Burke County, Georgia Hurricane History

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

Since 1851, 43 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of Burke County, Georgia — about one every 4.1 years. Of those, 3 were at hurricane strength at their closest approach. The most recent was Elsa (2021), which passed 21 miles away on 8 July 2021.

Storms within 50 mi

At hurricane strength

4.1

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 · 41

The 43 storms by the strongest category each reached while within 50 miles. 2 of them reached Cat 1.

Key facts

Most recentElsa (2021) — 21 mi away, 8 July 2021
Strongest stormUnnamed Storm (1893) — 82 kt (94 mph) at its strongest within 50 miles
Closest pass on recordUnnamed Storm (1915) — 1.9 miles
Closest major hurricane (Cat 3+)None on record
Passes within 25 miles16 of 43
Peak monthAugust — 12 storms (28% of all)
Most active year1852 — 2 storms
Most active decade1880s — 6 storms
Major hurricanes (Cat 3+) within 50 mi0
Record span1851–2021

When storms arrive

JFMAMJJASOND

Storms by month of closest approach; the peak is highlighted and labelled. In Burke County, Georgia, August is the most active month, with 12 of the 43 recorded storms (28%). The primary season runs August to October, accounting for 67% of all activity. The 1880s was the most active decade on record, with 6 storms. 0 of the 43 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	8	4	12	9	8	2	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: 9 storms in 1950–1987 against 7 in 1988–2025.

1850s	1860s	1870s	1880s	1890s	1900s	1910s	1920s	1930s	1940s	1950s	1960s	1970s	1980s	1990s	2000s	2010s	2020s
5	0	1	6	2	4	2	1	2	4	2	4	1	2	0	4	2	1

Every tropical or subtropical cyclone within 50 miles

Storm	Closest approach	Distance	Status	Wind
Elsa (2021)	8 Jul 2021	21.4 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Michael (2018)	11 Oct 2018	37.4 mi	TS / TD	48 kt
Florence (2018)	16 Sep 2018	47.2 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Alberto (2006)	14 Jun 2006	17.4 mi	TS / TD	31 kt
Unnamed Storm (2003)	26 Jul 2003	37.5 mi	TS / TD	16 kt
Allison (2001)	13 Jun 2001	14.3 mi	TS / TD	22 kt
Helene (2000)	23 Sep 2000	27.4 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Charley (1986)	14 Aug 1986	44.4 mi	TS / TD	10 kt
Kate (1985)	22 Nov 1985	48.4 mi	TS / TD	50 kt
Agnes (1972)	20 Jun 1972	17.0 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Abby (1968)	8 Jun 1968	11.7 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1965)	15 Jun 1965	38.3 mi	TS / TD	36 kt
Dora (1964)	13 Sep 1964	50.0 mi	TS / TD	60 kt
Cleo (1964)	30 Aug 1964	2.0 mi	TS / TD	38 kt
Arlene (1959)	2 Jun 1959	43.2 mi	TS / TD	20 kt
Love (1950)	22 Oct 1950	45.3 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1949)	28 Aug 1949	41.6 mi	TS / TD	55 kt
Unnamed Storm (1946)	8 Oct 1946	20.7 mi	TS / TD	45 kt
Unnamed Storm (1941)	8 Oct 1941	37.4 mi	TS / TD	41 kt
Unnamed Storm (1940)	12 Aug 1940	49.5 mi	TS / TD	52 kt
Unnamed Storm (1935)	5 Sep 1935	19.8 mi	TS / TD	51 kt
Unnamed Storm (1933)	7 Sep 1933	28.9 mi	TS / TD	24 kt
Unnamed Storm (1928)	11 Aug 1928	48.6 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1915)	3 Aug 1915	1.9 mi	TS / TD	39 kt
Unnamed Storm (1911)	29 Aug 1911	45.6 mi	TS / TD	45 kt
Unnamed Storm (1909)	2 Jul 1909	48.4 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Unnamed Storm (1904)	4 Nov 1904	46.7 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1902)	15 Jun 1902	17.9 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Unnamed Storm (1901)	18 Sep 1901	16.1 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Unnamed Storm (1898)	31 Aug 1898	33.9 mi	TS / TD	50 kt
Unnamed Storm (1893)	28 Aug 1893	49.4 mi	Cat 1	82 kt
Unnamed Storm (1888)	10 Sep 1888	44.0 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Unnamed Storm (1887)	20 Oct 1887	12.6 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1886)	1 Jul 1886	32.5 mi	TS / TD	51 kt
Unnamed Storm (1886)	22 Jun 1886	35.0 mi	TS / TD	42 kt
Unnamed Storm (1885)	12 Oct 1885	29.3 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1884)	11 Sep 1884	38.2 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1877)	4 Oct 1877	8.6 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1856)	31 Aug 1856	15.0 mi	TS / TD	52 kt
Unnamed Storm (1854)	9 Sep 1854	29.0 mi	TS / TD	62 kt
Unnamed Storm (1852)	10 Oct 1852	37.2 mi	TS / TD	53 kt
Unnamed Storm (1852)	27 Aug 1852	16.7 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1851)	24 Aug 1851	4.8 mi	TS / TD	53 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
Sally (2020)	Post-tropical	18 Sep 2020	47.5 mi	30 kt
Fay (2020)	Remnant low	7 Jul 2020	16.8 mi	20 kt
Nestor (2019)	Post-tropical	20 Oct 2019	17.6 mi	40 kt
Earl (1998)	Post-tropical	3 Sep 1998	30.4 mi	40 kt
Allison (1995)	Post-tropical	6 Jun 1995	38.2 mi	35 kt
Marco (1990)	Post-tropical	12 Oct 1990	29.9 mi	15 kt
Flossy (1956)	Post-tropical	26 Sep 1956	33.9 mi	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1929)	Post-tropical	1 Oct 1929	21.6 mi	50 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.

