Clarke County, Alabama Hurricane History

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

Since 1852, 49 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of Clarke County, Alabama — about one every 3.6 years. Of those, 8 were at hurricane strength at their closest approach. The most recent was Claudette (2021), which passed 34 miles away on 19 June 2021.

Storms within 50 mi

At hurricane strength

3.6

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 · 7TS / TD · 42

The 49 storms by the strongest category each reached while within 50 miles. 7 of them reached Cat 1.

Key facts

Most recentClaudette (2021) — 34 mi away, 19 June 2021
Strongest stormFrederic (1979) — 80 kt (92 mph) at its strongest within 50 miles
Closest pass on recordDennis (2005) — 0.9 miles
Closest major hurricane (Cat 3+)None on record
Passes within 25 miles23 of 49
Peak monthSeptember — 15 storms (31% of all)
Most active year1912 — 3 storms
Most active decade2000s — 9 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 Clarke County, Alabama, September is the most active month, with 15 of the 49 recorded storms (31%). The primary season runs August to October, accounting for 76% of all activity. The 2000s was the most active decade on record, with 9 storms. 0 of the 49 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	6	14	15	8	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: 6 storms in 1950–1987 against 15 in 1988–2025.

1850s	1860s	1870s	1880s	1890s	1900s	1910s	1920s	1930s	1940s	1950s	1960s	1970s	1980s	1990s	2000s	2010s	2020s
2	2	1	3	4	3	5	1	5	2	2	0	2	2	3	9	1	2

Every tropical or subtropical cyclone within 50 miles

Storm	Closest approach	Distance	Status	Wind
Claudette (2021)	19 Jun 2021	33.7 mi	TS / TD	28 kt
Zeta (2020)	29 Oct 2020	33.0 mi	Cat 1	68 kt
Nate (2017)	8 Oct 2017	25.2 mi	TS / TD	39 kt
Claudette (2009)	17 Aug 2009	11.1 mi	TS / TD	24 kt
Fay (2008)	24 Aug 2008	21.2 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Dennis (2005)	11 Jul 2005	0.9 mi	TS / TD	42 kt
Cindy (2005)	6 Jul 2005	8.4 mi	TS / TD	29 kt
Arlene (2005)	12 Jun 2005	12.8 mi	TS / TD	29 kt
Ivan (2004)	16 Sep 2004	12.2 mi	Cat 1	67 kt
Hanna (2002)	14 Sep 2002	40.7 mi	TS / TD	23 kt
Barry (2001)	6 Aug 2001	47.8 mi	TS / TD	23 kt
Allison (2001)	11 Jun 2001	33.6 mi	TS / TD	27 kt
Georges (1998)	29 Sep 1998	49.7 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Danny (1997)	21 Jul 1997	12.9 mi	TS / TD	20 kt
Erin (1995)	3 Aug 1995	41.9 mi	TS / TD	48 kt
Unnamed Storm (1987)	13 Aug 1987	6.0 mi	TS / TD	18 kt
Juan (1985)	31 Oct 1985	42.4 mi	TS / TD	42 kt
Frederic (1979)	13 Sep 1979	47.7 mi	Cat 1	80 kt
Unnamed Storm (1977)	19 Jul 1977	10.6 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Irene (1959)	8 Oct 1959	43.8 mi	TS / TD	33 kt
Baker (1950)	31 Aug 1950	16.0 mi	TS / TD	57 kt
Unnamed Storm (1944)	11 Sep 1944	44.7 mi	TS / TD	33 kt
Unnamed Storm (1940)	25 Sep 1940	45.5 mi	TS / TD	15 kt
Unnamed Storm (1939)	27 Sep 1939	13.3 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1939)	14 Aug 1939	3.1 mi	TS / TD	33 kt
Unnamed Storm (1939)	16 Jun 1939	32.1 mi	TS / TD	33 kt
Unnamed Storm (1937)	1 Sep 1937	10.3 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1936)	1 Aug 1936	10.5 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1923)	26 Jun 1923	40.3 mi	TS / TD	34 kt
Unnamed Storm (1919)	5 Jul 1919	12.0 mi	TS / TD	29 kt
Unnamed Storm (1916)	18 Oct 1916	36.9 mi	Cat 1	65 kt
Unnamed Storm (1912)	14 Sep 1912	40.2 mi	TS / TD	42 kt
Unnamed Storm (1912)	17 Jul 1912	10.6 mi	TS / TD	23 kt
Unnamed Storm (1912)	13 Jun 1912	39.0 mi	TS / TD	42 kt
Unnamed Storm (1907)	22 Sep 1907	13.3 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Unnamed Storm (1901)	16 Aug 1901	14.3 mi	TS / TD	42 kt
Unnamed Storm (1900)	14 Sep 1900	8.7 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1898)	3 Aug 1898	8.3 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1895)	17 Aug 1895	28.2 mi	TS / TD	32 kt
Unnamed Storm (1893)	3 Oct 1893	22.1 mi	TS / TD	63 kt
Unnamed Storm (1892)	12 Sep 1892	29.4 mi	TS / TD	38 kt
Unnamed Storm (1887)	19 Oct 1887	48.0 mi	TS / TD	43 kt
Unnamed Storm (1881)	4 Aug 1881	47.7 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1880)	1 Sep 1880	10.7 mi	TS / TD	47 kt
Unnamed Storm (1879)	16 Oct 1879	27.6 mi	TS / TD	37 kt
Unnamed Storm (1860)	16 Sep 1860	45.5 mi	TS / TD	48 kt
Unnamed Storm (1860)	12 Aug 1860	42.5 mi	TS / TD	63 kt
Unnamed Storm (1859)	16 Sep 1859	38.0 mi	TS / TD	47 kt
Unnamed Storm (1852)	26 Aug 1852	12.4 mi	TS / TD	57 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	10.7 mi	38 kt
Five (2010)	Remnant low	13 Aug 2010	6.7 mi	23 kt
Unnamed Storm (1932)	Post-tropical	16 Oct 1932	21.6 mi	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1922)	Post-tropical	17 Oct 1922	12.2 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

