Choctaw County, Alabama Hurricane History

No active tropical cyclones are within 500 miles of Choctaw County, Alabama as of Thursday, 10 September 2026. Official forecasts at nhc.noaa.gov.

Since 1852, 45 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of Choctaw County, Alabama — about one every 3.9 years. Of those, 4 were at hurricane strength at their closest approach. The most recent was Claudette (2021), which passed 4 miles away on 19 June 2021.

Storms within 50 mi

At hurricane strength

3.9

Avg. years between

Years since the last

Storm tracks within 50 miles

TS / TDCat 1Cat 2Cat 3Cat 4Cat 5

Each line is one storm track, coloured by the strongest category it reached while within 50 miles. The dashed ring marks that 50-mile radius; hairlines are one-degree graticule. Source: NOAA NHC HURDAT2.

How strong they get

Cat 1 · 3TS / TD · 42

The 45 storms by the strongest category each reached while within 50 miles. 3 of them reached Cat 1.

Key facts

Most recentClaudette (2021) — 4 mi away, 19 June 2021
Strongest stormFrederic (1979) — 80 kt (92 mph) at its strongest within 50 miles
Closest pass on recordUnnamed Storm (1895) — 1.9 miles
Closest major hurricane (Cat 3+)None on record
Passes within 25 miles27 of 45
Peak monthSeptember — 16 storms (36% of all)
Most active year1912 — 3 storms
Most active decade2000s — 7 storms
Major hurricanes (Cat 3+) within 50 mi0
Record span1852–2021

When storms arrive

JFMAMJJASOND

Storms by month of closest approach; the peak is highlighted and labelled. In Choctaw County, Alabama, September is the most active month, with 16 of the 45 recorded storms (36%). The primary season runs July to September, accounting for 78% of all activity. The 2000s was the most active decade on record, with 7 storms. 0 of the 45 storms were major hurricanes (Category 3 or stronger) while within 50 miles.

J	F	M	A	M	J	J	A	S	O	N	D
0	0	0	0	0	6	7	12	16	4	0	0

Activity by decade

19002000

Tropical cyclones passing within 50 miles, by decade, 1850s to 2020s. Decades with no storms are shown as empty columns. Comparing two equal 38-year windows inside the aircraft-reconnaissance era: 8 storms in 1950–1987 against 12 in 1988–2025.

1850s	1860s	1870s	1880s	1890s	1900s	1910s	1920s	1930s	1940s	1950s	1960s	1970s	1980s	1990s	2000s	2010s	2020s
2	1	1	3	3	3	4	1	6	1	2	1	4	1	2	7	1	2

Every tropical or subtropical cyclone within 50 miles

Storm	Closest approach	Distance	Status	Wind
Claudette (2021)	19 Jun 2021	4.1 mi	TS / TD	28 kt
Zeta (2020)	29 Oct 2020	5.0 mi	Cat 1	68 kt
Nate (2017)	8 Oct 2017	7.7 mi	TS / TD	39 kt
Claudette (2009)	17 Aug 2009	23.2 mi	TS / TD	22 kt
Fay (2008)	24 Aug 2008	15.9 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Dennis (2005)	11 Jul 2005	9.6 mi	TS / TD	38 kt
Cindy (2005)	6 Jul 2005	25.0 mi	TS / TD	29 kt
Arlene (2005)	12 Jun 2005	35.3 mi	TS / TD	28 kt
Ivan (2004)	16 Sep 2004	41.1 mi	TS / TD	60 kt
Bill (2003)	1 Jul 2003	35.4 mi	TS / TD	27 kt
Danny (1997)	21 Jul 1997	43.1 mi	TS / TD	20 kt
Erin (1995)	4 Aug 1995	33.2 mi	TS / TD	42 kt
Unnamed Storm (1987)	13 Aug 1987	15.2 mi	TS / TD	20 kt
Frederic (1979)	13 Sep 1979	24.5 mi	Cat 1	70 kt
Babe (1977)	7 Sep 1977	42.9 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Unnamed Storm (1977)	19 Jul 1977	14.6 mi	TD	—
Edith (1971)	17 Sep 1971	40.7 mi	TS / TD	28 kt
Ethel (1960)	16 Sep 1960	37.8 mi	TS / TD	29 kt
Arlene (1959)	1 Jun 1959	49.0 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Baker (1950)	31 Aug 1950	16.9 mi	TS / TD	53 kt
Unnamed Storm (1940)	25 Sep 1940	14.7 mi	TS / TD	15 kt
Unnamed Storm (1939)	27 Sep 1939	19.7 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1939)	14 Aug 1939	14.6 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1939)	16 Jun 1939	20.5 mi	TS / TD	32 kt
Unnamed Storm (1937)	1 Sep 1937	4.1 mi	TS / TD	28 kt
Unnamed Storm (1936)	1 Aug 1936	14.6 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1932)	1 Sep 1932	43.0 mi	TS / TD	52 kt
Unnamed Storm (1923)	18 Oct 1923	48.4 mi	TS / TD	44 kt
Unnamed Storm (1919)	5 Jul 1919	24.9 mi	TS / TD	26 kt
Unnamed Storm (1912)	14 Sep 1912	14.7 mi	TS / TD	39 kt
Unnamed Storm (1912)	17 Jul 1912	28.2 mi	TS / TD	21 kt
Unnamed Storm (1912)	13 Jun 1912	13.1 mi	TS / TD	42 kt
Unnamed Storm (1907)	22 Sep 1907	19.7 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Unnamed Storm (1901)	16 Aug 1901	14.4 mi	TS / TD	39 kt
Unnamed Storm (1900)	14 Sep 1900	40.9 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1898)	3 Aug 1898	2.9 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Unnamed Storm (1895)	17 Aug 1895	1.9 mi	TS / TD	31 kt
Unnamed Storm (1892)	12 Sep 1892	11.5 mi	TS / TD	37 kt
Unnamed Storm (1887)	14 Jun 1887	32.3 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1881)	4 Aug 1881	30.4 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1880)	1 Sep 1880	4.9 mi	TS / TD	43 kt
Unnamed Storm (1879)	16 Oct 1879	42.4 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Unnamed Storm (1860)	16 Sep 1860	14.7 mi	TS / TD	48 kt
Unnamed Storm (1855)	17 Sep 1855	30.0 mi	TS / TD	48 kt
Unnamed Storm (1852)	26 Aug 1852	44.8 mi	TS / TD	60 kt

