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Downtown Pensacola hurricane guide
Downtown Pensacola — Palafox Street, the historic districts, the port and the waterfront — sits on the north shore of Pensacola Bay, with Bayou Texar to the east. The waterfront and low blocks near the bay and bayou fall in evacuation zones, while the hills of North Hill and East Hill are higher.
Escambia CountyCounty emergency management
Zone checkWaterfront in Zones A–B; inland areas vary
Aug–OctPeak local hurricane risk
Hurricanes that hit Downtown Pensacola
- The 1906 and 1926 hurricanes wrecked the waterfront, wharves and fishing fleet.
- Hurricane Ivan (2004) flooded waterfront streets and damaged hundreds of downtown buildings.
- Hurricane Sally (2020) flooded Main Street and lower Palafox, and loose construction barges damaged the Pensacola Bay Bridge and were scattered along the bay shoreline.
See the full Pensacola hurricane history for details on each storm.
Evacuation in Downtown Pensacola
- Head north on I-110, Palafox/US-29 or Davis Highway toward I-10.
- The Pensacola Bay Center and Pensacola High School are designated shelter sites — confirm they are open.
- Avoid driving through flooded downtown streets after the storm; manhole covers can be displaced.
Local preparation tip
Many downtown buildings are historic and predate modern codes. Owners of older commercial and residential buildings should review wind coverage, ordinance-and-law coverage and flood policies before the season.
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