Sumter County, Alabama Hurricane History

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

Since 1855, 38 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of Sumter County, Alabama — about one every 4.5 years. Of those, 3 were at hurricane strength at their closest approach. The most recent was Claudette (2021), which passed 27 miles away on 20 June 2021.

Storms within 50 mi

At hurricane strength

4.5

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 · 2TS / TD · 36

The 38 storms by the strongest category each reached while within 50 miles. 2 of them reached Cat 1.

Key facts

Most recentClaudette (2021) — 27 mi away, 20 June 2021
Strongest stormZeta (2020) — 68 kt (78 mph) at its strongest within 50 miles
Closest pass on recordUnnamed Storm (1860) — 0.2 miles
Closest major hurricane (Cat 3+)None on record
Passes within 25 miles23 of 38
Peak monthSeptember — 15 storms (39% of all)
Most active year1939 — 3 storms
Most active decade2000s — 7 storms
Major hurricanes (Cat 3+) within 50 mi0
Record span1855–2021

When storms arrive

JFMAMJJASOND

Storms by month of closest approach; the peak is highlighted and labelled. In Sumter County, Alabama, September is the most active month, with 15 of the 38 recorded storms (39%). Activity concentrates in June, August and September, together 76% of all storms. The 2000s was the most active decade on record, with 7 storms. 0 of the 38 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	5	5	9	15	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: 7 storms in 1950–1987 against 10 in 1988–2025.

1850s	1860s	1870s	1880s	1890s	1900s	1910s	1920s	1930s	1940s	1950s	1960s	1970s	1980s	1990s	2000s	2010s	2020s
1	1	1	1	4	2	4	1	5	1	2	1	4	0	0	7	1	2

Every tropical or subtropical cyclone within 50 miles

Storm	Closest approach	Distance	Status	Wind
Claudette (2021)	20 Jun 2021	27.0 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Zeta (2020)	29 Oct 2020	23.7 mi	Cat 1	64 kt
Nate (2017)	8 Oct 2017	21.1 mi	TS / TD	33 kt
Claudette (2009)	17 Aug 2009	2.2 mi	TS / TD	21 kt
Fay (2008)	26 Aug 2008	21.6 mi	TS / TD	20 kt
Dennis (2005)	11 Jul 2005	15.8 mi	TS / TD	32 kt
Arlene (2005)	12 Jun 2005	29.9 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Ivan (2004)	16 Sep 2004	47.1 mi	TS / TD	50 kt
Bill (2003)	1 Jul 2003	13.6 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Barry (2001)	6 Aug 2001	24.9 mi	TS / TD	18 kt
Frederic (1979)	13 Sep 1979	20.9 mi	TS / TD	58 kt
Babe (1977)	7 Sep 1977	18.2 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Unnamed Storm (1977)	19 Jul 1977	42.9 mi	TD	—
Edith (1971)	17 Sep 1971	7.1 mi	TS / TD	27 kt
Ethel (1960)	16 Sep 1960	32.8 mi	TS / TD	26 kt
Arlene (1959)	1 Jun 1959	9.2 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Baker (1950)	31 Aug 1950	6.3 mi	TS / TD	47 kt
Unnamed Storm (1940)	25 Sep 1940	44.8 mi	TS / TD	15 kt
Unnamed Storm (1939)	27 Sep 1939	48.9 mi	TS / TD	28 kt
Unnamed Storm (1939)	14 Aug 1939	16.8 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1939)	17 Jun 1939	38.9 mi	TS / TD	28 kt
Unnamed Storm (1937)	1 Sep 1937	34.5 mi	TS / TD	27 kt
Unnamed Storm (1936)	1 Aug 1936	42.9 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1926)	30 Jul 1926	23.5 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Unnamed Storm (1919)	5 Jul 1919	3.2 mi	TS / TD	21 kt
Unnamed Storm (1916)	18 Oct 1916	47.7 mi	TS / TD	55 kt
Unnamed Storm (1912)	14 Sep 1912	17.5 mi	TS / TD	37 kt
Unnamed Storm (1912)	13 Jun 1912	28.1 mi	TS / TD	41 kt
Unnamed Storm (1907)	22 Sep 1907	49.1 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Unnamed Storm (1901)	16 Aug 1901	11.0 mi	TS / TD	38 kt
Unnamed Storm (1898)	3 Aug 1898	41.3 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Unnamed Storm (1895)	17 Aug 1895	4.4 mi	TS / TD	28 kt
Unnamed Storm (1893)	8 Sep 1893	44.9 mi	TS / TD	38 kt
Unnamed Storm (1892)	12 Sep 1892	22.2 mi	TS / TD	36 kt
Unnamed Storm (1880)	1 Sep 1880	25.0 mi	TS / TD	37 kt
Unnamed Storm (1879)	16 Oct 1879	22.0 mi	TS / TD	32 kt
Unnamed Storm (1860)	16 Sep 1860	0.2 mi	TS / TD	43 kt
Unnamed Storm (1855)	17 Sep 1855	16.2 mi	TS / TD	43 kt

