Hurricane Season Guide for Melbourne, Florida

Hurricane season in Melbourne runs from June 1 through November 30, the dates the City of Melbourne and the National Hurricane Center both use, and the Atlantic peak falls on September 10 (City of Melbourne; NHC climatology).

Most Atlantic activity comes between mid-August and mid-October, the stretch of the Atlantic season with the most storms (National Hurricane Center). The NHC numbers below describe the whole Atlantic basin, not storms that reach Brevard County; the Melbourne historical storm impacts guide covers what has actually struck the city.

Every row comes from the NHC climatology page (NHC). The practical reading for Melbourne: by the time the first hurricane of an average year forms in August, a kit, a flood policy and an evacuation plan should already be in place, because the lead times described below are short.

For Melbourne, a hurricane watch is the 48 hour signal and a hurricane warning is the 36 hour signal, both counted to the expected arrival of tropical storm force winds rather than of the hurricane itself (NHC glossary).

The NHC explains the timing: preparation becomes difficult once winds reach tropical storm force, so the clock is set to that moment (NHC). That matters on the Melbourne causeways. The city says causeways will not be closed before a storm arrives, but driving them becomes unsafe in tropical storm force winds, typically 45 mph sustained (City of Melbourne, Hurricane Preparation). Read together, the two sources mean a hurricane warning for Brevard County is issued about 36 hours before the winds that make the Melbourne causeways unsafe.

Local forecasts for Melbourne come from the National Weather Service office in the city; its tropical page has moved to weather.gov/srh/tropical?office=mlb, so old bookmarks to the former address no longer lead to current products (NWS Melbourne).

The City of Melbourne supply list starts with one gallon of water per person per day for at least three days and a three day supply of non-perishable food (City of Melbourne, Disaster Supply List).

The rest of the Melbourne basic list: a battery or hand crank radio and a weather radio, a flashlight and spare batteries, a first aid kit, a manual can opener, local maps, phone chargers, cash, gloves, garbage bags, hygiene items, and copies of insurance policies and identification. The city adds prescriptions and glasses, infant supplies, a change of clothes, a whistle, and a wrench or pliers to turn off utilities (City of Melbourne). For pets headed to a pet-friendly Brevard County shelter, the list names a current rabies certificate, shot records, a leash, a crate and food.

The state sets a longer target. The Florida Division of Emergency Management says a kit should hold supplies to last at least 7 days (FDEM, Plan and Prepare), more than double the three day figure on the Melbourne list. The two agencies do not explain the gap. A Melbourne household that plans for a week of water covers both, which is the safer reading given the city warning that water service on the barrier island may be limited after a storm.

The city also asks residents to review and rotate supplies before and after each hurricane season (City of Melbourne), so a kit packed in June 2026 should be checked again once the season closes on November 30.

Since August 1, 2025, Florida exempts from sales tax all year a list of items, many of them storm supplies, that past tax holidays exempted only temporarily, so Melbourne shoppers can buy them tax free in any month (Florida Department of Revenue, TIP 25A01-05).

The same publication also lists fire extinguishers, life jackets, bicycle helmets, insect repellent and sunscreen, and cites Section 46, Chapter 2025-208, Laws of Florida (TIP 25A01-05). Tie-down kits matter in Brevard County, where the City of Melbourne reminds owners that Florida law requires mobile homes to be anchored (City of Melbourne).

One state page lags behind the law. The Department of Revenue disaster preparedness page, read on October 18, 2026, still describes the 2024 sales tax holiday that ran June 1 to June 14 and August 24 to September 6, 2024 (Florida Department of Revenue). The July 1, 2025 publication is the current rule for a Melbourne store receipt.

The City of Melbourne asks residents to trim dead limbs and palm fronds and fix weak fences ahead of any storm, then bring in loose objects, shut off sprinklers and clear debris from storm drains once one is forecast (City of Melbourne, Hurricane Preparation).

The storm drain point is about street flooding. The city warns never to stack tree trimmings or yard debris on a stormwater inlet, because the pile can wash in and flood the street, and asks that automatic sprinklers be shut off so less water reaches the drains. A household that evacuates should close the house water valve, and the city singles out docks: water to a dock should be shut off if a hurricane is approaching (City of Melbourne).

Sandbags are for low-lying Melbourne properties prone to flooding; the City of Melbourne and Brevard County typically hand them out when a hurricane is forecast, and beach sand must not be used to fill them (City of Melbourne). Distribution sites are in the Melbourne sandbags and storm debris guide.

Flood insurance has to come first, not last. FEMA says there is typically a 30 day waiting period between buying a National Flood Insurance Program policy and its effective date, with exceptions such as a policy bought when making or renewing a mortgage loan (FEMA FloodSmart). Under that typical 30 day wait, a Melbourne policy bought on September 10, the season peak, would not take effect until October.

In a hurricane the Melbourne utility may cut the barrier island water system off from the mainland system, leaving Melbourne Beach, Indialantic, Indian Harbour Beach and Satellite Beach on water stored in island tanks (City of Melbourne, Hurricane Preparation).

Utility officials decide on that isolation from the forecast speed, direction and strength of the storm, and the city says water main breaks are highly likely on the barrier islands. All Melbourne customers should be ready for a loss of water and for a Precautionary Boil Water Notice once service returns. Sewer is the other half: power loss at pump stations and heavy rain strain the system, and residents may be asked to limit use to sanitary use only, meaning little or no laundry, very short showers and minimal dishwashing (City of Melbourne).

For power, the city points to FPL, whose outage line is 1-800-468-8243, and asks that downed lines be reported to 911 as well. Melbourne alerts come through AlertBrevard registered to a home address, which carries both city water service alerts and Brevard County Emergency Management notices; county texts come by sending BrevardEOC to 888777, and 2-1-1 Brevard answers around the clock (City of Melbourne).

Evacuation is its own decision. The city says everyone east of the Indian River Lagoon, including the barrier island part of Melbourne, is in the mandatory evacuation zone, and the state evacuation zone page says Zone A is typically the most likely to evacuate first and Zone E last, although a question further down the same page describes zones A to F with Zone F most likely to be evacuated last (City of Melbourne; FDEM evacuation zone map). Shelters and zones are detailed in the Melbourne hurricane evacuation zones guide.

Last verified: October 18, 2026, against the City of Melbourne storm pages, the National Hurricane Center, the Florida Division of Emergency Management, the Florida Department of Revenue and FEMA FloodSmart.