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A new study that will be used by policymakers and insurance companies ranks Florida’s 12 largest metropolitan areas in order of hurricane vulnerability. Miami ranks number one with a category three storm expected once every 12 years and Tallahassee is at the bottom with a major storm expected just once every 500 years. Whitney Ray explains.

On November 20th, 1985 Hurricane Kate ripped through the Big Bend, passing just west of Tallahassee. The storm sent a tree crashing onto Peggy and Ray Munroe’s roof.

“It was scary. The wind was strong. My neighbor across the street was standing on his front porch. He said a little tornado tore that big pine tree in half and threw it through my house,” said Ray.

The Munroe’s shouldn’t have to worry about another major hurricane headed to Tallahassee in their lifetime. According to a new study, a storm like Kate will only hit Tallahassee once every 500 years. FSU professor James Elsner and doctorial student Jill Malmstadt ranked 12 Florida cities in order of their vulnerability to extreme storms.

“An extreme would be what are considered category threes, fours, fives; 112, 113 miles per hour and above,” said Malmstadt.

Miami is the most vulnerable, with researchers predicting a Cat 3 or higher will hit the city once every 12 years. Pensacola and Panama City are dead in the middle. The peninsula normally protects the panhandle from high winds. Jacksonville, Orlando and Tampa ranked near the bottom, with Tampa coming in at number 10.

“Tampa is vulnerable to storms that develop in the western side of the Caribbean and move up into the Gulf of Mexico, but that’s a lot rarer event,” said Elsner.

For those who didn’t make the list, the risk is still there because hurricanes know no manmade boundaries.