Tropical storms and hurricanes can affect every part of Florida, not just the coast. The Atlantic season runs from 1 June to 30 November. Here's who issues the official alerts in Florida, what they mean, and the channels that carry them.
Who issues what
Three layers of government are involved, and each has a different job.
The National Hurricane Center in Miami forecasts each storm's track and strength. It issues the coastal Tropical Storm, Hurricane and Storm Surge Watches and Warnings for Florida, along with the forecast cone.
Seven local National Weather Service offices cover Florida. Each one issues the local detail for its counties: Hurricane Local Statements, Hurricane Threats and Impacts graphics, and the Flood, Flash Flood and Tornado Warnings that often come with a landfalling storm.
| NWS office | Covers (roughly) |
|---|---|
| Miami–South Florida | Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach, Collier, Hendry, Glades and mainland Monroe |
| Key West | The Florida Keys |
| Melbourne | East-central Florida, including Orlando, Brevard, Volusia and the Treasure Coast |
| Tampa Bay Area | West-central and southwest Florida, Levy County south to Lee |
| Jacksonville | Northeast Florida |
| Tallahassee | The Big Bend and central and eastern Panhandle |
| Mobile/Pensacola | Escambia, Santa Rosa and Okaloosa counties |
The Mobile office sits in Alabama but covers the three westernmost Panhandle counties (NWS Mobile). If you live there, your NWS alerts will name "NWS Mobile AL".
County emergency management decides on evacuation orders, opens shelters and runs local alert sign-ups. The Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM) coordinates statewide and keeps a directory of county offices.
The alerts you'll see
A Tropical Storm Watch or Hurricane Watch means those conditions are possible, typically about 48 hours before tropical-storm-force winds are expected. A Tropical Storm Warning or Hurricane Warning means they're expected, typically about 36 hours ahead (NWS). Because the timing counts from the onset of tropical-storm-force winds, a warning is effectively your deadline for finishing outdoor preparations.
Storm Surge Watches and Warnings cover life-threatening flooding from seawater pushed inland. In low-lying parts of Florida, surge can matter more than the hurricane's category.
An Extreme Wind Warning is issued when the extreme winds of a major hurricane's core are about to arrive, usually within the hour. It means take shelter in the most protected part of a sturdy building straight away.
Inland, expect Flood Watches, Flash Flood Warnings and Tornado Warnings during and after landfall.
An evacuation order comes from your county, not from NWS. It's tied to your evacuation zone, so it's worth knowing that zone before a storm.
Know your zone
FDEM's Know Your Zone lookup tells you your evacuation zone from your address. Zones run from A, the most vulnerable, through F. When a county orders an evacuation, it names zones rather than streets. FDEM's advice is to follow local officials' orders. Some counties have separate rules for mobile and manufactured homes, so check yours.
How to get the alerts
Start with the official channels, and use more than one.
- Wireless Emergency Alerts come to most phones without an app or sign-up. NWS sends hurricane, storm surge, extreme wind and tornado warnings this way, and county officials can use WEA for evacuation messages. Watches don't go out by WEA.
- AlertFlorida is the sign-up FDEM points residents to for local emergency alerts, at FloridaDisaster.org/AlertFlorida (FDEM, September 2026). Many counties also run their own text or email alerts. Your county emergency management site lists them.
- NOAA Weather Radio keeps working on batteries when power and cell service are down.
- The FEMA app can follow NWS alerts for up to five locations. That's useful for a home in Florida and family elsewhere, or for your evacuation destination.
- Local TV and radio relay the official information with local context.
Where Herebeat fits
Herebeat shows the NWS alerts for the places you save, including tropical storm, hurricane and storm surge watches and warnings. Each one comes with the issuing office and time, next to river gauges and other official data. It's handy for keeping track of several Florida addresses at once, like your home, a parent's place or a rental. It doesn't replace WEA, AlertFlorida or your county's evacuation orders, and it isn't an emergency service.
A short checklist
Look up your zone. Sign up for your county's alerts. Make sure emergency alerts are on in your phone settings. Since 1 August 2025, Florida exempts many disaster-preparedness items from sales tax year-round, including some batteries, portable generators, tarps and fuel cans. The Department of Revenue's list has the details, so stocking up doesn't have to wait for a tax holiday. Ready.gov's hurricane page covers the rest of the basics.
Sources
- NHC: National Hurricane Center nhc.noaa.gov
- NWS: Hurricane watches and warnings weather.gov
- NWS Southern Region: office list weather.gov
- NWS Mobile/Pensacola: About the office weather.gov
- NWS Mobile/Pensacola: Tropical definitions (Extreme Wind Warning) weather.gov
- NWS: Hurricane Threats and Impacts weather.gov
- NWS: Wireless Emergency Alerts weather.gov
- Florida Division of Emergency Management floridadisaster.org
- FDEM: Know Your Zone floridadisaster.org
- FDEM: County emergency management directory floridadisaster.org
- FDEM: Florida Preparedness Month release (AlertFlorida), September 2026 floridadisaster.org
- Florida Department of Revenue: TIP 25A01-05, disaster preparedness items (PDF) floridarevenue.com
- FEMA: Mobile app fema.gov
- Ready.gov: Hurricanes ready.gov
Checked on 3 October 2026. Agencies update their pages and products; the linked official page is always the reference. Spotted a mistake? Email info@herebeat.com.