atlantic hurricane of 2025, reached Category 5 before weakening. The National Hurricane Center in Miami reported Sunday that Erin had maximum sustained winds of 125 mph. The storm's center is about 200 miles north-northwest of San Juan, Puerto Rico. While the wind speeds have decreased, Erin has grown in size. Forecasters say the storm will move well away from the U.S. East Coast, but rip tides are possible.

Erin is setting records as it became the third hurricane to have the most significant pressure drop in history. Maximum sustained winds increased 85 mph in just 24 hours!

Erin has exploded into a Category 5 hurricane in the Caribbean, according to the National Hurricane Center. The storm is currently north of Anguilla, with winds of 160 mph. It swiftly grew in size and power from a tropical storm just 24 hours earlier. It is moving west, but forecast to turn northward in the coming days. While it is not forecasted to hit land, strong winds are affecting nearby islands, raising concerns about flooding and landslides. Tropical storm watches are in place for several islands. Experts predict Erin will turn northeast, potentially affecting Bermuda. This is the first hurricane of the Atlantic season, which is expected to be unusually busy.

Erin becomes the first hurricane of the 2025 season. It is expected to remain north of the Leeward Islands and bring high swells and rough seas for the eastern Seaboard.

Colorado State University hurricane researchers are maintaining their forecast for a slightly above-average 2025 Atlantic hurricane season, citing an above-average tropical Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea surface temperatures as a primary factor for their prediction of eight hurricanes this year.

As we approach the peak of hurricane season, tropical activity tends to ramp up in August with more tropical waves emerging from Africa. These are the three historical areas where most storms have formed.