Candler County, Georgia Hurricane History

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

Since 1851, 52 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of Candler County, Georgia — about one every 3.4 years. Of those, 7 were at hurricane strength at their closest approach. The most recent was Idalia (2023), which passed 30 miles away on 30 August 2023.

Storms within 50 mi

At hurricane strength

3.4

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 1 · 5TS / TD · 47

The 52 storms by the strongest category each reached while within 50 miles. 5 of them reached Cat 1.

Key facts

Most recentIdalia (2023) — 30 mi away, 30 August 2023
Strongest stormUnnamed Storm (1947) — 78 kt (90 mph) at its strongest within 50 miles
Closest pass on recordAbby (1968) — 0.4 miles
Closest major hurricane (Cat 3+)None on record
Passes within 25 miles27 of 52
Peak monthAugust — 14 storms (27% of all)
Most active year1871 — 2 storms
Most active decade1880s — 6 storms
Major hurricanes (Cat 3+) within 50 mi0
Record span1851–2023

When storms arrive

JFMAMJJASOND

Storms by month of closest approach; the peak is highlighted and labelled. In Candler County, Georgia, August is the most active month, with 14 of the 52 recorded storms (27%). The primary season runs August to October, accounting for 71% of all activity. The 1880s was the most active decade on record, with 6 storms. 0 of the 52 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	2	6	5	14	13	10	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: 11 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
4	1	4	6	2	5	2	2	2	5	2	5	1	3	1	3	2	2

Every tropical or subtropical cyclone within 50 miles

Storm	Closest approach	Distance	Status	Wind
Idalia (2023)	30 Aug 2023	30.2 mi	TS / TD	55 kt
Elsa (2021)	8 Jul 2021	3.1 mi	TS / TD	42 kt
Hermine (2016)	2 Sep 2016	30.6 mi	TS / TD	50 kt
Beryl (2012)	30 May 2012	32.1 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Alberto (2006)	14 Jun 2006	10.2 mi	TS / TD	31 kt
Unnamed Storm (2003)	26 Jul 2003	2.2 mi	TS / TD	19 kt
Gordon (2000)	18 Sep 2000	33.9 mi	TS / TD	26 kt
Allison (1995)	6 Jun 1995	8.1 mi	TS / TD	33 kt
Unnamed Storm (1987)	17 Aug 1987	43.8 mi	TS / TD	10 kt
Charley (1986)	14 Aug 1986	1.1 mi	TS / TD	10 kt
Kate (1985)	22 Nov 1985	14.7 mi	TS / TD	52 kt
Alma (1970)	25 May 1970	41.7 mi	TS / TD	38 kt
Abby (1968)	7 Jun 1968	0.4 mi	TS / TD	32 kt
Unnamed Storm (1966)	2 Jul 1966	46.0 mi	TS / TD	20 kt
Alma (1966)	10 Jun 1966	45.1 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Dora (1964)	13 Sep 1964	13.9 mi	TS / TD	60 kt
Cleo (1964)	29 Aug 1964	24.4 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1953)	1 Sep 1953	7.2 mi	TS / TD	28 kt
Love (1950)	22 Oct 1950	28.8 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1949)	28 Aug 1949	43.0 mi	TS / TD	60 kt
Unnamed Storm (1947)	15 Oct 1947	48.7 mi	Cat 1	72 kt
Unnamed Storm (1946)	8 Oct 1946	22.0 mi	TS / TD	51 kt
Unnamed Storm (1941)	8 Oct 1941	4.7 mi	TS / TD	42 kt
Unnamed Storm (1940)	12 Aug 1940	5.4 mi	TS / TD	55 kt
Unnamed Storm (1935)	5 Sep 1935	5.6 mi	TS / TD	53 kt
Unnamed Storm (1933)	7 Sep 1933	25.0 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Unnamed Storm (1924)	16 Sep 1924	46.5 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Unnamed Storm (1923)	27 Jun 1923	28.2 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1915)	3 Aug 1915	8.4 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1911)	29 Aug 1911	1.6 mi	TS / TD	43 kt
Unnamed Storm (1909)	2 Jul 1909	4.9 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Unnamed Storm (1907)	29 Sep 1907	42.9 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Unnamed Storm (1904)	4 Nov 1904	8.4 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1902)	15 Jun 1902	6.8 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Unnamed Storm (1901)	18 Sep 1901	27.4 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Unnamed Storm (1898)	31 Aug 1898	11.2 mi	TS / TD	52 kt
Unnamed Storm (1894)	9 Oct 1894	18.8 mi	Cat 1	67 kt
Unnamed Storm (1888)	9 Sep 1888	26.9 mi	TS / TD	36 kt
Unnamed Storm (1887)	20 Oct 1887	48.1 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1886)	1 Jul 1886	4.2 mi	TS / TD	52 kt
Unnamed Storm (1885)	12 Oct 1885	15.8 mi	TS / TD	45 kt
Unnamed Storm (1884)	11 Sep 1884	28.3 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1881)	28 Aug 1881	33.7 mi	Cat 1	67 kt
Unnamed Storm (1877)	3 Oct 1877	19.8 mi	TS / TD	42 kt
Unnamed Storm (1873)	19 Sep 1873	46.9 mi	TS / TD	53 kt
Unnamed Storm (1871)	6 Oct 1871	38.7 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1871)	28 Aug 1871	7.4 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1860)	13 Aug 1860	38.0 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1856)	31 Aug 1856	23.4 mi	TS / TD	53 kt
Unnamed Storm (1854)	9 Sep 1854	34.0 mi	Cat 1	70 kt
Unnamed Storm (1852)	10 Oct 1852	7.1 mi	TS / TD	55 kt
Unnamed Storm (1851)	24 Aug 1851	35.8 mi	TS / TD	57 kt

