Jackson County, Florida Hurricane History

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

Since 1851, 58 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of Jackson County, Florida — about one every 3.0 years. Of those, 13 were at hurricane strength at their closest approach. The most recent was Nicole (2022), which passed 45 miles away on 11 November 2022.

Storms within 50 mi

At hurricane strength

3.0

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 4 · 1Cat 3 · 2Cat 2 · 2Cat 1 · 11TS / TD · 42

The 58 storms by the strongest category each reached while within 50 miles. 1 of them reached Cat 4.

Key facts

Most recentNicole (2022) — 45 mi away, 11 November 2022
Strongest stormMichael (2018) — 135 kt (155 mph) at its strongest within 50 miles
Closest pass on recordUnnamed Storm (1856) — 2.6 miles
Closest major hurricane (Cat 3+)Unnamed Storm (1851) — 8.9 miles
Passes within 25 miles28 of 58
Peak monthSeptember — 20 storms (34% of all)
Most active year1885 — 3 storms
Most active decade1900s — 9 storms
Major hurricanes (Cat 3+) within 50 mi3
Record span1851–2022

When storms arrive

JFMAMJJASOND

Storms by month of closest approach; the peak is highlighted and labelled. In Jackson County, Florida, September is the most active month, with 20 of the 58 recorded storms (34%). The primary season runs August to October, accounting for 78% of all activity. The 1900s was the most active decade on record, with 9 storms. 3 of the 58 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	4	15	20	10	3	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: 10 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
2	1	5	3	4	9	6	3	2	3	4	3	2	1	3	4	1	2

Every tropical or subtropical cyclone within 50 miles

Storm	Closest approach	Distance	Status	Wind
Nicole (2022)	11 Nov 2022	44.9 mi	TS / TD	31 kt
Fred (2021)	17 Aug 2021	11.4 mi	TS / TD	43 kt
Michael (2018)	10 Oct 2018	12.6 mi	Cat 4	117 kt
Fay (2008)	23 Aug 2008	41.6 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Tammy (2005)	6 Oct 2005	29.3 mi	TS / TD	12 kt
Frances (2004)	7 Sep 2004	38.0 mi	TS / TD	34 kt
Helene (2000)	22 Sep 2000	46.5 mi	TS / TD	28 kt
Georges (1998)	30 Sep 1998	7.3 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Earl (1998)	3 Sep 1998	20.5 mi	TS / TD	62 kt
Beryl (1994)	16 Aug 1994	5.5 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Kate (1985)	22 Nov 1985	34.1 mi	Cat 1	78 kt
Agnes (1972)	20 Jun 1972	10.4 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Becky (1970)	22 Jul 1970	3.6 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1969)	21 Sep 1969	47.0 mi	TS / TD	28 kt
Unnamed Storm (1965)	15 Jun 1965	43.7 mi	TS / TD	47 kt
Dora (1964)	11 Sep 1964	30.2 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Debbie (1957)	8 Sep 1957	24.9 mi	TS / TD	32 kt
Flossy (1956)	25 Sep 1956	5.5 mi	TS / TD	48 kt
Florence (1953)	27 Sep 1953	19.9 mi	TS / TD	47 kt
Alice (1953)	7 Jun 1953	27.1 mi	TS / TD	21 kt
Unnamed Storm (1947)	16 Oct 1947	45.9 mi	TS / TD	29 kt
Unnamed Storm (1947)	7 Oct 1947	18.1 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1941)	7 Oct 1941	46.3 mi	Cat 1	68 kt
Unnamed Storm (1937)	31 Aug 1937	16.5 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Unnamed Storm (1936)	22 Aug 1936	32.7 mi	TS / TD	29 kt
Unnamed Storm (1929)	1 Oct 1929	18.0 mi	TS / TD	58 kt
Unnamed Storm (1928)	14 Aug 1928	4.7 mi	TS / TD	38 kt
Unnamed Storm (1928)	10 Aug 1928	43.4 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Unnamed Storm (1919)	1 Oct 1919	49.3 mi	TS / TD	23 kt
Unnamed Storm (1917)	29 Sep 1917	36.6 mi	Cat 1	65 kt
Unnamed Storm (1915)	4 Sep 1915	10.1 mi	TS / TD	63 kt
Unnamed Storm (1914)	17 Sep 1914	22.9 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Unnamed Storm (1912)	16 Jul 1912	35.7 mi	TS / TD	31 kt
Unnamed Storm (1911)	4 Aug 1911	19.2 mi	TS / TD	20 kt
Unnamed Storm (1909)	1 Jul 1909	32.6 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1907)	28 Sep 1907	23.5 mi	TS / TD	42 kt
Unnamed Storm (1907)	29 Jun 1907	24.6 mi	TS / TD	48 kt
Unnamed Storm (1906)	13 Jun 1906	24.0 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1904)	3 Nov 1904	18.1 mi	TS / TD	32 kt
Unnamed Storm (1903)	14 Sep 1903	36.4 mi	Cat 1	70 kt
Unnamed Storm (1901)	28 Sep 1901	44.1 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Unnamed Storm (1901)	17 Sep 1901	43.0 mi	TS / TD	42 kt
Unnamed Storm (1901)	14 Jun 1901	28.4 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1899)	2 Aug 1899	12.9 mi	TS / TD	52 kt
Unnamed Storm (1898)	3 Aug 1898	43.0 mi	TS / TD	57 kt
Unnamed Storm (1896)	7 Jul 1896	41.0 mi	Cat 1	68 kt
Unnamed Storm (1894)	9 Oct 1894	22.8 mi	Cat 2	92 kt
Unnamed Storm (1885)	29 Sep 1885	21.8 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1885)	21 Sep 1885	47.8 mi	TS / TD	48 kt
Unnamed Storm (1885)	31 Aug 1885	34.9 mi	TS / TD	48 kt
Unnamed Storm (1878)	10 Oct 1878	49.7 mi	TS / TD	47 kt
Unnamed Storm (1877)	3 Oct 1877	32.6 mi	Cat 1	80 kt
Unnamed Storm (1877)	20 Sep 1877	6.6 mi	TS / TD	55 kt
Unnamed Storm (1875)	27 Sep 1875	23.5 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1871)	26 Aug 1871	42.7 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1860)	13 Aug 1860	44.6 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1856)	31 Aug 1856	2.6 mi	Cat 1	77 kt
Unnamed Storm (1851)	24 Aug 1851	8.9 mi	Cat 2	90 kt

