Escambia County, Alabama Hurricane History

No active tropical cyclones are within 500 miles of Escambia 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 Escambia County, Alabama — about one every 3.6 years. Of those, 10 were at hurricane strength at their closest approach. The most recent was Sally (2020), which passed 2 miles away on 16 September 2020.

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 3 · 1Cat 2 · 4Cat 1 · 7TS / TD · 37

The 49 storms by the strongest category each reached while within 50 miles. 1 of them reached Cat 3.

Key facts

Most recentSally (2020) — 2 mi away, 16 September 2020
Strongest stormUnnamed Storm (1882) — 102 kt (117 mph) at its strongest within 50 miles
Closest pass on recordUnnamed Storm (1987) — 1.3 miles
Closest major hurricane (Cat 3+)Unnamed Storm (1882) — 49.7 miles
Passes within 25 miles31 of 49
Peak monthSeptember — 14 storms (29% of all)
Most active year1936 — 2 storms
Most active decade2000s — 9 storms
Major hurricanes (Cat 3+) within 50 mi1
Record span1852–2020

When storms arrive

JFMAMJJASOND

Storms by month of closest approach; the peak is highlighted and labelled. In Escambia County, Alabama, September is the most active month, with 14 of the 49 recorded storms (29%). 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. 1 of the 49 storms was major hurricane (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	5	7	13	14	10	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 14 in 1988–2025.

1850s	1860s	1870s	1880s	1890s	1900s	1910s	1920s	1930s	1940s	1950s	1960s	1970s	1980s	1990s	2000s	2010s	2020s
2	1	1	5	3	2	4	1	6	2	2	3	1	2	4	9	0	1

Every tropical or subtropical cyclone within 50 miles

Storm	Closest approach	Distance	Status	Wind
Sally (2020)	16 Sep 2020	2.4 mi	TS / TD	60 kt
Claudette (2009)	17 Aug 2009	3.6 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Fay (2008)	24 Aug 2008	12.1 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Ten (2007)	22 Sep 2007	38.0 mi	TS / TD	22 kt
Dennis (2005)	10 Jul 2005	18.2 mi	Cat 1	75 kt
Arlene (2005)	11 Jun 2005	24.7 mi	TS / TD	34 kt
Ivan (2004)	16 Sep 2004	33.9 mi	Cat 1	77 kt
Hanna (2002)	14 Sep 2002	13.9 mi	TS / TD	23 kt
Barry (2001)	6 Aug 2001	31.1 mi	TS / TD	42 kt
Allison (2001)	12 Jun 2001	18.1 mi	TS / TD	24 kt
Georges (1998)	29 Sep 1998	18.9 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Danny (1997)	21 Jul 1997	21.2 mi	TS / TD	24 kt
Opal (1995)	5 Oct 1995	23.4 mi	Cat 1	80 kt
Erin (1995)	3 Aug 1995	39.9 mi	TS / TD	62 kt
Unnamed Storm (1987)	14 Aug 1987	1.3 mi	TS / TD	15 kt
Juan (1985)	31 Oct 1985	11.8 mi	TS / TD	48 kt
Unnamed Storm (1977)	19 Jul 1977	41.3 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Unnamed Storm (1969)	1 Oct 1969	21.0 mi	TS / TD	33 kt
Unnamed Storm (1965)	15 Jun 1965	49.2 mi	TS / TD	50 kt
Florence (1960)	26 Sep 1960	38.6 mi	TS / TD	20 kt
Irene (1959)	8 Oct 1959	8.0 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Baker (1950)	31 Aug 1950	43.3 mi	TS / TD	60 kt
Unnamed Storm (1948)	9 Jul 1948	24.3 mi	TS / TD	33 kt
Unnamed Storm (1944)	11 Sep 1944	11.2 mi	TS / TD	32 kt
Unnamed Storm (1939)	13 Aug 1939	3.8 mi	TS / TD	48 kt
Unnamed Storm (1939)	16 Jun 1939	47.5 mi	TS / TD	41 kt
Unnamed Storm (1937)	1 Sep 1937	24.9 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1936)	22 Aug 1936	49.9 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Unnamed Storm (1936)	31 Jul 1936	4.3 mi	TS / TD	60 kt
Unnamed Storm (1934)	6 Oct 1934	20.1 mi	TS / TD	32 kt
Unnamed Storm (1923)	26 Jun 1923	12.4 mi	TS / TD	33 kt
Unnamed Storm (1919)	4 Jul 1919	6.0 mi	TS / TD	37 kt
Unnamed Storm (1916)	18 Oct 1916	11.5 mi	Cat 1	80 kt
Unnamed Storm (1914)	18 Sep 1914	44.1 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Unnamed Storm (1912)	16 Jul 1912	23.8 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Unnamed Storm (1902)	11 Oct 1902	18.0 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1900)	14 Sep 1900	45.5 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1898)	3 Aug 1898	18.1 mi	TS / TD	38 kt
Unnamed Storm (1894)	8 Aug 1894	47.9 mi	TS / TD	45 kt
Unnamed Storm (1893)	3 Oct 1893	32.4 mi	TS / TD	62 kt
Unnamed Storm (1889)	23 Sep 1889	26.7 mi	TS / TD	54 kt
Unnamed Storm (1887)	19 Oct 1887	8.8 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1885)	28 Sep 1885	36.1 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1882)	10 Sep 1882	49.7 mi	Cat 3	102 kt
Unnamed Storm (1880)	31 Aug 1880	14.3 mi	TS / TD	57 kt
Unnamed Storm (1879)	16 Oct 1879	11.9 mi	TS / TD	42 kt
Unnamed Storm (1860)	12 Aug 1860	5.7 mi	TS / TD	57 kt
Unnamed Storm (1859)	16 Sep 1859	15.5 mi	TS / TD	48 kt
Unnamed Storm (1852)	26 Aug 1852	42.9 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
Five (2010)	Remnant low	13 Aug 2010	48.3 mi	23 kt
Ida (2009)	Post-tropical	10 Nov 2009	36.1 mi	30 kt
Hilda (1964)	Post-tropical	5 Oct 1964	41.1 mi	50 kt
Unnamed Storm (1922)	Post-tropical	17 Oct 1922	45.4 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.

