Where to monitor active storms and declarations
During hurricane season, two official sources are the word to trust above everything else. Bookmark both before the season begins, and when a storm is named, watch these first, then your county and city channels.
Florida Division of Emergency Management (floridadisaster.org): the state agency publishes active emergency declarations, executive orders, and the latest on Florida's storm response. If a statewide or regional emergency is declared, this is where it is announced.
National Hurricane Center (nhc.noaa.gov): part of the National Weather Service, the NHC is the official source for tropical storm and hurricane forecasts, watches, and warnings across the Atlantic basin. Its advisories drive every decision local officials make, so what you read there is what the county is acting on.
Where things stand in late October 2026: no storm has directly threatened South Florida this season. The season's first hurricane, Isaias, formed in the first week of October, intensified quickly, and made landfall near Destin in the Florida Panhandle on October 9 as a Category 2 storm before weakening to a post-tropical system the next day. Its state of emergency covered the Panhandle and North Florida only; Palm Beach County was not included and saw no direct impact. The Atlantic has been quiet since: the National Hurricane Center's outlook through the third week of October called for no tropical development, and no active systems were being tracked as of October 21. The 2026 season has produced nine named storms so far, and Isaias is the only one to have reached hurricane strength. Forecasts change quickly; the two official sources above remain the most current word.
Palm Beach County alerts: sign up for ALERTPBC
ALERTPBC is Palm Beach County's official emergency notification system. Residents can sign up at alertpbc.com to receive phone, text, and email alerts for emergencies in their area: evacuation notices, shelter information, boil-water advisories, and other urgent updates. The alerts are location-based, so the system can reach you with information specific to your neighborhood.
Sign up once, before the season starts, and keep your contact information current. It takes a few minutes and it is the single most direct way the county will reach you when minutes matter.
Emergency contacts for storm season
Keep these numbers where you can find them quickly. For life-threatening emergencies, always call 911 first.
Palm Beach County Emergency Information Center at 561-712-6400: the county's call center for storm-related questions during an event. If you need accurate, current information about an active storm, this is the number to call.
211 Palm Beach: dial 211 or visit 211palmbeach.org for storm-related questions, resources, and referrals. The line connects you with local health and human services: food, shelter, and assistance programs, including help during and after a storm. It is free, confidential, and staffed by people who know the local system.
Evacuation zones: find yours with Know Your Zone
Palm Beach County assigns every address an evacuation zone based on storm-surge risk. Zones run from A to E: Zone A is at the greatest risk and is evacuated first, with later zones ordered as a storm intensifies or shifts. Your zone is about storm surge, not your flood zone, and residents of mobile homes should plan to leave regardless of zone.
The county's address-based Know Your Zone lookup at discover.pbc.gov/oem shows your zone when you enter your home address. Look it up now, before a storm threatens, so you know whether and when you would be asked to leave. Knowing your zone in advance turns a stressful decision into a simple one.
Recent emergency declarations in South Florida
Emergency declarations are how governors and counties formally activate response resources before and during a storm. Knowing the recent record helps you read the news calmly when the next one arrives. Here is a short, dated summary of the declarations that touched South Florida, each linked to its official source. This summary reflects the Florida Division of Emergency Management and the Governor's executive orders page as of October 21, 2026.
Hurricane Irma, 2017
Governor Rick Scott declared a state of emergency for all 67 Florida counties under Executive Order 17-235 on September 4, 2017, later extended by Executive Order 17-287. Palm Beach County declared its own local state of emergency on September 6, 2017, and the county was later included in FEMA Major Disaster Declaration DR-4337.
Hurricane Milton, 2024
Governor Ron DeSantis issued Executive Order 24-214 on October 5, 2024, declaring a state of emergency for 35 counties including Palm Beach, Broward, and Miami-Dade, amended by Executive Order 24-215 the next day to cover 51 counties. Palm Beach County issued a Hurricane Milton Evacuation Order on October 9, 2024. Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava declared a local state of emergency on October 6, 2024, and Broward County declared a local state of emergency the same day.
The standing declaration today
Florida's Executive Order 26-33, declared on February 9, 2026 for winter weather, drought, and wildfire risks, remains in effect and still covers all 67 counties. It is renewed and updated along the way: Executive Order 26-163 extended it on August 6, 2026, Executive Order 26-191 amended it on September 15, 2026, broadening its scope to cover New World screwworm and pasture mealybug response alongside the original hazards, and Executive Order 26-201 extended and amended it again on October 6, 2026. Under Florida Statutes section 252.36, a state-of-emergency order runs for up to 60 days unless renewed, so the standing declaration remains in effect; as of October 21, 2026, no newer extension has been published on the Governor's executive orders page. This is not a storm event. Treat it as the current baseline, and always monitor floridadisaster.org for anything new.
The most recent storm-related declaration is Executive Order 26-202, signed October 6, 2026 ahead of Tropical Depression Nine, which the National Hurricane Center named Tropical Storm Isaias before it became the season's first hurricane. The order covered 25 counties in the Panhandle and North Florida; Executive Order 26-211 amended it on October 7 to add Citrus and Levy counties, and Executive Order 26-212 updated it on October 10 as the storm neared landfall. Isaias came ashore near Destin on October 9 as a Category 2 hurricane and weakened to a post-tropical system the next day, with recovery work continuing in the Panhandle. The Atlantic has stayed quiet since: National Hurricane Center outlooks through mid-October called for no tropical development, and no new storm-related orders have followed. The only new order in the window, Executive Order 26-213, signed October 16, 2026, extends a separate North Florida tornado-recovery declaration rather than addressing any new storm. None of these orders includes Palm Beach County, and South Florida saw no direct impact. So as of this update, no storm-specific state of emergency is active for South Florida: the declaration in effect here remains Executive Order 26-33 as extended and amended. When a new order appears, read the county list before assuming it applies to your address.
Palm Beach County has not issued a local emergency declaration in 2026, and as of October 21, 2026, no federal disaster declaration is active for the county; the most recent was for Hurricane Milton in October 2024. Federal actions tied to Hurricane Isaias, including FEMA Emergency Declaration EM-3655-FL and the state's request for a major disaster declaration covering the Panhandle, apply to counties in Northwest Florida only. The authoritative source for current declarations is the Florida Division of Emergency Management's emergency orders page, and Halo site staff do not replace official alerts.
Want the full picture?
Read What a State of Emergency Really Means for Boca Raton, a plain-language walk through the law behind declarations, how Hurricane Irma and Hurricane Milton played out, and what to do when one is active.
The official preparedness checklist
Hurricane season in Florida runs June 1 through November 30, with peak activity from mid-August to mid-October. Late October means the season's busiest weeks are behind us, and the National Hurricane Center's most recent outlooks saw no developing systems, but storms can still form through the end of November, so preparation stays routine, not optional. The county has already written the whole plan down for you.
The official Palm Beach County Hurricane Planning Guide is the county's complete preparedness checklist: building a family plan, gathering supplies, protecting documents, securing your home, and caring for pets and family members. A few of the basics from the county's guidance: know your evacuation zone, build a family communication plan, keep a supply kit ready, and protect important documents. The full checklist lives in the county guide, and it is worth reading before the season begins.
Jean-Luc walks every coastal buyer through storm preparedness as part of the purchase conversation, from impact glass and shutters to a neighborhood's storm history. If you are new to the coast, start with this page, then ask him anything.