How Burke County, Georgia compares

Among the 2,208 U.S. counties and county-equivalents that have recorded at least one tropical cyclone within 50 miles, Burke County, Georgia ranks #271 — more exposed than 87.7% of them. Within Georgia it ranks #65 of 159, against a state average of 39.8 storms per county.

Notable storms

Cat 1 Unnamed Storm (1893) passed 49 miles away on 28 August 1893 as a hurricane, reaching 82 kt (94 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 1 Unnamed Storm (1854) passed 29 miles away on 9 September 1854 as a hurricane, reaching 70 kt (81 mph) while within 50 miles.
TS / TD Dora (1964) passed 50 miles away on 13 September 1964 as a tropical storm, reaching 60 kt (69 mph) while within 50 miles.
TS / TD Unnamed Storm (1949) passed 42 miles away on 28 August 1949 as a tropical storm, reaching 58 kt (67 mph) while within 50 miles.

42 of the 43 storms made a documented landfall somewhere along their track.

How often to expect a storm

A return interval of 4.1 years does not mean storms arrive on a schedule. It is simply 43 storms spread over the 175 years from 1851 to 2025. 4 separate years saw more than one storm pass within 50 miles while decades have gone by with none. The longest recorded quiet stretch was 21 years, between 1856 and 1877. It has been 4 years since the last one; 14 of the 38 gaps in this record were longer than that.

Common questions

How many hurricanes have hit Burke County, Georgia?

3 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of Burke County, Georgia at hurricane strength since 1851. Counting all tropical cyclones — including tropical storms and depressions — the total is 43.

When was the last hurricane in Burke County, Georgia?

Unnamed Storm (1940), on 12 August 1940, passing 50 miles away — 86 years ago. The most recent tropical cyclone of any strength was Elsa (2021) in 2021.

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

Unnamed Storm (1893), which reached 82 kt (94 mph) while within 50 miles; its closest approach was 49 miles.

How often do hurricanes hit Burke County, Georgia?

On average, one tropical cyclone passes within 50 miles every 4.1 years — 43 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

Burke County, Georgia borders or sits close to 8 other counties with a published storm record. Allendale County, South Carolina has 53 on record.

Allendale County, South Carolina53 storms within 50 mi Screven County, Georgia51 storms within 50 mi Emanuel County, Georgia47 storms within 50 mi Jenkins County, Georgia45 storms within 50 mi Barnwell County, South Carolina42 storms within 50 mi Aiken County, South Carolina39 storms within 50 mi Jefferson County, Georgia37 storms within 50 mi Richmond County, Georgia36 storms within 50 mi