Marion County, Florida Hurricane History

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

Since 1867, 71 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of Marion County, Florida — about one every 2.2 years. Of those, 17 were at hurricane strength at their closest approach. The most recent was Nicole (2022), which passed 42 miles away on 10 November 2022.

Storms within 50 mi

At hurricane strength

2.2

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 · 1Cat 1 · 17TS / TD · 52

The 71 storms by the strongest category each reached while within 50 miles. 1 of them reached Cat 3.

Key facts

Most recentNicole (2022) — 42 mi away, 10 November 2022
Strongest stormEasy (1950) — 105 kt (121 mph) at its strongest within 50 miles
Closest pass on recordGladys (1968) — 2.6 miles
Closest major hurricane (Cat 3+)Easy (1950) — 25.8 miles
Passes within 25 miles31 of 71
Peak monthSeptember — 21 storms (30% of all)
Most active year1871 — 3 storms
Most active decade1870s — 8 storms
Major hurricanes (Cat 3+) within 50 mi1
Record span1867–2022

When storms arrive

JFMAMJJASOND

Storms by month of closest approach; the peak is highlighted and labelled. In Marion County, Florida, September is the most active month, with 21 of the 71 recorded storms (30%). The primary season runs August to October, accounting for 72% of all activity. The 1870s was the most active decade on record, with 8 storms. 1 of the 71 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	1	8	5	12	21	18	6	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: 18 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	8	7	2	2	3	5	6	7	3	7	3	5	2	5	3	2

Every tropical or subtropical cyclone within 50 miles

Storm	Closest approach	Distance	Status	Wind
Nicole (2022)	10 Nov 2022	42.2 mi	TS / TD	42 kt
Eta (2020)	12 Nov 2020	42.2 mi	TS / TD	42 kt
Irma (2017)	11 Sep 2017	30.0 mi	TS / TD	55 kt
Julia (2016)	13 Sep 2016	43.9 mi	TS / TD	45 kt
Debby (2012)	27 Jun 2012	17.4 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Fay (2008)	22 Aug 2008	22.0 mi	TS / TD	49 kt
Barry (2007)	2 Jun 2007	13.0 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Jeanne (2004)	26 Sep 2004	35.6 mi	TS / TD	48 kt
Edouard (2002)	5 Sep 2002	10.9 mi	TS / TD	22 kt
Leslie (2000)	4 Oct 2000	41.3 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Jerry (1995)	24 Aug 1995	41.0 mi	TS / TD	32 kt
Gordon (1994)	21 Nov 1994	32.8 mi	TS / TD	20 kt
Unnamed Storm (1987)	4 Nov 1987	48.6 mi	TS / TD	20 kt
Isidore (1984)	28 Sep 1984	7.9 mi	TS / TD	45 kt
Unnamed Storm (1982)	18 Jun 1982	20.9 mi	TS / TD	43 kt
Unnamed Storm (1980)	18 Nov 1980	12.9 mi	TS / TD	20 kt
Unnamed Storm (1980)	18 Jul 1980	20.7 mi	TS / TD	20 kt
Unnamed Storm (1976)	13 Sep 1976	32.8 mi	TS / TD	18 kt
Unnamed Storm (1974)	25 Jun 1974	43.0 mi	TS / TD	55 kt
Unnamed Storm (1973)	26 Sep 1973	26.4 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Jenny (1969)	4 Oct 1969	33.2 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Gladys (1968)	19 Oct 1968	2.6 mi	Cat 1	77 kt
Unnamed Storm (1968)	31 Aug 1968	24.6 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Unnamed Storm (1965)	18 Oct 1965	9.7 mi	TS / TD	38 kt
Cleo (1964)	28 Aug 1964	48.9 mi	TS / TD	53 kt
Unnamed Storm (1964)	6 Jun 1964	31.5 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Donna (1960)	11 Sep 1960	44.1 mi	Cat 1	70 kt
Unnamed Storm (1953)	20 Sep 1953	14.0 mi	TS / TD	27 kt
King (1950)	18 Oct 1950	8.8 mi	Cat 1	68 kt
Easy (1950)	6 Sep 1950	25.8 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1949)	27 Aug 1949	43.3 mi	Cat 1	65 kt
Unnamed Storm (1946)	2 Nov 1946	4.6 mi	TS / TD	24 kt
Unnamed Storm (1946)	8 Oct 1946	21.5 mi	TS / TD	62 kt
Unnamed Storm (1945)	16 Sep 1945	28.8 mi	Cat 1	68 kt
Unnamed Storm (1945)	24 Jun 1945	13.5 mi	TS / TD	52 kt
Unnamed Storm (1944)	19 Oct 1944	11.2 mi	Cat 1	68 kt
Unnamed Storm (1941)	21 Oct 1941	20.9 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Unnamed Storm (1937)	30 Aug 1937	13.3 mi	TS / TD	49 kt
Unnamed Storm (1937)	30 Jul 1937	29.4 mi	TS / TD	42 kt
Unnamed Storm (1936)	22 Aug 1936	16.0 mi	TS / TD	42 kt
Unnamed Storm (1934)	23 Jul 1934	13.1 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1933)	5 Sep 1933	47.5 mi	TS / TD	55 kt
Unnamed Storm (1930)	10 Sep 1930	38.6 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1928)	17 Sep 1928	4.5 mi	Cat 1	71 kt
Unnamed Storm (1928)	9 Aug 1928	50.0 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1926)	28 Jul 1926	39.7 mi	TS / TD	62 kt
Unnamed Storm (1921)	26 Oct 1921	39.9 mi	Cat 1	77 kt
Unnamed Storm (1920)	30 Sep 1920	8.1 mi	TS / TD	48 kt
Unnamed Storm (1916)	15 May 1916	7.4 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Unnamed Storm (1915)	2 Aug 1915	41.8 mi	TS / TD	46 kt
Unnamed Storm (1910)	19 Oct 1910	8.6 mi	TS / TD	50 kt
Unnamed Storm (1909)	29 Jun 1909	46.3 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Unnamed Storm (1906)	21 Oct 1906	32.9 mi	TS / TD	37 kt
Unnamed Storm (1899)	5 Oct 1899	37.0 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1894)	26 Sep 1894	43.1 mi	TS / TD	62 kt
Unnamed Storm (1889)	17 Jun 1889	28.4 mi	TS / TD	42 kt
Unnamed Storm (1888)	11 Oct 1888	41.1 mi	Cat 2	85 kt
Unnamed Storm (1888)	9 Sep 1888	47.5 mi	TS / TD	48 kt
Unnamed Storm (1887)	30 Oct 1887	36.3 mi	TS / TD	36 kt
Unnamed Storm (1886)	19 Jul 1886	15.2 mi	TS / TD	58 kt
Unnamed Storm (1880)	8 Oct 1880	10.2 mi	Cat 1	66 kt
Unnamed Storm (1880)	30 Aug 1880	45.6 mi	TS / TD	60 kt
Unnamed Storm (1879)	27 Oct 1879	14.4 mi	TS / TD	53 kt
Unnamed Storm (1878)	10 Sep 1878	2.6 mi	Cat 1	70 kt
Unnamed Storm (1877)	26 Oct 1877	27.0 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1874)	28 Sep 1874	37.3 mi	TS / TD	63 kt
Unnamed Storm (1873)	23 Sep 1873	28.1 mi	TS / TD	43 kt
Unnamed Storm (1871)	6 Sep 1871	38.9 mi	TS / TD	50 kt
Unnamed Storm (1871)	25 Aug 1871	23.0 mi	TS / TD	50 kt
Unnamed Storm (1871)	18 Aug 1871	9.5 mi	Cat 1	68 kt
Unnamed Storm (1867)	7 Oct 1867	49.2 mi	TS / TD	48 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
Ana (1991)	Remnant low	1 Jul 1991	11.6 mi	20 kt
Unnamed Storm (1947)	Post-tropical	24 Sep 1947	36.2 mi	50 kt
Unnamed Storm (1912)	Post-tropical	4 Oct 1912	8.2 mi	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1911)	Post-tropical	1 Nov 1911	30.9 mi	25 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 Marion County, Florida compares

