Coffee County, Georgia Hurricane History

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

Since 1852, 66 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of Coffee County, Georgia — about one every 2.6 years. Of those, 11 were at hurricane strength at their closest approach. The most recent was Helene (2024), which passed 30 miles away on 27 September 2024.

Storms within 50 mi

At hurricane strength

2.6

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 1 · 9TS / TD · 57

The 66 storms by the strongest category each reached while within 50 miles. 9 of them reached Cat 1.

Key facts

Most recentHelene (2024) — 30 mi away, 27 September 2024
Strongest stormUnnamed Storm (1898) — 81 kt (93 mph) at its strongest within 50 miles
Closest pass on recordBeryl (2012) — 2.9 miles
Closest major hurricane (Cat 3+)None on record
Passes within 25 miles33 of 66
Peak monthSeptember and October — 17 storms (26% of all)
Most active year1871 — 3 storms
Most active decade1910s — 9 storms
Major hurricanes (Cat 3+) within 50 mi0
Record span1852–2024

When storms arrive

JFMAMJJASOND

Storms by month of closest approach; the peak is highlighted and labelled. In Coffee County, Georgia, September and October are tied as the most active months, with 17 of the 66 recorded storms (26%). The primary season runs August to October, accounting for 71% of all activity. The 1910s was the most active decade on record, with 9 storms. 0 of the 66 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	1	10	6	13	17	17	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 13 in 1988–2025.

1850s	1860s	1870s	1880s	1890s	1900s	1910s	1920s	1930s	1940s	1950s	1960s	1970s	1980s	1990s	2000s	2010s	2020s
1	2	8	6	3	5	9	3	2	4	4	3	0	3	3	4	2	4

Every tropical or subtropical cyclone within 50 miles

Storm	Closest approach	Distance	Status	Wind
Helene (2024)	27 Sep 2024	30.1 mi	Cat 1	73 kt
Idalia (2023)	30 Aug 2023	20.6 mi	TS / TD	60 kt
Mindy (2021)	9 Sep 2021	45.1 mi	TS / TD	32 kt
Elsa (2021)	8 Jul 2021	9.2 mi	TS / TD	45 kt
Hermine (2016)	2 Sep 2016	10.7 mi	TS / TD	50 kt
Beryl (2012)	29 May 2012	2.9 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Alberto (2006)	14 Jun 2006	11.5 mi	TS / TD	34 kt
Tammy (2005)	6 Oct 2005	17.4 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Bonnie (2004)	12 Aug 2004	36.4 mi	TS / TD	28 kt
Gordon (2000)	18 Sep 2000	46.1 mi	TS / TD	29 kt
Earl (1998)	3 Sep 1998	29.4 mi	TS / TD	42 kt
Allison (1995)	5 Jun 1995	8.6 mi	TS / TD	32 kt
Marco (1990)	12 Oct 1990	9.2 mi	TS / TD	20 kt
Unnamed Storm (1987)	17 Aug 1987	6.3 mi	TS / TD	10 kt
Charley (1986)	14 Aug 1986	30.2 mi	TS / TD	10 kt
Kate (1985)	22 Nov 1985	19.6 mi	TS / TD	60 kt
Unnamed Storm (1966)	2 Jul 1966	9.2 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Alma (1966)	10 Jun 1966	20.2 mi	TS / TD	43 kt
Dora (1964)	12 Sep 1964	18.7 mi	TS / TD	57 kt
Unnamed Storm (1957)	9 Jun 1957	19.2 mi	TS / TD	37 kt
Love (1950)	21 Oct 1950	34.3 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
King (1950)	19 Oct 1950	49.6 mi	TS / TD	45 kt
Easy (1950)	7 Sep 1950	25.8 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1949)	28 Aug 1949	3.2 mi	Cat 1	65 kt
Unnamed Storm (1947)	15 Oct 1947	7.4 mi	TS / TD	61 kt
Unnamed Storm (1947)	8 Oct 1947	29.3 mi	TS / TD	20 kt
Unnamed Storm (1941)	7 Oct 1941	43.5 mi	TS / TD	48 kt
Unnamed Storm (1935)	5 Sep 1935	7.3 mi	TS / TD	60 kt
Unnamed Storm (1933)	6 Sep 1933	9.2 mi	TS / TD	50 kt
Unnamed Storm (1926)	29 Jul 1926	39.8 mi	TS / TD	42 kt
Unnamed Storm (1924)	16 Sep 1924	31.1 mi	TS / TD	38 kt
Unnamed Storm (1923)	27 Jun 1923	29.1 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1919)	1 Oct 1919	7.6 mi	TS / TD	32 kt
Unnamed Storm (1917)	30 Sep 1917	31.1 mi	TS / TD	32 kt
Unnamed Storm (1916)	5 Oct 1916	13.8 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1915)	2 Aug 1915	34.7 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1914)	17 Sep 1914	34.1 mi	TS / TD	38 kt
Unnamed Storm (1912)	6 Sep 1912	5.8 mi	TS / TD	24 kt
Unnamed Storm (1912)	15 Jul 1912	17.5 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1911)	29 Aug 1911	39.1 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Unnamed Storm (1911)	5 Aug 1911	18.7 mi	TS / TD	20 kt
Unnamed Storm (1909)	2 Jul 1909	41.8 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Unnamed Storm (1907)	29 Sep 1907	9.2 mi	TS / TD	37 kt
Unnamed Storm (1907)	29 Jun 1907	32.2 mi	TS / TD	48 kt
Unnamed Storm (1904)	3 Nov 1904	31.3 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1902)	15 Jun 1902	3.4 mi	TS / TD	38 kt
Unnamed Storm (1898)	2 Oct 1898	12.0 mi	Cat 1	73 kt
Unnamed Storm (1894)	9 Oct 1894	13.8 mi	Cat 1	70 kt
Unnamed Storm (1893)	16 Jun 1893	49.6 mi	TS / TD	47 kt
Unnamed Storm (1888)	9 Sep 1888	40.2 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1886)	1 Jul 1886	8.2 mi	TS / TD	58 kt
Unnamed Storm (1886)	21 Jun 1886	42.2 mi	TS / TD	55 kt
Unnamed Storm (1885)	12 Oct 1885	28.2 mi	TS / TD	50 kt
Unnamed Storm (1885)	31 Aug 1885	40.5 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1881)	28 Aug 1881	30.0 mi	TS / TD	53 kt
Unnamed Storm (1878)	11 Oct 1878	44.9 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1877)	3 Oct 1877	27.5 mi	TS / TD	48 kt
Unnamed Storm (1877)	20 Sep 1877	33.5 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1873)	19 Sep 1873	28.2 mi	TS / TD	57 kt
Unnamed Storm (1873)	2 Jun 1873	14.0 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Unnamed Storm (1871)	6 Oct 1871	22.5 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1871)	28 Aug 1871	45.0 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1871)	23 Aug 1871	15.1 mi	TS / TD	45 kt
Unnamed Storm (1868)	4 Oct 1868	48.1 mi	TS / TD	42 kt
Unnamed Storm (1860)	13 Aug 1860	15.9 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1852)	10 Oct 1852	8.5 mi	TS / TD	63 kt

