Clay County, Georgia Hurricane History

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

Since 1851, 49 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of Clay County, Georgia — about one every 3.6 years. Of those, 5 were at hurricane strength at their closest approach. The most recent was Nicole (2022), which passed 24 miles away on 11 November 2022.

Storms within 50 mi

At hurricane strength

3.6

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 3 · 1Cat 2 · 1Cat 1 · 4TS / TD · 43

The 49 storms by the strongest category each reached while within 50 miles. 1 of them reached Cat 3.

Key facts

Most recentNicole (2022) — 24 mi away, 11 November 2022
Strongest stormMichael (2018) — 98 kt (113 mph) at its strongest within 50 miles
Closest pass on recordTammy (2005) — 1.4 miles
Closest major hurricane (Cat 3+)Michael (2018) — 30.2 miles
Passes within 25 miles24 of 49
Peak monthSeptember — 16 storms (33% of all)
Most active year1901 — 3 storms
Most active decade1910s — 7 storms
Major hurricanes (Cat 3+) within 50 mi1
Record span1851–2022

When storms arrive

JFMAMJJASOND

Storms by month of closest approach; the peak is highlighted and labelled. In Clay County, Georgia, September is the most active month, with 16 of the 49 recorded storms (33%). Activity concentrates in June, August and September, together 69% of all storms. The 1910s was the most active decade on record, with 7 storms. 1 of the 49 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	0	7	7	11	16	6	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: 10 storms in 1950–1987 against 10 in 1988–2025.

1850s	1860s	1870s	1880s	1890s	1900s	1910s	1920s	1930s	1940s	1950s	1960s	1970s	1980s	1990s	2000s	2010s	2020s
2	1	2	5	1	6	7	4	0	1	6	2	2	0	2	4	2	2

Every tropical or subtropical cyclone within 50 miles

Storm	Closest approach	Distance	Status	Wind
Nicole (2022)	11 Nov 2022	23.9 mi	TS / TD	29 kt
Fred (2021)	17 Aug 2021	24.6 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Michael (2018)	11 Oct 2018	30.2 mi	Cat 1	80 kt
Irma (2017)	12 Sep 2017	38.5 mi	TS / TD	33 kt
Tammy (2005)	6 Oct 2005	1.4 mi	TS / TD	22 kt
Frances (2004)	7 Sep 2004	3.5 mi	TS / TD	29 kt
Allison (2001)	12 Jun 2001	40.9 mi	TS / TD	20 kt
Helene (2000)	22 Sep 2000	14.6 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Beryl (1994)	16 Aug 1994	9.4 mi	TS / TD	28 kt
Alberto (1994)	4 Jul 1994	49.1 mi	TS / TD	20 kt
Agnes (1972)	20 Jun 1972	23.0 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Becky (1970)	22 Jul 1970	19.9 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Unnamed Storm (1965)	15 Jun 1965	10.3 mi	TS / TD	43 kt
Dora (1964)	12 Sep 1964	32.0 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Debbie (1957)	9 Sep 1957	6.5 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Flossy (1956)	25 Sep 1956	41.2 mi	TS / TD	43 kt
Florence (1953)	27 Sep 1953	32.4 mi	TS / TD	42 kt
Alice (1953)	7 Jun 1953	46.8 mi	TS / TD	20 kt
King (1950)	19 Oct 1950	19.9 mi	TS / TD	32 kt
Easy (1950)	7 Sep 1950	28.6 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Unnamed Storm (1947)	16 Oct 1947	4.0 mi	TS / TD	27 kt
Unnamed Storm (1928)	15 Aug 1928	28.1 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Unnamed Storm (1928)	10 Aug 1928	44.7 mi	TS / TD	33 kt
Unnamed Storm (1926)	29 Jul 1926	36.3 mi	TS / TD	34 kt
Unnamed Storm (1923)	26 Jun 1923	12.5 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1919)	1 Oct 1919	9.4 mi	TS / TD	24 kt
Unnamed Storm (1917)	29 Sep 1917	3.6 mi	TS / TD	50 kt
Unnamed Storm (1915)	4 Sep 1915	20.0 mi	TS / TD	53 kt
Unnamed Storm (1914)	17 Sep 1914	34.0 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Unnamed Storm (1912)	6 Sep 1912	36.5 mi	TS / TD	20 kt
Unnamed Storm (1912)	16 Jul 1912	22.8 mi	TS / TD	32 kt
Unnamed Storm (1911)	4 Aug 1911	37.1 mi	TS / TD	20 kt
Unnamed Storm (1909)	1 Jul 1909	32.0 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Unnamed Storm (1906)	13 Jun 1906	40.6 mi	TS / TD	36 kt
Unnamed Storm (1904)	3 Nov 1904	24.8 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1901)	28 Sep 1901	44.0 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Unnamed Storm (1901)	18 Sep 1901	9.0 mi	TS / TD	39 kt
Unnamed Storm (1901)	14 Jun 1901	9.9 mi	TS / TD	29 kt
Unnamed Storm (1896)	8 Jul 1896	11.4 mi	TS / TD	58 kt
Unnamed Storm (1889)	23 Sep 1889	28.7 mi	TS / TD	48 kt
Unnamed Storm (1887)	20 Oct 1887	17.1 mi	TS / TD	32 kt
Unnamed Storm (1887)	28 Jul 1887	44.1 mi	TS / TD	47 kt
Unnamed Storm (1882)	10 Sep 1882	19.0 mi	TS / TD	63 kt
Unnamed Storm (1881)	28 Aug 1881	35.9 mi	TS / TD	48 kt
Unnamed Storm (1871)	27 Aug 1871	33.0 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1871)	23 Aug 1871	32.8 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1860)	13 Aug 1860	11.1 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1856)	31 Aug 1856	34.9 mi	Cat 1	68 kt
Unnamed Storm (1851)	24 Aug 1851	39.7 mi	Cat 1	77 kt

