Nassau County, Florida Hurricane History

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

Since 1867, 67 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of Nassau County, Florida — about one every 2.4 years. Of those, 8 were at hurricane strength at their closest approach. The most recent was Debby (2024), which passed 33 miles away on 6 August 2024.

Storms within 50 mi

At hurricane strength

2.4

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 2 · 3Cat 1 · 4TS / TD · 59

The 67 storms by the strongest category each reached while within 50 miles. 1 of them reached Cat 4.

Key facts

Most recentDebby (2024) — 33 mi away, 6 August 2024
Strongest stormUnnamed Storm (1898) — 115 kt (132 mph) at its strongest within 50 miles
Closest pass on recordTammy (2005) — 2.8 miles
Closest major hurricane (Cat 3+)Unnamed Storm (1898) — 28.9 miles
Passes within 25 miles29 of 67
Peak monthSeptember — 22 storms (33% of all)
Most active year1885 — 3 storms
Most active decade1880s — 9 storms
Major hurricanes (Cat 3+) within 50 mi1
Record span1867–2024

When storms arrive

JFMAMJJASOND

Storms by month of closest approach; the peak is highlighted and labelled. In Nassau County, Florida, September is the most active month, with 22 of the 67 recorded storms (33%). Activity concentrates in June, September and October, together 72% of all storms. The 1880s was the most active decade on record, with 9 storms. 1 of the 67 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	5	10	5	6	22	16	3	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 13 in 1988–2025.

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

Every tropical or subtropical cyclone within 50 miles

Storm	Closest approach	Distance	Status	Wind
Debby (2024)	6 Aug 2024	33.0 mi	TS / TD	45 kt
Mindy (2021)	9 Sep 2021	40.1 mi	TS / TD	31 kt
Eta (2020)	12 Nov 2020	8.3 mi	TS / TD	37 kt
Julia (2016)	14 Sep 2016	6.2 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Colin (2016)	7 Jun 2016	20.9 mi	TS / TD	45 kt
Andrea (2013)	7 Jun 2013	26.6 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Beryl (2012)	28 May 2012	26.1 mi	TS / TD	47 kt
Barry (2007)	2 Jun 2007	4.0 mi	TS / TD	32 kt
Tammy (2005)	6 Oct 2005	2.8 mi	TS / TD	43 kt
Gordon (2000)	18 Sep 2000	41.0 mi	TS / TD	32 kt
Georges (1998)	1 Oct 1998	7.6 mi	TS / TD	20 kt
Gordon (1994)	21 Nov 1994	3.9 mi	TS / TD	20 kt
Unnamed Storm (1988)	14 Aug 1988	7.3 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Isabel (1985)	10 Oct 1985	13.2 mi	TS / TD	32 kt
Isidore (1984)	28 Sep 1984	13.9 mi	TS / TD	45 kt
Unnamed Storm (1984)	14 Jun 1984	28.1 mi	TD	—
Unnamed Storm (1982)	18 Jun 1982	38.3 mi	TS / TD	53 kt
Unnamed Storm (1981)	3 Jul 1981	47.9 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
David (1979)	4 Sep 1979	45.5 mi	Cat 2	83 kt
Unnamed Storm (1976)	14 Sep 1976	23.8 mi	TS / TD	28 kt
Unnamed Storm (1976)	24 May 1976	30.6 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Alpha (1972)	28 May 1972	23.3 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Alma (1970)	25 May 1970	29.1 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Abby (1968)	7 Jun 1968	15.5 mi	TS / TD	48 kt
Dora (1964)	10 Sep 1964	44.4 mi	Cat 1	75 kt
Cleo (1964)	28 Aug 1964	27.7 mi	TS / TD	52 kt
Unnamed Storm (1964)	6 Jun 1964	42.2 mi	TS / TD	28 kt
Brenda (1960)	29 Jul 1960	41.1 mi	TS / TD	48 kt
Easy (1950)	7 Sep 1950	25.1 mi	TS / TD	34 kt
Unnamed Storm (1947)	7 Oct 1947	17.0 mi	TS / TD	48 kt
Unnamed Storm (1946)	3 Nov 1946	37.3 mi	TS / TD	20 kt
Unnamed Storm (1946)	8 Oct 1946	24.0 mi	TS / TD	55 kt
Unnamed Storm (1945)	17 Sep 1945	28.1 mi	TS / TD	62 kt
Unnamed Storm (1944)	19 Oct 1944	14.7 mi	TS / TD	58 kt
Unnamed Storm (1937)	21 Sep 1937	35.0 mi	TS / TD	20 kt
Unnamed Storm (1932)	15 Sep 1932	21.6 mi	TS / TD	42 kt
Unnamed Storm (1928)	18 Sep 1928	19.8 mi	Cat 1	68 kt
Unnamed Storm (1926)	28 Jul 1926	40.8 mi	TS / TD	52 kt
Unnamed Storm (1919)	1 Oct 1919	46.5 mi	TS / TD	39 kt
Unnamed Storm (1916)	15 May 1916	11.9 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Unnamed Storm (1915)	2 Aug 1915	11.7 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1914)	17 Sep 1914	10.0 mi	TS / TD	56 kt
Unnamed Storm (1912)	15 Jul 1912	48.1 mi	TS / TD	42 kt
Unnamed Storm (1910)	19 Oct 1910	4.0 mi	TS / TD	50 kt
Unnamed Storm (1906)	21 Oct 1906	31.2 mi	TS / TD	50 kt
Unnamed Storm (1900)	12 Oct 1900	10.6 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Unnamed Storm (1898)	2 Oct 1898	28.9 mi	Cat 3	102 kt
Unnamed Storm (1896)	29 Sep 1896	26.4 mi	Cat 2	92 kt
Unnamed Storm (1894)	26 Sep 1894	46.8 mi	Cat 1	71 kt
Unnamed Storm (1893)	16 Jun 1893	44.5 mi	TS / TD	47 kt
Unnamed Storm (1889)	17 Jun 1889	31.9 mi	TS / TD	37 kt
Unnamed Storm (1888)	11 Oct 1888	26.1 mi	Cat 1	75 kt
Unnamed Storm (1888)	9 Sep 1888	46.4 mi	TS / TD	42 kt
Unnamed Storm (1886)	19 Jul 1886	46.1 mi	TS / TD	51 kt
Unnamed Storm (1885)	30 Sep 1885	26.9 mi	TS / TD	32 kt
Unnamed Storm (1885)	21 Sep 1885	22.7 mi	TS / TD	43 kt
Unnamed Storm (1885)	31 Aug 1885	42.3 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1882)	11 Oct 1882	23.9 mi	TS / TD	50 kt
Unnamed Storm (1880)	8 Sep 1880	20.3 mi	TS / TD	50 kt
Unnamed Storm (1878)	11 Oct 1878	41.1 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1877)	20 Sep 1877	37.6 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1874)	28 Sep 1874	6.9 mi	Cat 1	65 kt
Unnamed Storm (1873)	2 Jun 1873	25.5 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1871)	7 Sep 1871	20.3 mi	TS / TD	50 kt
Unnamed Storm (1871)	18 Aug 1871	14.9 mi	TS / TD	52 kt
Unnamed Storm (1868)	5 Oct 1868	41.4 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1867)	7 Oct 1867	29.2 mi	TS / TD	40 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
Josephine (1996)	Post-tropical	8 Oct 1996	37.7 mi	45 kt
Ana (1991)	Remnant low	2 Jul 1991	42.0 mi	20 kt
Hilda (1964)	Post-tropical	5 Oct 1964	27.9 mi	45 kt
Unnamed Storm (1947)	Post-tropical	24 Sep 1947	20.9 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.

