How bad was the 2024 hurricane season in Florida?

The hurricanes of 2024 hit Florida hard.

Hurricane Milton and its record-breaking pressure levels highlighted the increasing intensity of storms fueled by warm ocean waters.

Hurricane Beryl, an early-season Category 5 storm, set new records for rapid intensification and served as a preview to stronger and more destructive storm systems.

Storm surge and inland flooding emerged as critical threats, with regions like Florida’s Big Bend area facing surges as high as 15 feet.

Take a look at what Florida faced last year.

The summary above was drafted with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists in our News division. All stories below were reported, written and edited by McClatchy journalists.

NASA satellites captured images of Hurricane Beryl as it barreled through the eastern Caribbean.

NO. 1: WE’VE NEVER SEEN A STORM LIKE BERYL. WHAT THE CAT 5 HURRICANE SAYS ABOUT A WARMER FUTURE

“It’s like redefining what is typical behavior. It’s really eye-opening.” | Published July 3, 2024 | Read Full Story by Alex Harris

KINGSTON, JAMAICA - JULY 03: A person walks through the wind and rain as Hurricane Beryl spins offshore on July 03, 2024, in Kingston, Jamaica. Category 4 storm Beryl has caused widespread damage in several island nations as it continues to cross the Caribbean. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

NO. 2: HURRICANE BERYL’S CAT 4 EYE SWEEPS JAMAICA COAST. ROOFS RIPPED FROM AIRPORT, BUILDINGS

Kingston could get hit with the “dirty side” of the storm. | Published July 3, 2024 | Read Full Story by Alex Harris

The hurricane center is tracking five disturbances with low chances of strengthening in the next seven days.

NO. 3: ATLANTIC, CARIBBEAN AND GULF RAMP UP TO 5 TROPICAL DISTURBANCES. WHAT THE FORECASTS SHOW

One system is shuffling along the northeastern U.S. coast, and another will cause rains in Texas and Louisiana in the coming days. | Published September 5, 2024 | Read Full Story by Devoun Cetoute

Tropical Storm Helene is on track to strengthen into a hurricane on Wednesday as it enters the Gulf of Mexico.

NO. 4: TROPICAL STORM HELENE COULD HIT FLORIDA GULF COAST WITH 15 FEET OF SURGE AS CATEGORY 3

Sixty-one of Florida’s 67 counties are under a state of emergency. | Published September 24, 2024 | Read Full Story by Ana Ceballos

A large oak tree split and came down on the grounds of the Governor’s Mansion in Tallahassee during Hurricane Idalia on Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023.

NO. 5: FLORIDA’S CAPITAL CITY BRACES FOR ‘UNPRECEDENTED DAMAGE’ AHEAD OF HURRICANE HELENE

“Recovery will be a marathon, it will not be a sprint,” Tallahassee Mayor John Dailey said at a news conference on Wednesday. | Published September 25, 2024 | Read Full Story by Lawrence Mower

Brian Zoller and Cristie Caseman had water intrusion in their garage and pantry from Hurricane Idalia in their home along Riverside Drive East in Bradenton. By Tiffany Tompkins

NO. 6: WHAT CAN A CAT 3 HURRICANE DO TO FLORIDA? TAKE A LOOK AS MILTON TARGETS THE GULF COAST

What to know about what can happen from Milton. | Published October 8, 2024 | Read Full Story by Jason Dill

A radar image captured Hurricane Milton just before it came ashore in Sarasota.

NO. 7: WHY MONSTER HURRICANES LIKE MILTON ARE HAPPENING IN THE GULF. IT’S NOT GEOENGINEERING

Republicans and Democrats have pushed back on disinformation circulating about hurricanes Milton and Helene. The Herald spoke to scientists to get the facts | Published October 10, 2024 | Read Full Story by Denise Hruby

This report was produced with the help of AI tools, which summarized previous stories reported and written by McClatchy journalists. It was edited by journalists in our News division.