Bacon County, Georgia Hurricane History

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

Since 1852, 71 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of Bacon County, Georgia — about one every 2.5 years. Of those, 9 were at hurricane strength at their closest approach. The most recent was Helene (2024), which passed 50 miles away on 27 September 2024.

Storms within 50 mi

At hurricane strength

2.5

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 2 · 2Cat 1 · 7TS / TD · 62

The 71 storms by the strongest category each reached while within 50 miles. 2 of them reached Cat 2.

Key facts

Most recentHelene (2024) — 50 mi away, 27 September 2024
Strongest stormUnnamed Storm (1898) — 90 kt (104 mph) at its strongest within 50 miles
Closest pass on recordUnnamed Storm (1898) — 3.5 miles
Closest major hurricane (Cat 3+)None on record
Passes within 25 miles33 of 71
Peak monthSeptember and October — 17 storms (24% of all)
Most active year1871 — 3 storms
Most active decade1870s and 1910s — 8 storms
Major hurricanes (Cat 3+) within 50 mi0
Record span1852–2024

When storms arrive

JFMAMJJASOND

Storms by month of closest approach; the peak is highlighted and labelled. In Bacon County, Georgia, September and October are tied as the most active months, with 17 of the 71 recorded storms (24%). The primary season runs August to October, accounting for 68% of all activity. The 1870s and 1910s are tied as the most active decades on record, with 8 storms. 0 of the 71 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	3	11	6	14	17	17	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: 14 storms in 1950–1987 against 16 in 1988–2025.

1850s	1860s	1870s	1880s	1890s	1900s	1910s	1920s	1930s	1940s	1950s	1960s	1970s	1980s	1990s	2000s	2010s	2020s
1	2	8	5	4	5	8	2	2	4	3	5	2	4	4	4	3	5

Every tropical or subtropical cyclone within 50 miles

Storm	Closest approach	Distance	Status	Wind
Helene (2024)	27 Sep 2024	50.0 mi	Cat 1	73 kt
Debby (2024)	6 Aug 2024	40.6 mi	TS / TD	45 kt
Idalia (2023)	30 Aug 2023	4.5 mi	TS / TD	60 kt
Mindy (2021)	9 Sep 2021	36.8 mi	TS / TD	31 kt
Elsa (2021)	8 Jul 2021	12.9 mi	TS / TD	44 kt
Hermine (2016)	2 Sep 2016	5.0 mi	TS / TD	50 kt
Andrea (2013)	7 Jun 2013	48.8 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Beryl (2012)	29 May 2012	15.0 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Alberto (2006)	14 Jun 2006	11.7 mi	TS / TD	34 kt
Tammy (2005)	6 Oct 2005	26.9 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Bonnie (2004)	12 Aug 2004	21.1 mi	TS / TD	27 kt
Gordon (2000)	18 Sep 2000	25.9 mi	TS / TD	28 kt
Earl (1998)	3 Sep 1998	43.8 mi	TS / TD	42 kt
Allison (1995)	6 Jun 1995	26.8 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Gordon (1994)	21 Nov 1994	42.1 mi	TS / TD	20 kt
Marco (1990)	12 Oct 1990	32.3 mi	TS / TD	20 kt
Unnamed Storm (1987)	17 Aug 1987	8.5 mi	TS / TD	10 kt
Charley (1986)	14 Aug 1986	48.9 mi	TS / TD	10 kt
Kate (1985)	22 Nov 1985	29.8 mi	TS / TD	60 kt
Isabel (1985)	11 Oct 1985	42.1 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1976)	24 May 1976	46.4 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Alma (1970)	25 May 1970	36.8 mi	TS / TD	32 kt
Abby (1968)	7 Jun 1968	34.0 mi	TS / TD	38 kt
Unnamed Storm (1966)	2 Jul 1966	9.0 mi	TS / TD	22 kt
Alma (1966)	10 Jun 1966	7.8 mi	TS / TD	42 kt
Dora (1964)	12 Sep 1964	29.3 mi	TS / TD	58 kt
Brenda (1960)	29 Jul 1960	32.5 mi	TS / TD	52 kt
Unnamed Storm (1957)	9 Jun 1957	9.6 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Love (1950)	21 Oct 1950	15.2 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Easy (1950)	7 Sep 1950	40.4 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1949)	28 Aug 1949	26.4 mi	Cat 1	65 kt
Unnamed Storm (1947)	15 Oct 1947	8.1 mi	Cat 1	67 kt
Unnamed Storm (1947)	7 Oct 1947	48.9 mi	TS / TD	42 kt
Unnamed Storm (1946)	8 Oct 1946	31.3 mi	TS / TD	53 kt
Unnamed Storm (1935)	5 Sep 1935	15.7 mi	TS / TD	58 kt
Unnamed Storm (1933)	6 Sep 1933	8.9 mi	TS / TD	50 kt
Unnamed Storm (1924)	16 Sep 1924	15.8 mi	TS / TD	38 kt
Unnamed Storm (1923)	27 Jun 1923	30.7 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1919)	1 Oct 1919	9.7 mi	TS / TD	34 kt
Unnamed Storm (1916)	4 Oct 1916	8.1 mi	TS / TD	37 kt
Unnamed Storm (1915)	2 Aug 1915	12.9 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1914)	17 Sep 1914	38.1 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1912)	6 Sep 1912	4.5 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Unnamed Storm (1912)	15 Jul 1912	17.5 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1911)	29 Aug 1911	48.1 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Unnamed Storm (1911)	5 Aug 1911	15.1 mi	TS / TD	21 kt
Unnamed Storm (1909)	2 Jul 1909	48.2 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Unnamed Storm (1907)	29 Sep 1907	11.3 mi	TS / TD	36 kt
Unnamed Storm (1907)	29 Jun 1907	24.8 mi	TS / TD	50 kt
Unnamed Storm (1904)	4 Nov 1904	40.7 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1902)	15 Jun 1902	18.4 mi	TS / TD	37 kt
Unnamed Storm (1898)	2 Oct 1898	3.5 mi	Cat 1	78 kt
Unnamed Storm (1896)	29 Sep 1896	43.1 mi	Cat 2	90 kt
Unnamed Storm (1894)	9 Oct 1894	26.0 mi	Cat 1	68 kt
Unnamed Storm (1893)	16 Jun 1893	32.5 mi	TS / TD	47 kt
Unnamed Storm (1888)	9 Sep 1888	19.1 mi	TS / TD	39 kt
Unnamed Storm (1886)	1 Jul 1886	22.6 mi	TS / TD	55 kt
Unnamed Storm (1885)	12 Oct 1885	10.8 mi	TS / TD	50 kt
Unnamed Storm (1885)	31 Aug 1885	34.4 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1881)	28 Aug 1881	27.6 mi	TS / TD	60 kt
Unnamed Storm (1878)	11 Oct 1878	35.7 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1877)	3 Oct 1877	44.4 mi	TS / TD	47 kt
Unnamed Storm (1877)	20 Sep 1877	31.2 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1873)	19 Sep 1873	17.3 mi	TS / TD	57 kt
Unnamed Storm (1873)	2 Jun 1873	21.9 mi	TS / TD	37 kt
Unnamed Storm (1871)	6 Oct 1871	5.9 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1871)	28 Aug 1871	45.0 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1871)	23 Aug 1871	17.6 mi	TS / TD	50 kt
Unnamed Storm (1868)	5 Oct 1868	39.0 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1860)	13 Aug 1860	18.4 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1852)	10 Oct 1852	26.8 mi	TS / TD	60 kt

