Charlton County, Georgia Hurricane History

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

Since 1868, 70 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of Charlton County, Georgia — about one every 2.3 years. Of those, 7 were at hurricane strength at their closest approach. The most recent was Debby (2024), which passed 8 miles away on 6 August 2024.

Storms within 50 mi

At hurricane strength

2.3

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 4 · 1Cat 2 · 1Cat 1 · 5TS / TD · 63

The 70 storms by the strongest category each reached while within 50 miles. 1 of them reached Cat 4.

Key facts

Most recentDebby (2024) — 8 mi away, 6 August 2024
Strongest stormUnnamed Storm (1898) — 115 kt (132 mph) at its strongest within 50 miles
Closest pass on recordUnnamed Storm (1946) — 2.7 miles
Closest major hurricane (Cat 3+)Unnamed Storm (1898) — 29.9 miles
Passes within 25 miles30 of 70
Peak monthSeptember — 20 storms (29% of all)
Most active year1885 — 4 storms
Most active decade1870s, 1880s and 1910s — 8 storms
Major hurricanes (Cat 3+) within 50 mi1
Record span1868–2024

When storms arrive

JFMAMJJASOND

Storms by month of closest approach; the peak is highlighted and labelled. In Charlton County, Georgia, September is the most active month, with 20 of the 70 recorded storms (29%). The primary season runs August to October, accounting for 70% of all activity. The 1870s, 1880s and 1910s are tied as the most active decades on record, with 8 storms. 1 of the 70 storms was major hurricane (Category 3 or stronger) while within 50 miles.

J	F	M	A	M	J	J	A	S	O	N	D
0	0	0	0	5	10	4	10	20	19	2	0

Activity by decade

19002000

Tropical cyclones passing within 50 miles, by decade, 1860s to 2020s. Decades with no storms are shown as empty columns. Comparing two equal 38-year windows inside the aircraft-reconnaissance era: 16 storms in 1950–1987 against 15 in 1988–2025.

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

Every tropical or subtropical cyclone within 50 miles

Storm	Closest approach	Distance	Status	Wind
Debby (2024)	6 Aug 2024	8.5 mi	TS / TD	45 kt
Idalia (2023)	30 Aug 2023	43.9 mi	Cat 1	73 kt
Mindy (2021)	9 Sep 2021	21.0 mi	TS / TD	31 kt
Eta (2020)	12 Nov 2020	32.5 mi	TS / TD	37 kt
Julia (2016)	14 Sep 2016	29.9 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Colin (2016)	7 Jun 2016	6.0 mi	TS / TD	45 kt
Andrea (2013)	7 Jun 2013	6.6 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Beryl (2012)	28 May 2012	31.4 mi	TS / TD	37 kt
Barry (2007)	2 Jun 2007	28.1 mi	TS / TD	32 kt
Tammy (2005)	6 Oct 2005	8.3 mi	TS / TD	42 kt
Bonnie (2004)	12 Aug 2004	35.5 mi	TS / TD	28 kt
Gordon (2000)	18 Sep 2000	16.5 mi	TS / TD	32 kt
Georges (1998)	1 Oct 1998	19.7 mi	TS / TD	22 kt
Gordon (1994)	21 Nov 1994	25.9 mi	TS / TD	20 kt
Unnamed Storm (1988)	14 Aug 1988	21.1 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Isabel (1985)	11 Oct 1985	26.1 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Isidore (1984)	28 Sep 1984	39.2 mi	TS / TD	45 kt
Unnamed Storm (1984)	14 Jun 1984	44.9 mi	TD	—
Unnamed Storm (1976)	14 Sep 1976	48.5 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1976)	23 May 1976	11.6 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Alpha (1972)	28 May 1972	3.7 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Alma (1970)	25 May 1970	3.8 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Abby (1968)	7 Jun 1968	32.6 mi	TS / TD	47 kt
Unnamed Storm (1966)	2 Jul 1966	45.7 mi	TS / TD	29 kt
Alma (1966)	10 Jun 1966	47.6 mi	TS / TD	43 kt
Cleo (1964)	29 Aug 1964	49.9 mi	TS / TD	50 kt
Brenda (1960)	29 Jul 1960	15.8 mi	TS / TD	48 kt
Unnamed Storm (1957)	9 Jun 1957	48.5 mi	TS / TD	37 kt
Love (1950)	21 Oct 1950	29.2 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
King (1950)	19 Oct 1950	47.0 mi	TS / TD	58 kt
Easy (1950)	7 Sep 1950	18.6 mi	TS / TD	33 kt
Unnamed Storm (1949)	28 Aug 1949	45.1 mi	Cat 1	65 kt
Unnamed Storm (1947)	7 Oct 1947	8.6 mi	TS / TD	45 kt
Unnamed Storm (1946)	8 Oct 1946	2.7 mi	TS / TD	55 kt
Unnamed Storm (1944)	19 Oct 1944	38.1 mi	TS / TD	57 kt
Unnamed Storm (1937)	21 Sep 1937	47.1 mi	TS / TD	20 kt
Unnamed Storm (1932)	15 Sep 1932	5.5 mi	TS / TD	42 kt
Unnamed Storm (1928)	18 Sep 1928	45.0 mi	Cat 1	68 kt
Unnamed Storm (1926)	29 Jul 1926	33.5 mi	TS / TD	50 kt
Unnamed Storm (1924)	16 Sep 1924	37.4 mi	TS / TD	39 kt
Unnamed Storm (1919)	1 Oct 1919	39.9 mi	TS / TD	37 kt
Unnamed Storm (1916)	4 Oct 1916	49.0 mi	TS / TD	43 kt
Unnamed Storm (1916)	15 May 1916	35.5 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Unnamed Storm (1915)	2 Aug 1915	5.3 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1914)	17 Sep 1914	6.3 mi	TS / TD	48 kt
Unnamed Storm (1912)	15 Jul 1912	36.0 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1911)	5 Aug 1911	40.9 mi	TS / TD	22 kt
Unnamed Storm (1910)	19 Oct 1910	26.7 mi	TS / TD	50 kt
Unnamed Storm (1907)	29 Jun 1907	35.9 mi	TS / TD	50 kt
Unnamed Storm (1900)	12 Oct 1900	32.9 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Unnamed Storm (1898)	2 Oct 1898	29.9 mi	Cat 2	90 kt
Unnamed Storm (1896)	29 Sep 1896	9.9 mi	Cat 2	92 kt
Unnamed Storm (1893)	16 Jun 1893	20.2 mi	TS / TD	48 kt
Unnamed Storm (1888)	11 Oct 1888	47.0 mi	Cat 1	75 kt
Unnamed Storm (1888)	9 Sep 1888	21.7 mi	TS / TD	42 kt
Unnamed Storm (1885)	12 Oct 1885	29.3 mi	TS / TD	50 kt
Unnamed Storm (1885)	30 Sep 1885	40.1 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1885)	21 Sep 1885	7.6 mi	TS / TD	42 kt
Unnamed Storm (1885)	31 Aug 1885	24.4 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1882)	11 Oct 1882	6.4 mi	TS / TD	50 kt
Unnamed Storm (1880)	8 Sep 1880	10.7 mi	TS / TD	47 kt
Unnamed Storm (1878)	11 Oct 1878	20.9 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1877)	20 Sep 1877	23.4 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1874)	28 Sep 1874	31.6 mi	Cat 1	65 kt
Unnamed Storm (1873)	19 Sep 1873	40.8 mi	TS / TD	57 kt
Unnamed Storm (1873)	2 Jun 1873	23.3 mi	TS / TD	38 kt
Unnamed Storm (1871)	6 Oct 1871	44.1 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1871)	7 Sep 1871	43.8 mi	TS / TD	50 kt
Unnamed Storm (1871)	18 Aug 1871	10.1 mi	TS / TD	53 kt
Unnamed Storm (1868)	5 Oct 1868	17.9 mi	TS / TD	40 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
Josephine (1996)	Post-tropical	8 Oct 1996	12.6 mi	45 kt
Hilda (1964)	Post-tropical	5 Oct 1964	15.4 mi	45 kt
Unnamed Storm (1947)	Post-tropical	24 Sep 1947	6.0 mi	45 kt
Unnamed Storm (1924)	Post-tropical	30 Sep 1924	47.5 mi	55 kt