Post-tropical and extratropical passes

A further 2 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
Fay (2020)	Remnant low	6 Jul 2020	24.6 mi	20 kt
Five (2010)	Remnant low	15 Aug 2010	5.4 mi	18 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 Clay County, Georgia compares

Among the 2,208 U.S. counties and county-equivalents that have recorded at least one tropical cyclone within 50 miles, Clay County, Georgia ranks #211 — more exposed than 90.4% of them. Within Georgia it ranks #53 of 159, against a state average of 39.8 storms per county.

Notable storms

Cat 3 Michael (2018) passed 30 miles away on 11 October 2018 as a hurricane, reaching 98 kt (113 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 2 Unnamed Storm (1851) passed 40 miles away on 24 August 1851 as a hurricane, reaching 83 kt (96 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 1 Unnamed Storm (1882) passed 19 miles away on 10 September 1882 as a hurricane, reaching 73 kt (84 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 1 Unnamed Storm (1856) passed 35 miles away on 31 August 1856 as a hurricane, reaching 73 kt (84 mph) while within 50 miles.

46 of the 49 storms made a documented landfall somewhere along their track.

How often to expect a storm

A return interval of 3.6 years does not mean storms arrive on a schedule. It is simply 49 storms spread over the 175 years from 1851 to 2025. 8 separate years saw more than one storm pass within 50 miles while decades have gone by with none. The longest recorded quiet stretch was 22 years, between 1972 and 1994. It has been 3 years since the last one; 14 of the 39 gaps in this record were longer than that.

Common questions

How many hurricanes have hit Clay County, Georgia?

5 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of Clay County, Georgia at hurricane strength since 1851. Counting all tropical cyclones — including tropical storms and depressions — the total is 49.

When was the last hurricane in Clay County, Georgia?

Michael (2018), on 11 October 2018, passing 30 miles away — 8 years ago. The most recent tropical cyclone of any strength was Nicole (2022) in 2022.

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

Michael (2018), which reached 98 kt (113 mph) while within 50 miles; its closest approach was 30 miles.

How often do hurricanes hit Clay County, Georgia?

On average, one tropical cyclone passes within 50 miles every 3.6 years — 49 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

Clay County, Georgia borders or sits close to 6 other counties with a published storm record. Early County, Georgia has 55 on record.

Early County, Georgia55 storms within 50 mi Calhoun County, Georgia53 storms within 50 mi Henry County, Alabama49 storms within 50 mi Randolph County, Georgia46 storms within 50 mi Quitman County, Georgia44 storms within 50 mi Barbour County, Alabama39 storms within 50 mi