Hurricane Season Guide for Sebastian, Florida

Hurricane season in Sebastian runs from June 1 to November 30, the Atlantic season used by both the National Hurricane Center and Indian River County Emergency Management.

The National Hurricane Center places the Atlantic peak on September 10, with most activity between mid-August and mid-October, and notes that storms sometimes form before or after the official dates. Its 1991 to 2020 average is 14 named storms, 7 hurricanes and 3 major hurricanes a season. Indian River County prints the same June 1 to November 30 window in its Official Disaster Preparedness Guide, which covers Sebastian, Vero Beach, Fellsmere and the rest of Indian River County.

The benchmark dates come from the Center's table of average season progress, which shows the fourteenth named storm of a normal year arriving around November 19. For Sebastian, that table explains why the Indian River Lagoon waterfront and the barrier island stay exposed through October and November.

NOAA's August 2026 update called for a below normal Atlantic season, and on October 14, 2026, Indian River County reported normal operations and no evacuation orders for Sebastian or anywhere else in the county.

In its August 6, 2026 update, NOAA gave a 75% chance of below normal activity, a 20% chance of near normal and a 5% chance of above normal, with 7 to 13 named storms, 2 to 6 hurricanes and 0 to 2 major hurricanes for the whole season. Those ranges include the two storms already named by then, Arthur and Bertha, both of which formed in the Gulf rather than off the Atlantic coast of Indian River County. NOAA credited El Nino, which emerged in June and increases wind shear, which tends to keep tropical storms from forming or strengthening.

A below normal forecast is not a promise for Indian River County. NOAA states that its outlook covers overall seasonal activity and is not a landfall forecast, because landfalls depend on short term weather patterns predictable only about a week ahead. On October 14, 2026, the county Storm Center listed the Emergency Operations Center at Level 3, normal operations, with evacuation shelters closed and no sandbag distribution (Indian River County Storm Center).

Last verified: October 14, 2026, on the Indian River County website.

Yes: Indian River County declared local states of emergency for Hurricane Ian in late September 2022, Nicole in November 2022 and Milton in October 2024, all after the September 10 peak.

The county's list of emergency ordinances, declarations and orders records a local state of emergency for Hurricane Ian on September 26, 2022, and another for Subtropical Storm Nicole on November 8, 2022, three weeks before the season's official end. For Hurricane Milton, Executive Order 2024-002 declared the Indian River County emergency on October 8, 2024, and the county renewed it every week, on October 14, October 21, October 28 and November 5, 2024.

That record is the practical reason Sebastian households keep shutters, fuel and supplies ready to the end of November. The Milton declaration in Indian River County ran nearly a month, and the reach of such storms is one the National Hurricane Center describes when it warns that tropical cyclones often bring rain in excess of 6 inches and spawn tornadoes in rain bands well away from the center.

In Indian River County terms, a hurricane watch means hurricane conditions are possible within 48 hours, and a hurricane warning means hurricane force winds are expected within 36 hours.

The county preparedness guide ties each step to action: a watch is the time to buy supplies and secure a home or business, and a warning may include evacuations, so Sebastian residents in an evacuation zone should be ready to move as soon as an order is issued. The same guide describes storm surge as an abnormal rise of water over and above the predicted tide and calls it generally the greatest threat to life and property from a hurricane, which matters most along Indian River Drive and on the barrier island.

Wind thresholds come from the Saffir Simpson scale printed in the guide. A Category 1 hurricane carries sustained winds of 74 to 95 mph, Category 3 begins at 111 mph, and Category 5 exceeds 157 mph. The National Hurricane Center lists the full set of hazards a Sebastian forecast may carry: storm surge and storm tide, heavy rainfall and inland flooding, high winds, rip currents and tornadoes.

Indian River County asks Sebastian households to build a kit early, check their evacuation zone, and, if eligible, register with the county Special Needs program and make plans for pets before the season instead of when a storm is days away.

The county kit list in its preparedness guide includes 1 gallon of water per person per day, a seven day supply of non perishable food and a two week supply of medications, plus a battery radio, flashlights, cash, tarps and a corded phone. The Disaster Supplies Calendar, linked from the Indian River County Emergency Management page, and printed in the same guide, spreads that shopping over a five month period of weekly lists so a Sebastian family can finish well ahead of the peak.

Before the season, the guide asks each household to determine whether the home sits in an evacuation area and reminds mobile home residents that they must evacuate regardless of location. As a storm approaches, it lists filling the vehicle fuel tank because gas pumps will not operate without electricity, getting cash because banks will not run without power, and securing boats early, a step that matters at the Sebastian ramps and marinas on the Indian River Lagoon.

The City of Sebastian posts storm news on its Tropical Weather Information page, while Indian River County sends alerts through Alert Indian River and posts orders on its Storm Center page.

The City of Sebastian page lists the Citizens Request Line at 772-581-0111, which the city notes is not manned 24/7, City of Sebastian broadcasts on Channel 22 and AT&T U-Verse Channel 99, the Indian River County channel on Comcast 27, the Florida Emergency Information Line at 800-342-3557, and local radio from WQCS-FM 88.9 to WZTA-FM 107.9. Indian River County Emergency Management answers at (772) 226-3900 (Indian River County Emergency Management).

One number on the city page needs care. The City of Sebastian lists FPL outage reporting as 1-800-468-8249, but the Indian River County Storm Center gives 1-800-4-OUTAGE, which it spells out as 1-800-468-8243 (Indian River County). The county figure matches the letters of the FPL slogan, so the city listing appears to carry a one digit error as of October 14, 2026.