Post-tropical and extratropical passes

A further 6 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
Nestor (2019)	Post-tropical	20 Oct 2019	36.4 mi	37 kt
Hilda (1964)	Post-tropical	5 Oct 1964	40.3 mi	45 kt
Flossy (1956)	Post-tropical	25 Sep 1956	32.0 mi	35 kt
Florence (1953)	Post-tropical	27 Sep 1953	9.6 mi	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1929)	Post-tropical	1 Oct 1929	20.6 mi	51 kt
Unnamed Storm (1924)	Post-tropical	30 Sep 1924	20.1 mi	55 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 Coffee County, Georgia compares

Among the 2,208 U.S. counties and county-equivalents that have recorded at least one tropical cyclone within 50 miles, Coffee County, Georgia ranks #65 — more exposed than 97.1% of them. Within Georgia it ranks #23 of 159, against a state average of 39.8 storms per county.

Notable storms

Cat 1 Unnamed Storm (1898) passed 12 miles away on 2 October 1898 as a hurricane, reaching 81 kt (93 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 1 Helene (2024) passed 30 miles away on 27 September 2024 as a hurricane, reaching 80 kt (92 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 1 Unnamed Storm (1894) passed 14 miles away on 9 October 1894 as a hurricane, reaching 75 kt (86 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 1 Idalia (2023) passed 21 miles away on 30 August 2023 as a tropical storm, reaching 73 kt (84 mph) while within 50 miles.

63 of the 66 storms made a documented landfall somewhere along their track.

How often to expect a storm

A return interval of 2.6 years does not mean storms arrive on a schedule. It is simply 66 storms spread over the 174 years from 1852 to 2025. 12 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 19 years, between 1966 and 1985. It has been 1 year since the last one; 37 of the 51 gaps in this record were longer than that.

Common questions

How many hurricanes have hit Coffee County, Georgia?

11 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of Coffee County, Georgia at hurricane strength since 1852. Counting all tropical cyclones — including tropical storms and depressions — the total is 66.

When was the last hurricane in Coffee County, Georgia?

Helene (2024), on 27 September 2024, passing 30 miles away — 2 years ago. The most recent tropical cyclone of any strength was Helene (2024) in 2024.

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

Unnamed Storm (1898), which reached 81 kt (93 mph) while within 50 miles; its closest approach was 12 miles.

How often do hurricanes hit Coffee County, Georgia?

On average, one tropical cyclone passes within 50 miles every 2.6 years — 66 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

Coffee County, Georgia borders or sits close to 8 other counties with a published storm record. Bacon County, Georgia has 71 on record.

Bacon County, Georgia71 storms within 50 mi Atkinson County, Georgia70 storms within 50 mi Ware County, Georgia70 storms within 50 mi Berrien County, Georgia64 storms within 50 mi Jeff Davis County, Georgia63 storms within 50 mi Ben Hill County, Georgia61 storms within 50 mi Irwin County, Georgia61 storms within 50 mi Telfair County, Georgia57 storms within 50 mi