Post-tropical and extratropical passes

A further 4 systems passed within 50 miles after losing tropical characteristics. These are excluded from the counts above because they were no longer tropical cyclones at their closest approach — but several were highly damaging, so they are listed here.

Storm	Status	Closest approach	Distance	Wind
Lee (2011)	Post-tropical	5 Sep 2011	25.8 mi	38 kt
Five (2010)	Remnant low	13 Aug 2010	39.1 mi	23 kt
Unnamed Storm (1932)	Post-tropical	16 Oct 1932	11.8 mi	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1922)	Post-tropical	17 Oct 1922	30.7 mi	25 kt

About this data. Computed from NOAA's HURDAT2 Atlantic and Northeast Pacific hurricane databases (hurdat2-1851-2025-02272026.txt), covering 1852–2025. Tracks are recorded every six hours and are interpolated to one-hour steps before distances are measured, so closest-approach figures are not distorted by the sampling interval. Distances are measured to the county's Census internal point, not to its nearest boundary, so a storm listed at 55 miles may still have crossed the coastline — see Methodology. Records before about 1900 are sparser and less precise than modern ones, and storms that stayed at sea were less likely to be recorded at all.

Storms that came back

2 named storms in this record passed Choctaw County, Alabama more than once.

Arlene — 2 passes (1959, 2005)
Claudette — 2 passes (2009, 2021)

How Choctaw County, Alabama compares

Among the 2,208 U.S. counties and county-equivalents that have recorded at least one tropical cyclone within 50 miles, Choctaw County, Alabama ranks #250 — more exposed than 88.7% of them. Within Alabama it ranks #9 of 67, against a state average of 32.6 storms per county.

Notable storms

Cat 1 Frederic (1979) passed 25 miles away on 13 September 1979 as a hurricane, reaching 80 kt (92 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 1 Zeta (2020) passed 5 miles away on 29 October 2020 as a hurricane, reaching 72 kt (83 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 1 Ivan (2004) passed 41 miles away on 16 September 2004 as a hurricane, reaching 66 kt (76 mph) while within 50 miles.
TS / TD Unnamed Storm (1852) passed 45 miles away on 26 August 1852 as a hurricane, reaching 63 kt (72 mph) while within 50 miles.

41 of the 45 storms made a documented landfall somewhere along their track.

How often to expect a storm

A return interval of 3.9 years does not mean storms arrive on a schedule. It is simply 45 storms spread over the 174 years from 1852 to 2025. 4 separate years saw more than one storm pass within 50 miles while stretches of a decade or more have passed with none. The longest recorded quiet stretch was 19 years, between 1860 and 1879. It has been 4 years since the last one; 16 of the 37 gaps in this record were longer than that.

Common questions

How many hurricanes have hit Choctaw County, Alabama?

4 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of Choctaw County, Alabama at hurricane strength since 1852. Counting all tropical cyclones — including tropical storms and depressions — the total is 45.

When was the last hurricane in Choctaw County, Alabama?

Zeta (2020), on 29 October 2020, passing 5 miles away — 6 years ago. The most recent tropical cyclone of any strength was Claudette (2021) in 2021.

What was the strongest storm to affect Choctaw County, Alabama?

Frederic (1979), which reached 80 kt (92 mph) while within 50 miles; its closest approach was 25 miles.

How often do hurricanes hit Choctaw County, Alabama?

On average, one tropical cyclone passes within 50 miles every 3.9 years — 45 storms over the 174 years from 1852 to 2025, the end of the HURDAT2 record. That is a historical average, not a schedule or a forecast.

Nearby counties

Choctaw County, Alabama borders or sits close to 7 other counties with a published storm record. Washington County, Alabama has 54 on record.

Washington County, Alabama54 storms within 50 mi Wayne County, Mississippi50 storms within 50 mi Clarke County, Alabama49 storms within 50 mi Clarke County, Mississippi45 storms within 50 mi Lauderdale County, Mississippi43 storms within 50 mi Marengo County, Alabama40 storms within 50 mi Sumter County, Alabama38 storms within 50 mi