Florida Hurricanes: Fast Facts, Preparation Tips and Sun Shirts

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Florida Hurricanes 

Sunshine, warm weather and the joy of alligators aren’t the only perks of Florida. You also get to become quite an expert on that thing called a hurricane. Also called typhoons and tropical cyclones in other parts of the world, hurricanes are occur in tropical areas across the globe. 

The most notable Florida hurricanes include:

Hurricane Ian (2022): Cape Coral and surrounding Gulf Coast areas got the brunt of Ian, a slow-moving, maddening storm that brought extreme distress and devastation. Ian officially made it into a Category 5 classification before moving into South Carolina. Ian ranks as the third-costliest hurricane to ever hit the U.S., racking up $114 billion in damage. 

Hurricane Andrew (1992): Andrew blasted into South Florida as a Category 5, followed by a trip to Louisiana as a Category 3.

The Great Labor Day Hurricane (1935): This one hit the Florida Keys with the claim to fame as the most intense hurricane on record to make landfall in the U.S. 

Hurricane season in Florida runs from June 1 to Nov. 30, with 97% of the storms hitting from late August through September.   

Keep reading for more interesting hurricane facts, as well as preparation and sanity tips from someone who has been there, done that through Hurricane Ian. 

How do Hurricanes Get Their Names?

The naming of hurricanes and tropical storms didn’t happen until 1953 – as evidenced by the Great Labor Day Hurricane of 1935. Names were incorporated by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) to avoid confusion and make it easier to communicate about a specific storm. 

Meteorologists use a predetermined naming system: 

• Six different lists of names used on a rotating basis
• Each list contains 21 names to be used for that particular year
• If there are more than 21 names needed on any given year, alternate names will be taken from an alternate list of names approved by WMO
• Names run A to Z, skipping the letters Q, U, X, Y, and Z
• Names alternate between male and female 

Names are retired if they end up associated with a particularly devastating storm. Yes, the name “Ian” was retired in 2022. "Andrew" was retired in 1992.

The six lists of names for the Atlantic region are as follows: 

2024	2025	2026	2027	2028	2029
Alberto Beryl Chris Debby Ernesto Francine Gordon Helene Isaac Joyce Kirk Leslie Milton Nadine Oscar Patty Rafael Sara Tony Valerie William	Andrea Barry Chantal Dexter Erin Fernand Gabrielle Humberto Imelda Jerry Karen Lorenzo Melissa Nestor Olga Pablo Rebekah Sebastien Tanya Van Wendy	Arthur Bertha Cristobal Dolly Edouard Fay Gonzalo Hanna Isaias Josephine Kyle Leah Marco Nana Omar Paulette Rene Sally Teddy Vicky Wilfred	Ana Bill Claudette Danny Elsa Fred Grace Henri Imani Julian Kate Larry Mindy Nicholas Odette Peter Rose Sam Teresa Victor Wanda	Alex Bonnie Colin Danielle Earl Farrah Gaston Hermine Idris Julia Karl Lisa Martin Nicole Owen Paula Richard Shary Tobias Virginie Walter	Arlene Bret Cindy Don Emily Franklin Gert Harold Idalia Jose Katia Lee Margot Nigel Ophelia Philippe Rina Sean Tammy Vince Whitney

Do Hurricanes Spin in a Clockwise or Counter-Clockwise Direction?

In Florida and the rest of the Northern hemisphere, hurricanes spin counter-clockwise. In the Southern hemisphere, they’re called cyclones and spin clockwise.

What Hurricane Terms Do I Need to Know to Sound Smart at Florida Dinner Parties? 

Hurricane Terms 

To be well-versed in hurricane speak, you’ll want to be familiar with the following terms: 

• Eye: center of the hurricane, which is generally clear and calm. Once the eye passes, you know you’re about halfway through the storm. The second half is going to hit with winds blasting in the opposite direction.
• Eyewall: band of wind, clouds and rain surrounding the eye of the hurricane. Air is sucked violently toward the eye and up into the clouds.
• Feeder bands: areas of blustering winds and intense rain fueled by the warm ocean. As the storm becomes more intense, so do its feeder bands.
• Outflow: the air and clouds moving horizontally away from the hurricane.
• Storm surge: Flood of ocean and other waters bulldozed inland as the hurricane approaches land. 

“Dirty” vs. “Clean” side of a hurricane 

You may have heard warnings of the dirty side of the hurricane coming your way. 

• Dirty side: Side with the highest winds and more powerful forces
• Clean side: Side with lower winds and less powerful forces 

In some cases, the winds on the dirty side of the storm can be 50% stronger than those on the clean side. 