Post-tropical and extratropical passes

A further 9 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. Showing the 8 most recent.

Storm	Status	Closest approach	Distance	Wind
Nestor (2019)	Post-tropical	20 Oct 2019	26.4 mi	39 kt
Earl (1998)	Post-tropical	3 Sep 1998	9.0 mi	40 kt
Marco (1990)	Post-tropical	12 Oct 1990	44.6 mi	18 kt
Flossy (1956)	Post-tropical	25 Sep 1956	5.9 mi	39 kt
Florence (1953)	Post-tropical	27 Sep 1953	34.0 mi	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1947)	Post-tropical	24 Sep 1947	46.6 mi	41 kt
Unnamed Storm (1929)	Post-tropical	1 Oct 1929	8.7 mi	50 kt
Unnamed Storm (1924)	Post-tropical	30 Sep 1924	30.8 mi	55 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 Candler County, Georgia more than once.

Alma — 2 passes (1966, 1970)

How Candler County, Georgia compares

Among the 2,208 U.S. counties and county-equivalents that have recorded at least one tropical cyclone within 50 miles, Candler County, Georgia ranks #177 — more exposed than 92.0% of them. Within Georgia it ranks #45 of 159, against a state average of 39.8 storms per county.

Notable storms

Cat 1 Unnamed Storm (1947) passed 49 miles away on 15 October 1947 as a hurricane, reaching 78 kt (90 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 1 Unnamed Storm (1854) passed 34 miles away on 9 September 1854 as a hurricane, reaching 78 kt (90 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 1 Unnamed Storm (1881) passed 34 miles away on 28 August 1881 as a hurricane, reaching 75 kt (86 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 1 Unnamed Storm (1894) passed 19 miles away on 9 October 1894 as a hurricane, reaching 68 kt (78 mph) while within 50 miles.

50 of the 52 storms made a documented landfall somewhere along their track.

How often to expect a storm

A return interval of 3.4 years does not mean storms arrive on a schedule. It is simply 52 storms spread over the 175 years from 1851 to 2025. 3 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 15 years, between 1970 and 1985. It has been 2 years since the last one; 24 of the 48 gaps in this record were longer than that.

Common questions

How many hurricanes have hit Candler County, Georgia?

7 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of Candler County, Georgia at hurricane strength since 1851. Counting all tropical cyclones — including tropical storms and depressions — the total is 52.

When was the last hurricane in Candler County, Georgia?

Kate (1985), on 22 November 1985, passing 15 miles away — 41 years ago. The most recent tropical cyclone of any strength was Idalia (2023) in 2023.

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

Unnamed Storm (1947), which reached 78 kt (90 mph) while within 50 miles; its closest approach was 49 miles.

How often do hurricanes hit Candler County, Georgia?

On average, one tropical cyclone passes within 50 miles every 3.4 years — 52 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

Candler County, Georgia borders or sits close to 5 other counties with a published storm record. Evans County, Georgia has 65 on record.

Evans County, Georgia65 storms within 50 mi Tattnall County, Georgia64 storms within 50 mi Bulloch County, Georgia61 storms within 50 mi Toombs County, Georgia56 storms within 50 mi Emanuel County, Georgia47 storms within 50 mi