Baldwin County, Georgia Tropical Cyclone History

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

Since 1851, 30 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of Baldwin County, Georgia — about one every 5.8 years. Of those, 1 were at hurricane strength at their closest approach. The most recent was Helene (2024), which passed 14 miles away on 27 September 2024.

Storms within 50 mi

At hurricane strength

5.8

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 1 · 1TS / TD · 29

The 30 storms by the strongest category each reached while within 50 miles. 1 of them reached Cat 1.

Key facts

Most recentHelene (2024) — 14 mi away, 27 September 2024
Strongest stormHelene (2024) — 66 kt (76 mph) at its strongest within 50 miles
Closest pass on recordJeanne (2004) — 1.8 miles
Closest major hurricane (Cat 3+)None on record
Passes within 25 miles13 of 30
Peak monthSeptember — 10 storms (33% of all)
Most active year1851 — 1 storms
Most active decade1880s and 2000s — 4 storms
Major hurricanes (Cat 3+) within 50 mi0
Record span1851–2024

When storms arrive

JFMAMJJASOND

Storms by month of closest approach; the peak is highlighted and labelled. In Baldwin County, Georgia, September is the most active month, with 10 of the 30 recorded storms (33%). Activity concentrates in June, August and September, together 80% of all storms. The 1880s and 2000s are tied as the most active decades on record, with 4 storms. 0 of the 30 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	2	8	10	4	0	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: 4 storms in 1950–1987 against 9 in 1988–2025.

1850s	1860s	1870s	1880s	1890s	1900s	1910s	1920s	1930s	1940s	1950s	1960s	1970s	1980s	1990s	2000s	2010s	2020s
3	0	0	4	3	1	1	1	1	3	2	1	1	0	2	4	1	2

Every tropical or subtropical cyclone within 50 miles

Storm	Closest approach	Distance	Status	Wind
Helene (2024)	27 Sep 2024	14.2 mi	TS / TD	60 kt
Claudette (2021)	20 Jun 2021	48.3 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Michael (2018)	11 Oct 2018	17.9 mi	TS / TD	49 kt
Jeanne (2004)	27 Sep 2004	1.8 mi	TS / TD	26 kt
Unnamed Storm (2003)	27 Jul 2003	15.4 mi	TS / TD	15 kt
Allison (2001)	12 Jun 2001	11.0 mi	TS / TD	20 kt
Helene (2000)	23 Sep 2000	4.4 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Jerry (1995)	27 Aug 1995	41.8 mi	TS / TD	20 kt
Beryl (1994)	17 Aug 1994	40.8 mi	TS / TD	20 kt
Agnes (1972)	20 Jun 1972	25.4 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1965)	15 Jun 1965	7.4 mi	TS / TD	38 kt
Arlene (1959)	2 Jun 1959	20.6 mi	TS / TD	20 kt
Unnamed Storm (1953)	1 Sep 1953	46.8 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Unnamed Storm (1949)	28 Aug 1949	30.9 mi	TS / TD	57 kt
Unnamed Storm (1947)	8 Oct 1947	9.9 mi	TS / TD	20 kt
Unnamed Storm (1940)	12 Aug 1940	32.5 mi	TS / TD	34 kt
Unnamed Storm (1933)	7 Sep 1933	43.8 mi	TS / TD	24 kt
Unnamed Storm (1928)	11 Aug 1928	11.5 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1911)	30 Aug 1911	37.6 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1901)	18 Sep 1901	35.3 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Unnamed Storm (1898)	1 Sep 1898	30.6 mi	TS / TD	44 kt
Unnamed Storm (1896)	8 Jul 1896	21.8 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Unnamed Storm (1893)	3 Oct 1893	34.9 mi	TS / TD	44 kt
Unnamed Storm (1889)	24 Sep 1889	15.1 mi	TS / TD	45 kt
Unnamed Storm (1887)	20 Oct 1887	26.0 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1886)	22 Jun 1886	28.8 mi	TS / TD	43 kt
Unnamed Storm (1882)	10 Sep 1882	32.6 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1859)	16 Sep 1859	49.8 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1852)	27 Aug 1852	8.7 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1851)	24 Aug 1851	41.4 mi	TS / TD	60 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
Sally (2020)	Post-tropical	17 Sep 2020	21.4 mi	30 kt
Fay (2020)	Remnant low	7 Jul 2020	8.2 mi	20 kt
Marco (1990)	Post-tropical	12 Oct 1990	34.4 mi	16 kt
Unnamed Storm (1901)	Post-tropical	28 Sep 1901	27.8 mi	35 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.

Storms that came back

1 named storm in this record passed Baldwin County, Georgia more than once.

Helene — 2 passes (2000, 2024)

How Baldwin County, Georgia compares

Among the 2,208 U.S. counties and county-equivalents that have recorded at least one tropical cyclone within 50 miles, Baldwin County, Georgia ranks #516 — more exposed than 76.6% of them. Within Georgia it ranks #87 of 159, against a state average of 39.8 storms per county.

Notable storms

Cat 1 Helene (2024) passed 14 miles away on 27 September 2024 as a tropical storm, reaching 66 kt (76 mph) while within 50 miles.
TS / TD Unnamed Storm (1851) passed 41 miles away on 24 August 1851 as a tropical storm, reaching 61 kt (70 mph) while within 50 miles.
TS / TD Unnamed Storm (1949) passed 31 miles away on 28 August 1949 as a hurricane, reaching 60 kt (69 mph) while within 50 miles.
TS / TD Michael (2018) passed 18 miles away on 11 October 2018 as a tropical storm, reaching 55 kt (63 mph) while within 50 miles.

28 of the 30 storms made a documented landfall somewhere along their track.

How often to expect a storm

A return interval of 5.8 years does not mean storms arrive on a schedule. It is simply 30 storms spread over the 175 years from 1851 to 2025. 0 separate years saw more than one storm pass within 50 miles while decades have gone by with none. The longest recorded quiet stretch was 23 years, between 1859 and 1882. It has been 1 year since the last one; 24 of the 29 gaps in this record were longer than that.

Common questions

How many hurricanes have hit Baldwin County, Georgia?

1 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of Baldwin County, Georgia at hurricane strength since 1851. Counting all tropical cyclones — including tropical storms and depressions — the total is 30.

When was the last hurricane in Baldwin County, Georgia?

Unnamed Storm (1949), on 28 August 1949, passing 31 miles away — 77 years ago. The most recent tropical cyclone of any strength was Helene (2024) in 2024.

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

Helene (2024), which reached 66 kt (76 mph) while within 50 miles; its closest approach was 14 miles.

How often do hurricanes hit Baldwin County, Georgia?

On average, one tropical cyclone passes within 50 miles every 5.8 years — 30 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

Baldwin County, Georgia borders or sits close to 5 other counties with a published storm record. Wilkinson County, Georgia has 33 on record.

Wilkinson County, Georgia33 storms within 50 mi Washington County, Georgia32 storms within 50 mi Jones County, Georgia30 storms within 50 mi Hancock County, Georgia29 storms within 50 mi Putnam County, Georgia28 storms within 50 mi