Tallahassee Hurricane Season Guide

Tallahassee's season is the Atlantic one, June 1 to November 30, with a peak on September 10 and most activity between mid August and mid October, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC tropical climatology).

The NHC's 1991-2020 averages give an Atlantic season 14 named storms, 7 hurricanes and 3 major hurricanes (NHC tropical climatology). Leon County opened the 2026 season on Monday, June 1 with a release saying NOAA predicted a below-normal year of up to 14 named storms, up to 6 hurricanes and up to 3 major hurricanes, and adding that it only takes one storm (Leon County 2026 hurricane season release).

The 2026 season did reach Leon County: OpenFEMA's county list ends with emergency EM-3655, dated October 9, 2026 and titled Hurricane Isaias (OpenFEMA declarations, Leon County). Leon County also says its 2026-2027 Disaster Survival Guide is posted on LeonReady.com and, as of that June 1 release, would be mailed to every Leon County household (Leon County 2026 hurricane season release). The historical storm impacts guide covers what earlier storms did in Tallahassee.

Last verified: October 18, 2026, by working through the LeonReady storm timeline and evacuation zone list, the county's June 1, 2026 season release and 2024 shelter release, the City of Tallahassee emergency page, the NHC climatology page and the NWS Tallahassee weather radio table.

The two local governments answer differently: the City of Tallahassee calls itself not a coastal community with less storm surge worry, while Leon County maps two surge evacuation zones in the south of the county (City of Tallahassee Emergency Management; LeonReady, Act).

On the city's emergency page, surge is a lesser worry for Tallahassee because the city is not on the coast, while torrential rain, heavy winds and tornadoes remain the threats it lists (City of Tallahassee Emergency Management). The county's LeonReady page says Apalachee Bay is one of the most storm surge prone areas in the Southeast and that areas of southern Leon County have been identified as storm surge evacuation zones (LeonReady, Act). Both statements were on the two agencies' pages when this guide was checked.

Zone C, shown in yellow, covers areas east of Crawfordville Highway to the Leon and Jefferson County line, plus areas along and south of Glover Road, Oak Ridge Road, Rhodes Cemetery Road and Meridale Drive (LeonReady, Act). Zone D, in green, includes all of Zone C, plus areas east of Springhill Road to the county line and along and south of Capital Circle SW, Capital Circle SE and Tram Road (LeonReady, Act).

Leon County tells residents to plan to go if an evacuation order covers them, if they live in a manufactured or mobile home, or if their home was built before 1973, when Florida adopted a standard building code (LeonReady, Act).

The same page lists who can plan to stay: people in a structure built after 1973, outside a manufactured or mobile home, in a home not vulnerable to surge or inland flooding, with dead or diseased trees trimmed, shutters on the windows and a braced garage door (LeonReady, Act). Mobile home straps and tie-downs will not protect against hurricane winds, the county warns (LeonReady, Act).

The county says evacuation notices are issued at least 24 hours before tropical storm force winds arrive, and that it is illegal to stay in a home under a mandatory evacuation order (LeonReady, Act). For anyone without a car, Leon County works with partners, including 2-1-1 Big Bend, the State of Florida, Uber and Lyft, to offer free or discounted rides; the number is 2-1-1 or 850-617-6333 (LeonReady, Act).

Leon County says not every shelter will open for every disaster, so the current list comes from LeonCountyFL.gov/ei or (850) 606-3700 (LeonReady, Act).

Source for the table: Leon County shelter release, September 24, 2024. The list is dated to Helene in 2024, and the county release names Leon County Schools as its partner for those seven sites.

For Helene, the county said it and Leon County Schools would open those seven shelters at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, September 25, 2024, and asked evacuees bringing pets to pack vaccination records because some shelters require proof (Leon County shelter release, September 24, 2024). LeonReady warns that risk shelters may only have water, snacks and a secure area, and may be crowded, so evacuees should bring blankets or sleeping bags, documents, extra snacks and entertainment that needs no electricity (LeonReady, Act).

A separate shelter type serves people who need help beyond a general shelter. A person who is medically stable but needs help with basic tasks or uses an electronic medical device, and has no other evacuation option, should pre-register at SNR.FloridaDisaster.org and update the registration every year; Leon County Emergency Management helps at (850) 606-3700 (LeonReady, Act).

Leon County ties each step to the forecast: action starts when the Big Bend enters the 5-day cone and steps up at 3 days, at the Hurricane Watch and at the Hurricane Warning (LeonReady, Act).

Source for the table: LeonReady, Act.

The City of Tallahassee's emergency page adds a checklist it credits to the Red Cross: restock or replace disaster supplies, reinforce garage doors, make a plan for pets and bring in anything the wind can pick up, such as bicycles and lawn furniture (City of Tallahassee Emergency Management). It also warns that a lull during a hurricane often signifies the storm's eye, not its end, and to wait for authorities to say the danger has passed before going outside (City of Tallahassee Emergency Management).

Leon County sends Leon Alerts by text message, email or phone, and its Citizens Connect App carries push notifications, outage map links and evacuation routes (LeonReady).

The app links directly to outage maps from the City of Tallahassee, Talquin Electric Cooperative and Duke Energy, and will show a map of evacuation routes for Leon County if one is needed (LeonReady). The county's 2026 release adds that the app carries weather alerts, road closures and sandbag locations (Leon County 2026 hurricane season release).

For weather radio, NWS Tallahassee lists transmitter KIH-24 in Tallahassee on 162.400 MHz, serving the Florida Big Bend and extreme southwest Georgia, and gives 012073 as the Leon County SAME code (NWS Tallahassee NOAA Weather Radio page). Downed lines in Tallahassee go to 850-891-4968, the number the city lists (City of Tallahassee Emergency Management).