About this data. Computed from NOAA's HURDAT2 Atlantic and Northeast Pacific hurricane databases (hurdat2-1851-2025-02272026.txt), covering 1868–2025. 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 Charlton County, Georgia more than once.

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

How Charlton County, Georgia compares

Among the 2,208 U.S. counties and county-equivalents that have recorded at least one tropical cyclone within 50 miles, Charlton County, Georgia ranks #39 — more exposed than 98.2% of them. Within Georgia it ranks #15 of 159, against a state average of 39.8 storms per county.

Notable storms

Cat 4 Unnamed Storm (1898) passed 30 miles away on 2 October 1898 as a hurricane, reaching 115 kt (132 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 2 Unnamed Storm (1896) passed 10 miles away on 29 September 1896 as a hurricane, reaching 95 kt (109 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 1 Unnamed Storm (1888) passed 47 miles away on 11 October 1888 as a hurricane, reaching 75 kt (86 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 1 Idalia (2023) passed 44 miles away on 30 August 2023 as a hurricane, reaching 73 kt (84 mph) while within 50 miles.

62 of the 70 storms made a documented landfall somewhere along their track.

How often to expect a storm

A return interval of 2.3 years does not mean storms arrive on a schedule. It is simply 70 storms spread over the 158 years from 1868 to 2025. 10 separate years saw more than one storm pass within 50 miles. The longest recorded quiet stretch was 8 years, between 1976 and 1984. It has been 1 year since the last one; 42 of the 55 gaps in this record were longer than that.

Common questions

How many hurricanes have hit Charlton County, Georgia?

7 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of Charlton County, Georgia at hurricane strength since 1868. Counting all tropical cyclones — including tropical storms and depressions — the total is 70.

When was the last hurricane in Charlton County, Georgia?

Idalia (2023), on 30 August 2023, passing 44 miles away — 3 years ago. The most recent tropical cyclone of any strength was Debby (2024) in 2024.

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

Unnamed Storm (1898), which reached 115 kt (132 mph) while within 50 miles; its closest approach was 30 miles.

How often do hurricanes hit Charlton County, Georgia?

On average, one tropical cyclone passes within 50 miles every 2.3 years — 70 storms over the 158 years from 1868 to 2025, the end of the HURDAT2 record. That is a historical average, not a schedule or a forecast.

Nearby counties

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

Brantley County, Georgia74 storms within 50 mi Camden County, Georgia74 storms within 50 mi Ware County, Georgia70 storms within 50 mi Nassau County, Florida67 storms within 50 mi Baker County, Florida61 storms within 50 mi