Post-tropical and extratropical passes

A further 3 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
Beta (2020)	Post-tropical	24 Sep 2020	47.7 mi	20 kt
Unnamed Storm (1932)	Post-tropical	16 Oct 1932	38.6 mi	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1915)	Post-tropical	30 Sep 1915	44.9 mi	45 kt

About this data. Computed from NOAA's HURDAT2 Atlantic and Northeast Pacific hurricane databases (hurdat2-1851-2025-02272026.txt), covering 1855–2025. 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 Sumter County, Alabama more than once.

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

How Sumter County, Alabama compares

Among the 2,208 U.S. counties and county-equivalents that have recorded at least one tropical cyclone within 50 miles, Sumter County, Alabama ranks #359 — more exposed than 83.7% of them. Within Alabama it ranks #20 of 67, against a state average of 32.6 storms per county.

Notable storms

Cat 1 Zeta (2020) passed 24 miles away on 29 October 2020 as a hurricane, reaching 68 kt (78 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 1 Frederic (1979) passed 21 miles away on 13 September 1979 as a hurricane, reaching 65 kt (75 mph) while within 50 miles.
TS / TD Unnamed Storm (1916) passed 48 miles away on 18 October 1916 as a hurricane, reaching 55 kt (63 mph) while within 50 miles.
TS / TD Ivan (2004) passed 47 miles away on 16 September 2004 as a tropical storm, reaching 53 kt (61 mph) while within 50 miles.

34 of the 38 storms made a documented landfall somewhere along their track.

How often to expect a storm

A return interval of 4.5 years does not mean storms arrive on a schedule. It is simply 38 storms spread over the 171 years from 1855 to 2025. 4 separate years saw more than one storm pass within 50 miles while decades have gone by with none. The longest recorded quiet stretch was 22 years, between 1979 and 2001. It has been 4 years since the last one; 13 of the 32 gaps in this record were longer than that.

Common questions

How many hurricanes have hit Sumter County, Alabama?

3 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of Sumter County, Alabama at hurricane strength since 1855. Counting all tropical cyclones — including tropical storms and depressions — the total is 38.

When was the last hurricane in Sumter County, Alabama?

Zeta (2020), on 29 October 2020, passing 24 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 Sumter County, Alabama?

Zeta (2020), which reached 68 kt (78 mph) while within 50 miles; its closest approach was 24 miles.

How often do hurricanes hit Sumter County, Alabama?

On average, one tropical cyclone passes within 50 miles every 4.5 years — 38 storms over the 171 years from 1855 to 2025, the end of the HURDAT2 record. That is a historical average, not a schedule or a forecast.

Nearby counties

Sumter County, Alabama borders or sits close to 7 other counties with a published storm record. Choctaw County, Alabama has 45 on record.

Choctaw County, Alabama45 storms within 50 mi Lauderdale County, Mississippi43 storms within 50 mi Marengo County, Alabama40 storms within 50 mi Kemper County, Mississippi38 storms within 50 mi Greene County, Alabama33 storms within 50 mi Noxubee County, Mississippi33 storms within 50 mi Pickens County, Alabama32 storms within 50 mi