Clayton County, Georgia Tropical Cyclone History

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

Since 1852, 25 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of Clayton County, Georgia — about one every 7.0 years. Of those, 0 were at hurricane strength at their closest approach. The most recent was Nicole (2022), which passed 3 miles away on 11 November 2022.

Storms within 50 mi

At hurricane strength

7.0

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.

Key facts

Most recentNicole (2022) — 3 mi away, 11 November 2022
Strongest stormUnnamed Storm (1893) — 47 kt (54 mph) at its strongest within 50 miles
Closest pass on recordUnnamed Storm (1903) — 0.8 miles
Closest major hurricane (Cat 3+)None on record
Passes within 25 miles10 of 25
Peak monthSeptember — 8 storms (32% of all)
Most active year1959 — 2 storms
Most active decade1990s — 4 storms
Major hurricanes (Cat 3+) within 50 mi0
Record span1852–2022

When storms arrive

JFMAMJJASOND

Storms by month of closest approach; the peak is highlighted and labelled. In Clayton County, Georgia, September is the most active month, with 8 of the 25 recorded storms (32%). The primary season runs July to September, accounting for 76% of all activity. The 1990s was the most active decade on record, with 4 storms. 0 of the 25 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	2	4	7	8	3	1	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 9 in 1988–2025.

1850s	1860s	1870s	1880s	1890s	1900s	1910s	1920s	1930s	1940s	1950s	1960s	1970s	1980s	1990s	2000s	2010s	2020s
2	0	0	2	2	2	2	1	0	1	3	0	1	0	4	2	0	3

Every tropical or subtropical cyclone within 50 miles

Storm	Closest approach	Distance	Status	Wind
Nicole (2022)	11 Nov 2022	3.2 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Fred (2021)	17 Aug 2021	26.3 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Claudette (2021)	20 Jun 2021	6.0 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Cindy (2005)	7 Jul 2005	45.9 mi	TS / TD	20 kt
Frances (2004)	8 Sep 2004	12.7 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Danny (1997)	23 Jul 1997	45.0 mi	TS / TD	20 kt
Jerry (1995)	27 Aug 1995	29.8 mi	TS / TD	20 kt
Beryl (1994)	17 Aug 1994	33.9 mi	TS / TD	19 kt
Alberto (1994)	5 Jul 1994	8.7 mi	TS / TD	18 kt
Edith (1971)	18 Sep 1971	35.0 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Irene (1959)	9 Oct 1959	33.0 mi	TS / TD	20 kt
Arlene (1959)	2 Jun 1959	32.9 mi	TS / TD	20 kt
Debbie (1957)	9 Sep 1957	31.3 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Unnamed Storm (1940)	12 Aug 1940	7.0 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1928)	15 Aug 1928	40.0 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1915)	5 Sep 1915	34.0 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Unnamed Storm (1911)	30 Aug 1911	26.9 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1903)	15 Sep 1903	0.8 mi	TS / TD	31 kt
Unnamed Storm (1900)	15 Sep 1900	14.0 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Unnamed Storm (1898)	3 Oct 1898	34.2 mi	TS / TD	38 kt
Unnamed Storm (1893)	3 Oct 1893	23.4 mi	TS / TD	46 kt
Unnamed Storm (1887)	28 Jul 1887	3.4 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1882)	10 Sep 1882	39.6 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1859)	16 Sep 1859	17.4 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1852)	27 Aug 1852	45.7 mi	TS / TD	40 kt

Post-tropical and extratropical passes

A further 5 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	38.2 mi	30 kt
Lee (2011)	Post-tropical	6 Sep 2011	47.9 mi	18 kt
Unnamed Storm (1912)	Post-tropical	14 Jun 1912	6.2 mi	35 kt
Unnamed Storm (1907)	Post-tropical	23 Sep 1907	23.8 mi	35 kt
Unnamed Storm (1902)	Post-tropical	11 Oct 1902	24.2 mi	35 kt

About this data. Computed from NOAA's HURDAT2 Atlantic and Northeast Pacific hurricane databases (hurdat2-1851-2025-02272026.txt), covering 1852–2025. 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 Clayton County, Georgia compares

Among the 2,208 U.S. counties and county-equivalents that have recorded at least one tropical cyclone within 50 miles, Clayton County, Georgia ranks #633 — more exposed than 71.3% of them. Within Georgia it ranks #113 of 159, against a state average of 39.8 storms per county.

Notable storms

TS / TD Unnamed Storm (1893) passed 23 miles away on 3 October 1893 as a tropical storm, reaching 47 kt (54 mph) while within 50 miles.
TS / TD Unnamed Storm (1898) passed 34 miles away on 3 October 1898 as a tropical storm, reaching 43 kt (49 mph) while within 50 miles.
TS / TD Unnamed Storm (1882) passed 40 miles away on 10 September 1882 as a tropical storm, reaching 40 kt (46 mph) while within 50 miles.
TS / TD Unnamed Storm (1859) passed 17 miles away on 16 September 1859 as a tropical storm, reaching 40 kt (46 mph) while within 50 miles.

24 of the 25 storms made a documented landfall somewhere along their track.

How often to expect a storm

A return interval of 7.0 years does not mean storms arrive on a schedule. It is simply 25 storms spread over the 174 years from 1852 to 2025. 3 separate years saw more than one storm pass within 50 miles while decades have gone by with none. The longest recorded quiet stretch was 23 years, between 1859 and 1882. It has been 3 years since the last one; 14 of the 21 gaps in this record were longer than that.

Common questions

Has a hurricane ever hit Clayton County, Georgia?

No. No tropical cyclone on record has passed within 50 miles of Clayton County, Georgia while at hurricane strength. 25 tropical cyclones have passed within that distance since 1852, all of them as tropical storms or depressions. The strongest was Unnamed Storm (1893).

When was the last tropical cyclone in Clayton County, Georgia?

Nicole (2022), on 11 November 2022, passing 3 miles away — 4 years ago. No storm on record has passed within 50 miles of Clayton County, Georgia at hurricane strength.

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

Unnamed Storm (1893), which reached 47 kt (54 mph) while within 50 miles; its closest approach was 23 miles.

How often does a tropical storm reach Clayton County, Georgia?

On average, one tropical cyclone passes within 50 miles every 7.0 years — 25 storms over the 174 years from 1852 to 2025, the end of the HURDAT2 record. That is a historical average, not a schedule or a forecast.

Nearby counties

Clayton County, Georgia borders or sits close to 5 other counties with a published storm record. Spalding County, Georgia has 26 on record.

Spalding County, Georgia26 storms within 50 mi Fayette County, Georgia26 storms within 50 mi Fulton County, Georgia24 storms within 50 mi Henry County, Georgia24 storms within 50 mi DeKalb County, Georgia23 storms within 50 mi