Among the 2,208 U.S. counties and county-equivalents that have recorded at least one tropical cyclone within 50 miles, Marion County, Florida ranks #29 — more exposed than 98.7% of them. Within Florida it ranks #7 of 67, against a state average of 63.4 storms per county.

Notable storms

Cat 3 Easy (1950) passed 26 miles away on 6 September 1950 as a tropical storm, reaching 105 kt (121 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 2 Unnamed Storm (1888) passed 41 miles away on 11 October 1888 as a hurricane, reaching 90 kt (104 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 1 Gladys (1968) passed 3 miles away on 19 October 1968 as a hurricane, reaching 82 kt (94 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 1 Unnamed Storm (1921) passed 40 miles away on 26 October 1921 as a hurricane, reaching 80 kt (92 mph) while within 50 miles.

60 of the 71 storms made a documented landfall somewhere along their track.

How often to expect a storm

A return interval of 2.2 years does not mean storms arrive on a schedule. It is simply 71 storms spread over the 159 years from 1867 to 2025. 11 separate years saw more than one storm pass within 50 miles. The longest recorded quiet stretch was 7 years, between 1899 and 1906. It has been 3 years since the last one; 17 of the 58 gaps in this record were longer than that.

Common questions

How many hurricanes have hit Marion County, Florida?

17 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of Marion County, Florida at hurricane strength since 1867. Counting all tropical cyclones — including tropical storms and depressions — the total is 71.

When was the last hurricane in Marion County, Florida?

Irma (2017), on 11 September 2017, passing 30 miles away — 9 years ago. The most recent tropical cyclone of any strength was Nicole (2022) in 2022.

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

Easy (1950), which reached 105 kt (121 mph) while within 50 miles; its closest approach was 26 miles.

How often do hurricanes hit Marion County, Florida?

On average, one tropical cyclone passes within 50 miles every 2.2 years — 71 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

Marion County, Florida borders or sits close to 8 other counties with a published storm record. Lake County, Florida has 73 on record.

Lake County, Florida73 storms within 50 mi Citrus County, Florida73 storms within 50 mi Sumter County, Florida70 storms within 50 mi Flagler County, Florida69 storms within 50 mi Volusia County, Florida67 storms within 50 mi Levy County, Florida65 storms within 50 mi Putnam County, Florida65 storms within 50 mi Alachua County, Florida63 storms within 50 mi