Post-tropical and extratropical passes

A further 8 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	42.4 mi	45 kt
Hilda (1964)	Post-tropical	5 Oct 1964	38.1 mi	45 kt
Flossy (1956)	Post-tropical	25 Sep 1956	43.6 mi	37 kt
Florence (1953)	Post-tropical	27 Sep 1953	15.2 mi	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1947)	Post-tropical	24 Sep 1947	43.1 mi	43 kt
Unnamed Storm (1929)	Post-tropical	1 Oct 1929	34.3 mi	50 kt
Unnamed Storm (1924)	Post-tropical	30 Sep 1924	15.2 mi	55 kt
Unnamed Storm (1917)	Post-tropical	30 Sep 1917	31.2 mi	30 kt

About this data. Computed from NOAA's HURDAT2 Atlantic and Northeast Pacific hurricane databases (hurdat2-1851-2025-02272026.txt), covering 1852–2025. 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 Bacon County, Georgia more than once.

Alma — 2 passes (1966, 1970)
Gordon — 2 passes (1994, 2000)

How Bacon County, Georgia compares

Among the 2,208 U.S. counties and county-equivalents that have recorded at least one tropical cyclone within 50 miles, Bacon County, Georgia ranks #31 — more exposed than 98.6% of them. Within Georgia it ranks #13 of 159, against a state average of 39.8 storms per county.

Notable storms

Cat 2 Unnamed Storm (1898) passed 3 miles away on 2 October 1898 as a hurricane, reaching 90 kt (104 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 2 Unnamed Storm (1896) passed 43 miles away on 29 September 1896 as a hurricane, reaching 90 kt (104 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 1 Unnamed Storm (1947) passed 8 miles away on 15 October 1947 as a hurricane, reaching 78 kt (90 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 1 Unnamed Storm (1881) passed 28 miles away on 28 August 1881 as a hurricane, reaching 75 kt (86 mph) while within 50 miles.

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

How often to expect a storm

A return interval of 2.5 years does not mean storms arrive on a schedule. It is simply 71 storms spread over the 174 years from 1852 to 2025. 13 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 11 years, between 1935 and 1946. It has been 1 year since the last one; 40 of the 56 gaps in this record were longer than that.

Common questions

How many hurricanes have hit Bacon County, Georgia?

9 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of Bacon County, Georgia at hurricane strength since 1852. Counting all tropical cyclones — including tropical storms and depressions — the total is 71.

When was the last hurricane in Bacon County, Georgia?

Helene (2024), on 27 September 2024, passing 50 miles away — 2 years ago. The most recent tropical cyclone of any strength was Helene (2024) in 2024.

What was the strongest storm to affect Bacon County, Georgia?

Unnamed Storm (1898), which reached 90 kt (104 mph) while within 50 miles; its closest approach was 3 miles.

How often do hurricanes hit Bacon County, Georgia?

On average, one tropical cyclone passes within 50 miles every 2.5 years — 71 storms over the 174 years from 1852 to 2025, the end of the HURDAT2 record. That is a historical average, not a schedule or a forecast.

Nearby counties

Bacon County, Georgia borders or sits close to 5 other counties with a published storm record. Pierce County, Georgia has 74 on record.

Pierce County, Georgia74 storms within 50 mi Appling County, Georgia71 storms within 50 mi Ware County, Georgia70 storms within 50 mi Coffee County, Georgia66 storms within 50 mi Jeff Davis County, Georgia63 storms within 50 mi