1 named storm in this record passed Clarke County, Alabama more than once.

Claudette — 2 passes (2009, 2021)

How Clarke County, Alabama compares

Among the 2,208 U.S. counties and county-equivalents that have recorded at least one tropical cyclone within 50 miles, Clarke County, Alabama ranks #208 — more exposed than 90.6% of them. Within Alabama it ranks #6 of 67, against a state average of 32.6 storms per county.

Notable storms

Cat 1 Frederic (1979) passed 48 miles away on 13 September 1979 as a hurricane, reaching 80 kt (92 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 1 Ivan (2004) passed 12 miles away on 16 September 2004 as a hurricane, reaching 77 kt (89 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 1 Unnamed Storm (1852) passed 12 miles away on 26 August 1852 as a hurricane, reaching 73 kt (84 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 1 Unnamed Storm (1916) passed 37 miles away on 18 October 1916 as a hurricane, reaching 72 kt (83 mph) while within 50 miles.

47 of the 49 storms made a documented landfall somewhere along their track.

How often to expect a storm

A return interval of 3.6 years does not mean storms arrive on a schedule. It is simply 49 storms spread over the 174 years from 1852 to 2025. 5 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; 13 of the 40 gaps in this record were longer than that.

Common questions

How many hurricanes have hit Clarke County, Alabama?

8 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of Clarke County, Alabama at hurricane strength since 1852. Counting all tropical cyclones — including tropical storms and depressions — the total is 49.

When was the last hurricane in Clarke County, Alabama?

Zeta (2020), on 29 October 2020, passing 33 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 Clarke County, Alabama?

Frederic (1979), which reached 80 kt (92 mph) while within 50 miles; its closest approach was 48 miles.

How often do hurricanes hit Clarke County, Alabama?

On average, one tropical cyclone passes within 50 miles every 3.6 years — 49 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

Clarke County, Alabama borders or sits close to 6 other counties with a published storm record. Baldwin County, Alabama has 56 on record.

Baldwin County, Alabama56 storms within 50 mi Washington County, Alabama54 storms within 50 mi Choctaw County, Alabama45 storms within 50 mi Wilcox County, Alabama42 storms within 50 mi Monroe County, Alabama42 storms within 50 mi Marengo County, Alabama40 storms within 50 mi