How Escambia County, Alabama compares

Among the 2,208 U.S. counties and county-equivalents that have recorded at least one tropical cyclone within 50 miles, Escambia County, Alabama ranks #209 — more exposed than 90.5% of them. Within Alabama it ranks #7 of 67, against a state average of 32.6 storms per county.

Notable storms

Cat 3 Unnamed Storm (1882) passed 50 miles away on 10 September 1882 as a hurricane, reaching 102 kt (117 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 2 Ivan (2004) passed 34 miles away on 16 September 2004 as a hurricane, reaching 91 kt (105 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 2 Dennis (2005) passed 18 miles away on 10 July 2005 as a hurricane, reaching 90 kt (104 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 2 Opal (1995) passed 23 miles away on 5 October 1995 as a hurricane, reaching 90 kt (104 mph) while within 50 miles.

48 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 5 years since the last one; 9 of the 43 gaps in this record were longer than that.

Common questions

How many hurricanes have hit Escambia County, Alabama?

10 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of Escambia 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 Escambia County, Alabama?

Dennis (2005), on 10 July 2005, passing 18 miles away — 21 years ago. The most recent tropical cyclone of any strength was Sally (2020) in 2020.

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

Unnamed Storm (1882), which reached 102 kt (117 mph) while within 50 miles; its closest approach was 50 miles.

How often do hurricanes hit Escambia 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

Escambia County, Alabama borders or sits close to 7 other counties with a published storm record. Baldwin County, Alabama has 56 on record.

Baldwin County, Alabama56 storms within 50 mi Santa Rosa County, Florida56 storms within 50 mi Escambia County, Florida55 storms within 50 mi Okaloosa County, Florida52 storms within 50 mi Covington County, Alabama51 storms within 50 mi Monroe County, Alabama42 storms within 50 mi Conecuh County, Alabama37 storms within 50 mi