Clay County, Florida Hurricane History

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

Since 1867, 59 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of Clay County, Florida — about one every 2.7 years. Of those, 10 were at hurricane strength at their closest approach. The most recent was Eta (2020), which passed 16 miles away on 12 November 2020.

Storms within 50 mi

At hurricane strength

2.7

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 · 2Cat 1 · 10TS / TD · 46

The 59 storms by the strongest category each reached while within 50 miles. 1 of them reached Cat 3.

Key facts

Most recentEta (2020) — 16 mi away, 12 November 2020
Strongest stormUnnamed Storm (1896) — 97 kt (112 mph) at its strongest within 50 miles
Closest pass on recordDora (1964) — 2.3 miles
Closest major hurricane (Cat 3+)Unnamed Storm (1896) — 43.4 miles
Passes within 25 miles30 of 59
Peak monthSeptember — 16 storms (27% of all)
Most active year1964 — 3 storms
Most active decade1870s, 1880s, 1960s and 1980s — 6 storms
Major hurricanes (Cat 3+) within 50 mi1
Record span1867–2020

When storms arrive

JFMAMJJASOND

Storms by month of closest approach; the peak is highlighted and labelled. In Clay County, Florida, September is the most active month, with 16 of the 59 recorded storms (27%). Activity concentrates in June, September and October, together 68% of all storms. The 1870s, 1880s, 1960s and 1980s are tied as the most active decades on record, with 6 storms. 1 of the 59 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	3	10	4	8	16	14	4	0

Activity by decade

19002000

Tropical cyclones passing within 50 miles, by decade, 1860s to 2020s. Decades with no storms are shown as empty columns. Comparing two equal 38-year windows inside the aircraft-reconnaissance era: 16 storms in 1950–1987 against 12 in 1988–2025.

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

Every tropical or subtropical cyclone within 50 miles

Storm	Closest approach	Distance	Status	Wind
Eta (2020)	12 Nov 2020	16.1 mi	TS / TD	38 kt
Julia (2016)	14 Sep 2016	18.1 mi	TS / TD	43 kt
Colin (2016)	7 Jun 2016	49.6 mi	TS / TD	45 kt
Andrea (2013)	7 Jun 2013	45.9 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Debby (2012)	27 Jun 2012	36.0 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Beryl (2012)	28 May 2012	17.1 mi	TS / TD	47 kt
Fay (2008)	22 Aug 2008	33.2 mi	TS / TD	49 kt
Barry (2007)	2 Jun 2007	7.1 mi	TS / TD	31 kt
Tammy (2005)	5 Oct 2005	37.4 mi	TS / TD	45 kt
Georges (1998)	1 Oct 1998	35.7 mi	TS / TD	20 kt
Gordon (1994)	21 Nov 1994	17.0 mi	TS / TD	20 kt
Unnamed Storm (1988)	14 Aug 1988	35.5 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Isidore (1984)	28 Sep 1984	4.2 mi	TS / TD	45 kt
Unnamed Storm (1984)	14 Jun 1984	15.2 mi	TD	—
Unnamed Storm (1982)	18 Jun 1982	19.4 mi	TS / TD	50 kt
Unnamed Storm (1980)	18 Nov 1980	38.8 mi	TS / TD	20 kt
Unnamed Storm (1980)	18 Jul 1980	33.6 mi	TS / TD	21 kt
Unnamed Storm (1976)	14 Sep 1976	21.9 mi	TS / TD	23 kt
Unnamed Storm (1973)	26 Sep 1973	27.0 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Alma (1970)	25 May 1970	42.5 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Gladys (1968)	19 Oct 1968	34.5 mi	Cat 1	73 kt
Unnamed Storm (1968)	31 Aug 1968	39.2 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Abby (1968)	6 Jun 1968	35.6 mi	TS / TD	55 kt
Dora (1964)	10 Sep 1964	2.3 mi	Cat 1	75 kt
Cleo (1964)	28 Aug 1964	33.9 mi	TS / TD	55 kt
Unnamed Storm (1964)	6 Jun 1964	10.6 mi	TS / TD	27 kt
King (1950)	18 Oct 1950	27.6 mi	Cat 1	66 kt
Easy (1950)	7 Sep 1950	4.5 mi	TS / TD	36 kt
Unnamed Storm (1946)	3 Nov 1946	16.0 mi	TS / TD	20 kt
Unnamed Storm (1946)	8 Oct 1946	22.7 mi	TS / TD	58 kt
Unnamed Storm (1945)	17 Sep 1945	27.0 mi	Cat 1	64 kt
Unnamed Storm (1945)	24 Jun 1945	44.7 mi	TS / TD	57 kt
Unnamed Storm (1944)	19 Oct 1944	13.3 mi	TS / TD	59 kt
Unnamed Storm (1937)	21 Sep 1937	8.8 mi	TS / TD	20 kt
Unnamed Storm (1937)	30 Aug 1937	42.9 mi	TS / TD	48 kt
Unnamed Storm (1936)	22 Aug 1936	40.1 mi	TS / TD	42 kt
Unnamed Storm (1934)	23 Jul 1934	24.2 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1928)	18 Sep 1928	6.9 mi	Cat 1	66 kt
Unnamed Storm (1926)	28 Jul 1926	6.3 mi	TS / TD	54 kt
Unnamed Storm (1916)	15 May 1916	6.3 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Unnamed Storm (1915)	2 Aug 1915	9.9 mi	TS / TD	42 kt
Unnamed Storm (1910)	19 Oct 1910	3.3 mi	TS / TD	50 kt
Unnamed Storm (1906)	21 Oct 1906	27.8 mi	TS / TD	50 kt
Unnamed Storm (1900)	12 Oct 1900	21.0 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Unnamed Storm (1896)	29 Sep 1896	43.4 mi	Cat 2	95 kt
Unnamed Storm (1894)	26 Sep 1894	45.7 mi	Cat 1	67 kt
Unnamed Storm (1889)	17 Jun 1889	6.0 mi	TS / TD	38 kt
Unnamed Storm (1888)	11 Oct 1888	9.3 mi	Cat 1	80 kt
Unnamed Storm (1886)	19 Jul 1886	17.1 mi	TS / TD	53 kt
Unnamed Storm (1885)	30 Sep 1885	15.2 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1880)	8 Oct 1880	30.1 mi	TS / TD	62 kt
Unnamed Storm (1880)	8 Sep 1880	49.0 mi	TS / TD	47 kt
Unnamed Storm (1879)	28 Oct 1879	31.1 mi	TS / TD	50 kt
Unnamed Storm (1878)	11 Sep 1878	29.5 mi	TS / TD	60 kt
Unnamed Storm (1877)	27 Oct 1877	26.8 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1874)	28 Sep 1874	14.2 mi	TS / TD	62 kt
Unnamed Storm (1871)	6 Sep 1871	8.4 mi	TS / TD	50 kt
Unnamed Storm (1871)	18 Aug 1871	32.3 mi	TS / TD	60 kt
Unnamed Storm (1867)	7 Oct 1867	5.4 mi	TS / TD	42 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
Ana (1991)	Remnant low	1 Jul 1991	16.2 mi	20 kt
Unnamed Storm (1947)	Post-tropical	24 Sep 1947	29.3 mi	48 kt
Unnamed Storm (1920)	Post-tropical	30 Sep 1920	40.1 mi	45 kt

