Dooly County, Georgia Hurricane History

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

Since 1851, 46 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of Dooly County, Georgia — about one every 3.8 years. Of those, 7 were at hurricane strength at their closest approach. The most recent was Helene (2024), which passed 40 miles away on 27 September 2024.

Storms within 50 mi

At hurricane strength

3.8

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 · 6TS / TD · 40

The 46 storms by the strongest category each reached while within 50 miles. 6 of them reached Cat 1.

Key facts

Most recentHelene (2024) — 40 mi away, 27 September 2024
Strongest stormMichael (2018) — 75 kt (86 mph) at its strongest within 50 miles
Closest pass on recordMichael (2018) — 2.5 miles
Closest major hurricane (Cat 3+)None on record
Passes within 25 miles17 of 46
Peak monthSeptember — 14 storms (30% of all)
Most active year1898 — 2 storms
Most active decade1880s — 5 storms
Major hurricanes (Cat 3+) within 50 mi0
Record span1851–2024

When storms arrive

JFMAMJJASOND

Storms by month of closest approach; the peak is highlighted and labelled. In Dooly County, Georgia, September is the most active month, with 14 of the 46 recorded storms (30%). The primary season runs August to October, accounting for 74% of all activity. The 1880s was the most active decade on record, with 5 storms. 0 of the 46 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	6	3	11	14	9	3	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: 8 storms in 1950–1987 against 11 in 1988–2025.

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

Every tropical or subtropical cyclone within 50 miles

Storm	Closest approach	Distance	Status	Wind
Helene (2024)	27 Sep 2024	40.2 mi	Cat 1	73 kt
Nicole (2022)	11 Nov 2022	46.5 mi	TS / TD	28 kt
Michael (2018)	11 Oct 2018	2.5 mi	Cat 1	65 kt
Irma (2017)	12 Sep 2017	38.9 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Tammy (2005)	6 Oct 2005	37.6 mi	TS / TD	28 kt
Jeanne (2004)	27 Sep 2004	10.3 mi	TS / TD	32 kt
Allison (2001)	12 Jun 2001	36.8 mi	TS / TD	20 kt
Helene (2000)	22 Sep 2000	28.9 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Earl (1998)	3 Sep 1998	39.0 mi	TS / TD	43 kt
Jerry (1995)	26 Aug 1995	9.1 mi	TS / TD	20 kt
Beryl (1994)	16 Aug 1994	40.9 mi	TS / TD	24 kt
Charley (1986)	14 Aug 1986	39.9 mi	TS / TD	10 kt
Kate (1985)	22 Nov 1985	48.5 mi	Cat 1	65 kt
Agnes (1972)	20 Jun 1972	3.3 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1965)	15 Jun 1965	25.1 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Dora (1964)	12 Sep 1964	43.5 mi	TS / TD	53 kt
Flossy (1956)	25 Sep 1956	34.9 mi	TS / TD	36 kt
King (1950)	19 Oct 1950	49.1 mi	TS / TD	37 kt
Easy (1950)	7 Sep 1950	37.0 mi	TS / TD	27 kt
Unnamed Storm (1947)	8 Oct 1947	32.2 mi	TS / TD	20 kt
Unnamed Storm (1941)	7 Oct 1941	26.6 mi	TS / TD	50 kt
Unnamed Storm (1940)	12 Aug 1940	35.8 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Unnamed Storm (1928)	10 Aug 1928	6.8 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1926)	29 Jul 1926	34.0 mi	TS / TD	37 kt
Unnamed Storm (1923)	27 Jun 1923	18.2 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1919)	1 Oct 1919	45.4 mi	TS / TD	28 kt
Unnamed Storm (1917)	29 Sep 1917	14.0 mi	TS / TD	38 kt
Unnamed Storm (1911)	30 Aug 1911	7.1 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1909)	2 Jul 1909	16.4 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Unnamed Storm (1904)	3 Nov 1904	31.4 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1901)	28 Sep 1901	16.3 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Unnamed Storm (1901)	18 Sep 1901	13.6 mi	TS / TD	37 kt
Unnamed Storm (1898)	3 Oct 1898	13.8 mi	TS / TD	55 kt
Unnamed Storm (1898)	1 Sep 1898	35.6 mi	TS / TD	42 kt
Unnamed Storm (1896)	8 Jul 1896	33.5 mi	TS / TD	45 kt
Unnamed Storm (1889)	23 Sep 1889	39.1 mi	TS / TD	46 kt
Unnamed Storm (1887)	20 Oct 1887	12.6 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1886)	21 Jun 1886	27.1 mi	TS / TD	52 kt
Unnamed Storm (1882)	10 Sep 1882	49.4 mi	TS / TD	47 kt
Unnamed Storm (1881)	28 Aug 1881	12.2 mi	TS / TD	50 kt
Unnamed Storm (1877)	3 Oct 1877	43.1 mi	TS / TD	50 kt
Unnamed Storm (1873)	2 Jun 1873	31.2 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1871)	27 Aug 1871	7.8 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1860)	13 Aug 1860	33.5 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1856)	31 Aug 1856	17.7 mi	TS / TD	62 kt
Unnamed Storm (1851)	24 Aug 1851	16.6 mi	Cat 1	65 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
Fay (2020)	Remnant low	7 Jul 2020	20.8 mi	20 kt
Nestor (2019)	Post-tropical	20 Oct 2019	33.9 mi	37 kt
Marco (1990)	Post-tropical	12 Oct 1990	48.4 mi	20 kt
Florence (1953)	Post-tropical	27 Sep 1953	48.4 mi	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1929)	Post-tropical	1 Oct 1929	48.9 mi	52 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.

