- December 4, 2025
With the 2025 hurricane season approaching, Flagler County Emergency Management Director Jonathan Lord held a Hurricane Season Media Roundtable on Tuesday, May 27, at the Flagler County Emergency Operations Center.
Lord talked about what to expect, how to prepare and where to find pertinent information for neighborhood evacuations and updated forecasts.
The National Hurricane Center is predicting 13 to 19 named storms, 6 to 10 hurricanes and 3 to 5 major hurricanes this year. The 30-year average is 14 named storms, 7 hurricanes and 3 major hurricanes, so the Hurricane Center’s outlook is slightly above average. But these predictions have little value to Flagler or Volusia counties, Lord said.
“It doesn't really matter that much to us in any way, shape or form because you could have the quietest hurricane season ever, and if that one storm comes to Flagler County, then it could be an extremely impactful year for us, or we could have the busiest hurricane season ever and if none of them come to Flagler, then we’re all happy, we’re good to go,” Lord said. “So, I think these are great little news bites. They're great to grab people's attention, but it's super important not to focus on them because it doesn't really mean anything for a specific community.”
Specifically for our areas, sea surface temperature is above normal, although not as warm as this time last year at above 80 degrees. Sea surface temperature has the greatest impact on hurricane formation.
Saharan dust is expected to reach Florida within the next week, which would help reduce potential storm activity, Lord said. But it won’t last the entire hurricane season. The season runs from June 1 to Nov. 30, but 96% of major hurricanes occur from mid-August to mid-October.
The Hurricane Center’s forecasting has again improved with the cone of the storms’ path now more precise and skinnier. Every six hours the path is corrected. The cone shows only where the eye of the storm might be and hurricane impacts can occur hundreds of miles outside of the cone, Lord said. The forecasts will now also show colored graphics showing where hurricane and tropical storm watches and warnings are for different areas.
“We really want our residents to focus less on the cone and more on those impact graphics,” Lord said.
Flagler County has a new comprehensive, user-friendly emergency website: flaglercounty.gov/emergency. Buttons on the website include Emergency Notices and Emergency Alerts (ALERTFlagler) which allows residents to sign up for alerts, registering up to five addresses and eight different devices.
The button for Hurricane Evacuation Planning Zones shows potential evacuation zones in the county. If Emergency Management calls for evacuations, the maps will be replaced with evacuations based on neighborhoods.
Evacuations are generally called because of potential storm surge as well as for mobile homes and low-lying areas. Marineland to the end of Flagler Beach will be under evacuation orders if a storm is heading from the Atlantic to the coast, but the county won’t close bridges unless they are unsafe to drive on.
The Local Weather button on the website is updated each evening for the following day because TV weather reports are not usually Flagler-focused, Lord said. The Training button lists upcoming free emergency training opportunities, including the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Training, June 10-26 on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, 1 to 4 p.m. at the Flagler County Emergency Operations Center.
In addition to the county’s current shelters, a new $10.9 million state-funded shelter, approved last year, will be built at the Flagler County Fairgrounds just north of Cattleman’s Hall.
The shelter will have 10,000 square feet of shelter space and 5,000 square feet of ancillary space. It will be able to withstand 180 mph winds, Lord said. It will benefit Flagler County residents as well as residents in neighboring counties and will be a general and special needs shelter. Lord said it will hopefully be constructed and ready for use by next hurricane season.
Residents should have a one-week kit ready for living off the grid. Plans should be made for where to go and how to receive communications in case cell phones cannot be charged. Residents should sign up for ALERTFlagler to receive emergency alerts.