Post-tropical and extratropical passes

A further 5 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
Fay (2020)	Remnant low	6 Jul 2020	12.4 mi	20 kt
Nestor (2019)	Post-tropical	19 Oct 2019	21.6 mi	38 kt
Five (2010)	Remnant low	16 Aug 2010	5.5 mi	20 kt
Ida (2009)	Post-tropical	11 Nov 2009	17.3 mi	25 kt
Hilda (1964)	Post-tropical	5 Oct 1964	6.2 mi	48 kt

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

Among the 2,208 U.S. counties and county-equivalents that have recorded at least one tropical cyclone within 50 miles, Jackson County, Florida ranks #128 — more exposed than 94.2% of them. Within Florida it ranks #55 of 67, against a state average of 63.4 storms per county.

Notable storms

Cat 4 Michael (2018) passed 13 miles away on 10 October 2018 as a hurricane, reaching 135 kt (155 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 3 Unnamed Storm (1894) passed 23 miles away on 9 October 1894 as a hurricane, reaching 105 kt (121 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 3 Unnamed Storm (1851) passed 9 miles away on 24 August 1851 as a hurricane, reaching 96 kt (110 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 2 Unnamed Storm (1877) passed 33 miles away on 3 October 1877 as a hurricane, reaching 90 kt (104 mph) while within 50 miles.

55 of the 58 storms made a documented landfall somewhere along their track.

How often to expect a storm

A return interval of 3.0 years does not mean storms arrive on a schedule. It is simply 58 storms spread over the 175 years from 1851 to 2025. 8 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 13 years, between 1972 and 1985. It has been 3 years since the last one; 18 of the 47 gaps in this record were longer than that.

Common questions

How many hurricanes have hit Jackson County, Florida?

13 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of Jackson County, Florida at hurricane strength since 1851. Counting all tropical cyclones — including tropical storms and depressions — the total is 58.

When was the last hurricane in Jackson County, Florida?

Michael (2018), on 10 October 2018, passing 13 miles away — 8 years ago. The most recent tropical cyclone of any strength was Nicole (2022) in 2022.

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

Michael (2018), which reached 135 kt (155 mph) while within 50 miles; its closest approach was 13 miles.

How often do hurricanes hit Jackson County, Florida?

On average, one tropical cyclone passes within 50 miles every 3.0 years — 58 storms over the 175 years from 1851 to 2025, the end of the HURDAT2 record. That is a historical average, not a schedule or a forecast.

Nearby counties

Jackson County, Florida borders or sits close to 9 other counties with a published storm record. Liberty County, Florida has 58 on record.

Liberty County, Florida58 storms within 50 mi Gadsden County, Florida58 storms within 50 mi Houston County, Alabama56 storms within 50 mi Washington County, Florida55 storms within 50 mi Calhoun County, Florida54 storms within 50 mi Holmes County, Florida54 storms within 50 mi Seminole County, Georgia53 storms within 50 mi Bay County, Florida53 storms within 50 mi Geneva County, Alabama43 storms within 50 mi