Cook County, Georgia Hurricane History

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

Since 1852, 61 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of Cook County, Georgia — about one every 2.9 years. Of those, 10 were at hurricane strength at their closest approach. The most recent was Helene (2024), which passed 13 miles away on 27 September 2024.

Storms within 50 mi

At hurricane strength

2.9

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 2 · 2Cat 1 · 7TS / TD · 52

The 61 storms by the strongest category each reached while within 50 miles. 2 of them reached Cat 2.

Key facts

Most recentHelene (2024) — 13 mi away, 27 September 2024
Strongest stormHelene (2024) — 95 kt (109 mph) at its strongest within 50 miles
Closest pass on recordUnnamed Storm (1914) — 1.4 miles
Closest major hurricane (Cat 3+)None on record
Passes within 25 miles34 of 61
Peak monthSeptember — 20 storms (33% of all)
Most active year1950 — 3 storms
Most active decade1870s — 8 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 Cook County, Georgia, September is the most active month, with 20 of the 61 recorded storms (33%). The primary season runs August to October, accounting for 74% of all activity. The 1870s was the most active decade on record, with 8 storms. 0 of the 61 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	8	5	10	20	15	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 16 in 1988–2025.

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

Every tropical or subtropical cyclone within 50 miles

Storm	Closest approach	Distance	Status	Wind
Helene (2024)	27 Sep 2024	12.7 mi	Cat 1	80 kt
Idalia (2023)	30 Aug 2023	36.8 mi	Cat 1	73 kt
Mindy (2021)	9 Sep 2021	32.0 mi	TS / TD	33 kt
Elsa (2021)	7 Jul 2021	28.4 mi	TS / TD	45 kt
Irma (2017)	11 Sep 2017	14.3 mi	TS / TD	43 kt
Hermine (2016)	2 Sep 2016	13.0 mi	TS / TD	55 kt
Beryl (2012)	29 May 2012	15.3 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Alberto (2006)	13 Jun 2006	26.7 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Tammy (2005)	6 Oct 2005	21.8 mi	TS / TD	32 kt
Jeanne (2004)	27 Sep 2004	26.7 mi	TS / TD	36 kt
Bonnie (2004)	12 Aug 2004	33.0 mi	TS / TD	28 kt
Georges (1998)	30 Sep 1998	42.8 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Earl (1998)	3 Sep 1998	29.1 mi	TS / TD	44 kt
Jerry (1995)	26 Aug 1995	10.7 mi	TS / TD	22 kt
Allison (1995)	5 Jun 1995	6.3 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Marco (1990)	12 Oct 1990	25.4 mi	TS / TD	20 kt
Unnamed Storm (1987)	16 Aug 1987	20.2 mi	TS / TD	10 kt
Charley (1986)	13 Aug 1986	17.3 mi	TS / TD	10 kt
Kate (1985)	22 Nov 1985	21.9 mi	Cat 1	68 kt
Unnamed Storm (1966)	2 Jul 1966	34.9 mi	TS / TD	29 kt
Alma (1966)	10 Jun 1966	19.5 mi	TS / TD	48 kt
Dora (1964)	12 Sep 1964	29.3 mi	TS / TD	53 kt
Unnamed Storm (1957)	9 Jun 1957	23.4 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Flossy (1956)	25 Sep 1956	35.1 mi	TS / TD	38 kt
Love (1950)	21 Oct 1950	49.6 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
King (1950)	19 Oct 1950	5.5 mi	TS / TD	45 kt
Easy (1950)	7 Sep 1950	14.7 mi	TS / TD	29 kt
Unnamed Storm (1949)	28 Aug 1949	32.1 mi	Cat 1	65 kt
Unnamed Storm (1947)	15 Oct 1947	20.9 mi	TS / TD	45 kt
Unnamed Storm (1947)	8 Oct 1947	3.7 mi	TS / TD	20 kt
Unnamed Storm (1941)	7 Oct 1941	39.7 mi	TS / TD	58 kt
Unnamed Storm (1935)	5 Sep 1935	25.9 mi	TS / TD	63 kt
Unnamed Storm (1933)	6 Sep 1933	17.3 mi	TS / TD	50 kt
Unnamed Storm (1926)	29 Jul 1926	4.8 mi	TS / TD	42 kt
Unnamed Storm (1924)	16 Sep 1924	30.8 mi	TS / TD	42 kt
Unnamed Storm (1919)	1 Oct 1919	24.1 mi	TS / TD	31 kt
Unnamed Storm (1916)	5 Oct 1916	30.6 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1914)	17 Sep 1914	1.4 mi	TS / TD	37 kt
Unnamed Storm (1912)	6 Sep 1912	17.6 mi	TS / TD	22 kt
Unnamed Storm (1912)	16 Jul 1912	11.0 mi	TS / TD	38 kt
Unnamed Storm (1911)	5 Aug 1911	6.8 mi	TS / TD	20 kt
Unnamed Storm (1907)	29 Sep 1907	5.3 mi	TS / TD	38 kt
Unnamed Storm (1907)	29 Jun 1907	24.7 mi	TS / TD	45 kt
Unnamed Storm (1904)	3 Nov 1904	42.3 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1902)	15 Jun 1902	17.2 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1894)	9 Oct 1894	16.9 mi	Cat 1	75 kt
Unnamed Storm (1886)	1 Jul 1886	8.0 mi	TS / TD	62 kt
Unnamed Storm (1886)	21 Jun 1886	23.9 mi	Cat 1	68 kt
Unnamed Storm (1885)	21 Sep 1885	46.1 mi	TS / TD	42 kt
Unnamed Storm (1885)	31 Aug 1885	24.4 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1878)	11 Oct 1878	28.9 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1877)	3 Oct 1877	21.8 mi	TS / TD	57 kt
Unnamed Storm (1877)	20 Sep 1877	9.6 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1875)	28 Sep 1875	35.4 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1873)	19 Sep 1873	31.2 mi	TS / TD	58 kt
Unnamed Storm (1873)	2 Jun 1873	27.9 mi	TS / TD	33 kt
Unnamed Storm (1871)	6 Oct 1871	30.7 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1871)	23 Aug 1871	17.3 mi	TS / TD	42 kt
Unnamed Storm (1868)	4 Oct 1868	36.1 mi	TS / TD	43 kt
Unnamed Storm (1860)	13 Aug 1860	39.0 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1852)	10 Oct 1852	4.7 mi	Cat 1	70 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
Nestor (2019)	Post-tropical	20 Oct 2019	32.7 mi	36 kt
Hilda (1964)	Post-tropical	5 Oct 1964	17.5 mi	45 kt
Florence (1953)	Post-tropical	27 Sep 1953	24.8 mi	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1929)	Post-tropical	1 Oct 1929	20.3 mi	53 kt
Unnamed Storm (1924)	Post-tropical	30 Sep 1924	27.5 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 Cook County, Georgia compares