Storms that came back

1 named storm in this record passed Nassau County, Florida more than once.

Gordon — 2 passes (1994, 2000)

How Nassau County, Florida compares

Among the 2,208 U.S. counties and county-equivalents that have recorded at least one tropical cyclone within 50 miles, Nassau County, Florida ranks #55 — more exposed than 97.5% of them. Within Florida it ranks #18 of 67, against a state average of 63.4 storms per county.

Notable storms

Cat 4 Unnamed Storm (1898) passed 29 miles away on 2 October 1898 as a hurricane, reaching 115 kt (132 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 2 Unnamed Storm (1896) passed 26 miles away on 29 September 1896 as a hurricane, reaching 95 kt (109 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 2 Dora (1964) passed 44 miles away on 10 September 1964 as a hurricane, reaching 85 kt (98 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 2 David (1979) passed 46 miles away on 4 September 1979 as a hurricane, reaching 83 kt (96 mph) while within 50 miles.

56 of the 67 storms made a documented landfall somewhere along their track.

How often to expect a storm

A return interval of 2.4 years does not mean storms arrive on a schedule. It is simply 67 storms spread over the 159 years from 1867 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 10 years, between 1950 and 1960. It has been 1 year since the last one; 41 of the 56 gaps in this record were longer than that.

Common questions

How many hurricanes have hit Nassau County, Florida?

8 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of Nassau County, Florida at hurricane strength since 1867. Counting all tropical cyclones — including tropical storms and depressions — the total is 67.

When was the last hurricane in Nassau County, Florida?

David (1979), on 4 September 1979, passing 46 miles away — 47 years ago. The most recent tropical cyclone of any strength was Debby (2024) in 2024.

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

Unnamed Storm (1898), which reached 115 kt (132 mph) while within 50 miles; its closest approach was 29 miles.

How often do hurricanes hit Nassau County, Florida?

On average, one tropical cyclone passes within 50 miles every 2.4 years — 67 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

Nassau County, Florida borders or sits close to 4 other counties with a published storm record. Camden County, Georgia has 74 on record.

Camden County, Georgia74 storms within 50 mi Charlton County, Georgia70 storms within 50 mi Duval County, Florida64 storms within 50 mi Baker County, Florida61 storms within 50 mi