What’s the Difference: Major Hurricane, Hurricane, Tropical Storm, Tropical Depression 

I hear all kind of talk about a hurricane, or a major hurricane – or no, it’s a tropical storm or tropical depression. What’s the difference and distinction? 

Wind speed. Wind speed determines if a storm is classified as: 

• Major Hurricane: Wind speed greater than 110 mph
• Hurricane: Wind speed between 74 mph and 110 mph
• Tropical Strom: Wind speed between 39 mph and 73 mph
• Tropical Depression: Wind speed less than 39 mph 

What are the Hurricane Classifications? 

Wind speed is again the determining factor when it comes to classifying hurricanes into one of five categories. The Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale is the go-to classification tool, and it’s based on maximum sustained wind speed. 

The scale also estimates property damage from wind, although it does not take other factors such as related tornados, storm surges, rainfall or flooding into account. 

Note that hurricanes in category three or higher are rated as “major hurricanes.” 

Category 1 Hurricane:

Wind speeds: 74 to 95 mph 

• Power outages: Likely for a few days
• Danger and damage (according to scale): “Very” dangerous, “some” damage 

Category 2 Hurricane: 

Wind speeds: 96 to 110 mph 

• Power outages: Likely for a few weeks
• Danger and damage (according to scale): “Extremely” dangerous, “extensive” damage 

Category 3 Hurricane:

Wind speeds: 111 to 129 mph 

• Power outages: Several weeks without electricity AND water
• Danger and damage (according to scale): “Devastating” damage 

Category 4 Hurricane:

Wind speeds: 130 to 156 mph

• Power outages: Possibly months
• Danger and damage (according to scale): “Catastrophic” damage 

Category 5 Hurricane: 

Wind speeds: 157 mph and higher 

• Power outages: Possibly months, areas uninhabitable for weeks or months
• Danger and damage (according to scale): “Catastrophic” damage 

*While the hurricane wind scale estimates the level of damage, power outages and danger, you have to remember that the scale’s wording may be subjective – and the estimated damage based on homes, structures and infrastructures that were not necessarily built to withstand hurricanes. 

For instance, many homes in Cape Coral, Florida, that were affected by Category 3 Hurricane Milton in 2024 – or even Category 5 Hurricane Ian in 2022 – did not fall down. Some stayed totally intact. And power stayed on for many throughout Milton’s entire ride (although Ian did squash power and the internet for weeks in some cases). 

Fact vs. Panic Mongering

Staying calm during a hurricane is a must, especially since you’re likely to be crammed in a hotel room if you evacuated or stuck in a dark house fortified by hurricane shutters.

If you start to panic, your dogs start to panic, your significant other starts to panic, your kids start to panic – and someone inevitably ends up peeing on the floor. 

One way to stay calm is to look at the source of any information you’re receiving. Remember the goal of the mass media is to get attention and clicks. So gloom-and-doom headlines about 58 different hurricanes brewing in the distance are not necessarily going to come to fruition. 

Oh yeah, and don’t hoard toilet paper. Or anything else for that matter. Stock enough for you and your family, not an entire village. Other people could use supplies, too.

How to Prepare for a Hurricane: Quick Extra Tips

While there are tons of resources that go into great detail for preparing for a hurricane, they may leave out a few hints we found helpful while living through Hurricane Ian in 2022. 

Don’t forget to test your generator. Also remember the generator is located OUTSIDE in the wind. So you may not be able to turn it on until the storm passes. 

Gasoline. Gasoline. Gasoline. Gas stations go down when power goes down. Stock up on gas for your generator. 

Don’t wait until the day before the storm is expected to hit before gathering supplies. 

Batteries. Water. Peanut butter. Instant coffee. Main basics. 

Put all your flashlights and other lighting devices in a central area where you can find them in a jiffy. It’s no fun digging through junk drawers in the dark. 

Sleep a lot. Pray a lot. Play card games. Read books. Yes, you can find things to do without the internet or electricity. 

Try a Reiki meditation to eliminate fear and panic. The calmer you are, the calmer your entire household will be. (See above section about panic mongering if needed.) 

Get a hurricane sun shirt to help you through. Hurricanes are formidable. They are also a part of life of in Florida that deserve our due diligence, preparation, acknowledgement and respect. Hurricane sun shirts can help keep you sweat-free, cool and comfortable before, during and after a hurricane. Ideal to wear during the clean-up efforts. 

When it comes down to man vs. nature, nature is likely to win. Especially when nature decides it's time for a hurricane.

Hurricane Sun Shirts

  

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