Bibb County, Georgia Hurricane History

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

Since 1851, 28 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of Bibb County, Georgia — about one every 6.2 years. Of those, 3 were at hurricane strength at their closest approach. The most recent was Helene (2024), which passed 35 miles away on 27 September 2024.

Storms within 50 mi

At hurricane strength

6.2

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 1 · 2TS / TD · 26

The 28 storms by the strongest category each reached while within 50 miles. 2 of them reached Cat 1.

Key facts

Most recentHelene (2024) — 35 mi away, 27 September 2024
Strongest stormHelene (2024) — 66 kt (76 mph) at its strongest within 50 miles
Closest pass on recordUnnamed Storm (1940) — 2.4 miles
Closest major hurricane (Cat 3+)None on record
Passes within 25 miles14 of 28
Peak monthAugust and September — 8 storms (29% of all)
Most active year1898 — 2 storms
Most active decade1880s, 1890s 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 Bibb County, Georgia, August and September are tied as the most active months, with 8 of the 28 recorded storms (29%). The primary season runs August to October, accounting for 75% of all activity. The 1880s, 1890s and 2000s are tied as the most active decades on record, with 4 storms. 0 of the 28 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	5	2	8	8	5	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 8 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	4	1	1	1	0	2	2	1	1	0	2	4	1	1

Every tropical or subtropical cyclone within 50 miles

Storm	Closest approach	Distance	Status	Wind
Helene (2024)	27 Sep 2024	35.0 mi	TS / TD	60 kt
Michael (2018)	11 Oct 2018	22.4 mi	TS / TD	55 kt
Jeanne (2004)	27 Sep 2004	14.2 mi	TS / TD	28 kt
Unnamed Storm (2003)	27 Jul 2003	42.4 mi	TS / TD	15 kt
Allison (2001)	12 Jun 2001	5.5 mi	TS / TD	20 kt
Helene (2000)	22 Sep 2000	11.2 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Jerry (1995)	26 Aug 1995	17.8 mi	TS / TD	20 kt
Beryl (1994)	16 Aug 1994	25.9 mi	TS / TD	22 kt
Agnes (1972)	20 Jun 1972	29.1 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1965)	15 Jun 1965	11.7 mi	TS / TD	38 kt
Arlene (1959)	2 Jun 1959	28.5 mi	TS / TD	20 kt
Debbie (1957)	9 Sep 1957	45.6 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Unnamed Storm (1947)	8 Oct 1947	32.2 mi	TS / TD	20 kt
Unnamed Storm (1940)	12 Aug 1940	2.4 mi	TS / TD	33 kt
Unnamed Storm (1928)	10 Aug 1928	21.3 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1911)	30 Aug 1911	9.6 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1901)	18 Sep 1901	27.4 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Unnamed Storm (1898)	3 Oct 1898	25.1 mi	TS / TD	48 kt
Unnamed Storm (1898)	1 Sep 1898	10.7 mi	TS / TD	42 kt
Unnamed Storm (1896)	8 Jul 1896	12.3 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1893)	3 Oct 1893	42.5 mi	TS / TD	45 kt
Unnamed Storm (1889)	24 Sep 1889	12.0 mi	TS / TD	45 kt
Unnamed Storm (1887)	20 Oct 1887	24.8 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1886)	22 Jun 1886	42.4 mi	TS / TD	44 kt
Unnamed Storm (1882)	10 Sep 1882	26.5 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1856)	31 Aug 1856	47.9 mi	TS / TD	60 kt
Unnamed Storm (1852)	27 Aug 1852	14.6 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1851)	24 Aug 1851	43.5 mi	TS / TD	62 kt

Post-tropical and extratropical passes

A further 3 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	27.7 mi	30 kt
Fay (2020)	Remnant low	7 Jul 2020	0.7 mi	20 kt
Unnamed Storm (1901)	Post-tropical	28 Sep 1901	10.0 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 Bibb County, Georgia more than once.

Helene — 2 passes (2000, 2024)

How Bibb County, Georgia compares

Among the 2,208 U.S. counties and county-equivalents that have recorded at least one tropical cyclone within 50 miles, Bibb County, Georgia ranks #557 — more exposed than 74.8% of them. Within Georgia it ranks #97 of 159, against a state average of 39.8 storms per county.

Notable storms

Cat 1 Helene (2024) passed 35 miles away on 27 September 2024 as a tropical storm, reaching 66 kt (76 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 1 Michael (2018) passed 22 miles away on 11 October 2018 as a hurricane, reaching 65 kt (75 mph) while within 50 miles.
TS / TD Unnamed Storm (1851) passed 43 miles away on 24 August 1851 as a hurricane, reaching 63 kt (72 mph) while within 50 miles.
TS / TD Unnamed Storm (1856) passed 48 miles away on 31 August 1856 as a tropical storm, reaching 60 kt (69 mph) while within 50 miles.

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

How often to expect a storm

A return interval of 6.2 years does not mean storms arrive on a schedule. It is simply 28 storms spread over the 175 years from 1851 to 2025. 1 separate year saw more than one storm pass within 50 miles while decades have gone by with none. The longest recorded quiet stretch was 26 years, between 1856 and 1882. It has been 1 year since the last one; 21 of the 26 gaps in this record were longer than that.

Common questions

How many hurricanes have hit Bibb County, Georgia?

3 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of Bibb County, Georgia at hurricane strength since 1851. Counting all tropical cyclones — including tropical storms and depressions — the total is 28.

When was the last hurricane in Bibb County, Georgia?

Michael (2018), on 11 October 2018, passing 22 miles away — 8 years ago. The most recent tropical cyclone of any strength was Helene (2024) in 2024.

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

Helene (2024), which reached 66 kt (76 mph) while within 50 miles; its closest approach was 35 miles.

How often do hurricanes hit Bibb County, Georgia?

On average, one tropical cyclone passes within 50 miles every 6.2 years — 28 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

Bibb County, Georgia borders or sits close to 4 other counties with a published storm record. Twiggs County, Georgia has 34 on record.

Twiggs County, Georgia34 storms within 50 mi Houston County, Georgia33 storms within 50 mi Monroe County, Georgia30 storms within 50 mi Jones County, Georgia30 storms within 50 mi