In 1960, when hurricane 'Donna' struck, there were approximately 15,500 people living full time in Collier County. Today there are more than 265,000 residents, most of whom have never been through a severe hurricane, especially in Florida. We have come to southwest Florida from all over the country and around the world, and we would all like to believe that we are safe from the ravages of hurricanes.

After all, how often is Collier County struck by tropical weather? Records kept by the National Weather Service date back to 1850, or 152 years as this is written. In that time 95 tropical storms and hurricanes have passed within 100 miles of Naples, or one nearly every 1.6 years! Of those, 52 have been tropical storms with winds of less than 74 miles per hour. That also means at 43 have been hurricanes, or one about every 3.5 years!

Ah, but they're all small hurricanes aren't they? Let's take a look:

• Fifteen major hurricanes in 152 years averages out to 1 every 10.1 years!
• 14 have been category three and one has been category four. (The good news? No category five!)

 

The details are interesting:
 

• The earliest recorded storm....

The earliest recorded tropical system to ever strike Collier County was a "No Name" tropical storm on June 10, 1892. The first system of the year, it passed through Naples headed to the east-northeast at 13 miles per hour. Naples felt winds of 49 miles per hour.
 
• But it's NOT the Hurricane Season!

The latest tropical system to ever affect Collier County was a tropical storm on December 1, 1925. The center missed Naples by 63 miles as the storm raced off toward the northeast at 25 miles per hour. Still, winds of 55 miles per hour swept through the area. This storm also shows that we can be hit even in a quiet year. The December storm was only the second of the year anywhere in the Atlantic/Caribbean/Gulf of Mexico! The most active tropical season to affect Collier County was 1897, when the 14th storm of the year (a tropical storm) spread 40 mph winds as it passed 37 miles from Naples on October 29.  The earliest storm, a "No Name" one, affected Naples or February 3, 1952.  Its winds were 48 miles per hour and the closest it got to Naples was 57 miles.
 
• Oh No! Not AGAIN!

Contrary to legend, lightning can strike twice in the same place (and often does). So too can tropical weather. Six times in history two storms have affected Collier County in the same year:
• In 1888 a westbound hurricane on August 17 passed within 8 miles of Naples with 85 mile per hour winds, and a tropical storm passed by within 57 miles on September 8. Winds at Naples were 35 mph.
• In 1897, tropical storms brushed Naples on September 21 and October 19.
• Two tropical storms passed within 30 miles of Naples on June 15 and July 29, 1936.
• Nine years later (1945) saw a tropical storm on September 4 and a major hurricane (111 mph winds) 12 days later.
• Tropical storms again hit on August 29 and October 9, 1953, both passing less than 30 miles from Naples.
• In 1960, Donna stuck on September 10-11, making land fall at Everglades City. Less than two weeks later a tropical storm made land fall at nearly the same spot!
• In September 1998, Collier County evacuated south of US 41 for Hurricane 'Georges', but the storm veered westward at the last minute, and passed the county by.  In October, Tropical Storm 'Mitch' (the left overs of the deadly Caribbean Category 5 super hurricane) passed directly over Naples.
• In September 2001, Collier County suffered from the impact of Tropical Storm Gabrielle.  Although no one was displaced by this storm, it caused $8M worth of beach erosion, some road damages, and many personal docks and piers were lost.  If the storm slowed, a lot more damages would have been realized.

 
• Anyone for a "hat-trick?"

In ice hockey, scoring three goals in a game is a "hat trick." Collier County saw a tropical weather "hat trick" in 1891!
• On August 25, a tropical storm passing 19 miles from Naples spread 55 mile per hour winds over the area.
• The October 7 storm brought 41 mph winds as it passed within 54 miles.
• Just two days later (October 9) the third storm in six weeks passed within 44 miles, and 45 mph winds passed through the area! (And you thought there wasn't a lot of tropical activity in the Naples area. . .)

 
• What's that name again?

Hurricanes and Tropical Storms were not named until 1950, and it didn't take long for a named storm to affect Collier County. Hurricane "Easy" passed by 43 miles offshore (90 mph winds at Naples) on September 4. "Easy" is well remembered for the double loop it did in the Gulf a couple of days later, before going inland in the Tampa Bay area. The first storm carrying a person's name to affect our area was "Hazel" on October 9, 1953. The center passed 30 miles from Naples, and winds here were clocked at 58 mph.
 
• They went that-a-way!

Usually, tropical weather moves through our area headed toward the northeast or northwest. Looking at a compass dial, one storm was moving due north as it passed (Tropical storm "Dennis," which made landfall near Everglades City on August 17, 1981). The most common direction of travel was toward the north and east, with 52 storms passing headed between 0 and 90 degrees. Just two passed moving south of east, four south of west, and 37 between 270 and 360 degrees. Major hurricanes usually come from the east.

Of the 25 category two or greater storms, 11 have moved toward the northwest (exiting the state on the west coast which reduces storm surge here), and just nine to the northeast. It's the storms which strike just to the north of us coming out of the Gulf toward the northeast that can cause the most dangerous storm surges.
 

• Don't Threaten Me!

While this page deals with the 95 storms which have passed within 100 miles of Naples, it doesn't discuss those that have been close enough to offer a serious threat to the area-even requiring evacuation and shelter openings- before the storm moved away.

Examples: "David" (1979) and "Alberto" (1982). Nor does it deal with the extra-tropical storms, the so-called "no name" storms such as the ones in June of 1982 and March of 1993. Neither of these storms, nor Tropical Storm "Jerry" in 1995 was closer to Naples than 250 miles! Given the actual strikes and the close call threats, Collier County has had to deal with a tropical threat about every 18 months, or twice every three seasons.
 

• Watch out for that Warning!

The National Hurricane Center issues tropical storm and hurricane watches and warnings.
 
• Typically, a WATCH is issued 36 to as much as 48 hours before conditions are expected in the area. A watch means that tropical storm or hurricane conditions could reach the area in 24-36 hours.
• A WARNING will come around 24 hours before. A warning means you should expect the storm within 24 hours.

 
Lead times for watches can be increased, but longer lead times will mean more false alarms as storms take another course.

It is virtually impossible for a hurricane to sneak up on us and strike with no warning, but it's not unheard of for us to miss the watch phase and go directly to a warning as some systems can develop quickly and close by. Be ready to move quickly. In the last few years, there was no time for a watch with "Alberto" (1982), "Keith" (1988), or "Marco" (1990).