Among the 2,208 U.S. counties and county-equivalents that have recorded at least one tropical cyclone within 50 miles, Cook County, Georgia ranks #109 — more exposed than 95.1% of them. Within Georgia it ranks #32 of 159, against a state average of 39.8 storms per county.

Notable storms

Cat 2 Helene (2024) passed 13 miles away on 27 September 2024 as a hurricane, reaching 95 kt (109 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 2 Idalia (2023) passed 37 miles away on 30 August 2023 as a hurricane, reaching 86 kt (99 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 1 Unnamed Storm (1894) passed 17 miles away on 9 October 1894 as a hurricane, reaching 80 kt (92 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 1 Unnamed Storm (1852) passed 5 miles away on 10 October 1852 as a hurricane, reaching 76 kt (87 mph) while within 50 miles.

58 of the 61 storms made a documented landfall somewhere along their track.

How often to expect a storm

A return interval of 2.9 years does not mean storms arrive on a schedule. It is simply 61 storms spread over the 174 years from 1852 to 2025. 14 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; 34 of the 45 gaps in this record were longer than that.

Common questions

How many hurricanes have hit Cook County, Georgia?

10 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of Cook County, Georgia at hurricane strength since 1852. Counting all tropical cyclones — including tropical storms and depressions — the total is 61.

When was the last hurricane in Cook County, Georgia?

Helene (2024), on 27 September 2024, passing 13 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 Cook County, Georgia?

Helene (2024), which reached 95 kt (109 mph) while within 50 miles; its closest approach was 13 miles.

How often do hurricanes hit Cook County, Georgia?

On average, one tropical cyclone passes within 50 miles every 2.9 years — 61 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

Cook County, Georgia borders or sits close to 4 other counties with a published storm record. Lowndes County, Georgia has 70 on record.

Lowndes County, Georgia70 storms within 50 mi Brooks County, Georgia69 storms within 50 mi Colquitt County, Georgia67 storms within 50 mi Tift County, Georgia65 storms within 50 mi