About this data. Computed from NOAA's HURDAT2 Atlantic and Northeast Pacific hurricane databases (hurdat2-1851-2025-02272026.txt), covering 1867–2025. 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 Clay County, Florida compares

Among the 2,208 U.S. counties and county-equivalents that have recorded at least one tropical cyclone within 50 miles, Clay County, Florida ranks #118 — more exposed than 94.7% of them. Within Florida it ranks #51 of 67, against a state average of 63.4 storms per county.

Notable storms

Cat 3 Unnamed Storm (1896) passed 43 miles away on 29 September 1896 as a hurricane, reaching 97 kt (112 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 2 Dora (1964) passed 2 miles away on 10 September 1964 as a hurricane, reaching 95 kt (109 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 2 Unnamed Storm (1888) passed 9 miles away on 11 October 1888 as a hurricane, reaching 85 kt (98 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 1 Gladys (1968) passed 35 miles away on 19 October 1968 as a hurricane, reaching 75 kt (86 mph) while within 50 miles.

48 of the 59 storms made a documented landfall somewhere along their track.

How often to expect a storm

A return interval of 2.7 years does not mean storms arrive on a schedule. It is simply 59 storms spread over the 159 years from 1867 to 2025. 12 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 14 years, between 1950 and 1964. It has been 5 years since the last one; 7 of the 44 gaps in this record were longer than that.

Common questions

How many hurricanes have hit Clay County, Florida?

10 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of Clay County, Florida at hurricane strength since 1867. Counting all tropical cyclones — including tropical storms and depressions — the total is 59.

When was the last hurricane in Clay County, Florida?

Gladys (1968), on 19 October 1968, passing 35 miles away — 58 years ago. The most recent tropical cyclone of any strength was Eta (2020) in 2020.

What was the strongest storm to affect Clay County, Florida?

Unnamed Storm (1896), which reached 97 kt (112 mph) while within 50 miles; its closest approach was 43 miles.

How often do hurricanes hit Clay County, Florida?

On average, one tropical cyclone passes within 50 miles every 2.7 years — 59 storms over the 159 years from 1867 to 2025, the end of the HURDAT2 record. That is a historical average, not a schedule or a forecast.

Nearby counties

Clay County, Florida borders or sits close to 4 other counties with a published storm record. St. Johns County, Florida has 72 on record.

St. Johns County, Florida72 storms within 50 mi Putnam County, Florida65 storms within 50 mi Duval County, Florida64 storms within 50 mi Baker County, Florida61 storms within 50 mi