Storms that came back

1 named storm in this record passed Dooly County, Georgia more than once.

Helene — 2 passes (2000, 2024)

How Dooly County, Georgia compares

Among the 2,208 U.S. counties and county-equivalents that have recorded at least one tropical cyclone within 50 miles, Dooly County, Georgia ranks #239 — more exposed than 89.2% of them. Within Georgia it ranks #58 of 159, against a state average of 39.8 storms per county.

Notable storms

Cat 1 Michael (2018) passed 3 miles away on 11 October 2018 as a hurricane, reaching 75 kt (86 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 1 Helene (2024) passed 40 miles away on 27 September 2024 as a hurricane, reaching 73 kt (84 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 1 Unnamed Storm (1851) passed 17 miles away on 24 August 1851 as a hurricane, reaching 70 kt (81 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 1 Kate (1985) passed 49 miles away on 22 November 1985 as a hurricane, reaching 65 kt (75 mph) while within 50 miles.

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

How often to expect a storm

A return interval of 3.8 years does not mean storms arrive on a schedule. It is simply 46 storms spread over the 175 years from 1851 to 2025. 3 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 13 years, between 1972 and 1985. It has been 1 year since the last one; 33 of the 42 gaps in this record were longer than that.

Common questions

How many hurricanes have hit Dooly County, Georgia?

7 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of Dooly County, Georgia at hurricane strength since 1851. Counting all tropical cyclones — including tropical storms and depressions — the total is 46.

When was the last hurricane in Dooly County, Georgia?

Helene (2024), on 27 September 2024, passing 40 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 Dooly County, Georgia?

Michael (2018), which reached 75 kt (86 mph) while within 50 miles; its closest approach was 3 miles.

How often do hurricanes hit Dooly County, Georgia?

On average, one tropical cyclone passes within 50 miles every 3.8 years — 46 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

Dooly County, Georgia borders or sits close to 6 other counties with a published storm record. Wilcox County, Georgia has 52 on record.

Wilcox County, Georgia52 storms within 50 mi Crisp County, Georgia49 storms within 50 mi Sumter County, Georgia44 storms within 50 mi Pulaski County, Georgia40 storms within 50 mi Macon County, Georgia37 storms within 50 mi Houston County, Georgia33 storms within 50 mi