Dougherty County, Georgia Hurricane History

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

Since 1851, 50 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of Dougherty County, Georgia — about one every 3.5 years. Of those, 8 were at hurricane strength at their closest approach. The most recent was Nicole (2022), which passed 23 miles away on 11 November 2022.

Storms within 50 mi

At hurricane strength

3.5

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 · 6TS / TD · 42

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

Key facts

Most recentNicole (2022) — 23 mi away, 11 November 2022
Strongest stormMichael (2018) — 98 kt (113 mph) at its strongest within 50 miles
Closest pass on recordUnnamed Storm (1901) — 2.7 miles
Closest major hurricane (Cat 3+)Michael (2018) — 13.4 miles
Passes within 25 miles29 of 50
Peak monthSeptember — 16 storms (32% of all)
Most active year1901 — 3 storms
Most active decade1870s, 1900s and 1910s — 6 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 Dougherty County, Georgia, September is the most active month, with 16 of the 50 recorded storms (32%). The primary season runs August to October, accounting for 72% of all activity. The 1870s, 1900s and 1910s are tied as the most active decades on record, with 6 storms. 1 of the 50 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	6	5	11	16	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 10 in 1988–2025.

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

Every tropical or subtropical cyclone within 50 miles

Storm	Closest approach	Distance	Status	Wind
Nicole (2022)	11 Nov 2022	23.0 mi	TS / TD	29 kt
Michael (2018)	11 Oct 2018	13.4 mi	Cat 1	75 kt
Irma (2017)	11 Sep 2017	6.8 mi	TS / TD	38 kt
Tammy (2005)	6 Oct 2005	13.8 mi	TS / TD	27 kt
Jeanne (2004)	27 Sep 2004	24.2 mi	TS / TD	33 kt
Frances (2004)	7 Sep 2004	40.0 mi	TS / TD	32 kt
Helene (2000)	22 Sep 2000	47.6 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Earl (1998)	3 Sep 1998	20.2 mi	TS / TD	45 kt
Jerry (1995)	26 Aug 1995	23.2 mi	TS / TD	20 kt
Beryl (1994)	16 Aug 1994	36.8 mi	TS / TD	28 kt
Charley (1986)	13 Aug 1986	35.8 mi	TS / TD	10 kt
Kate (1985)	22 Nov 1985	31.3 mi	Cat 1	68 kt
Agnes (1972)	20 Jun 1972	14.6 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1965)	15 Jun 1965	41.0 mi	TS / TD	42 kt
Dora (1964)	12 Sep 1964	9.2 mi	TS / TD	45 kt
Flossy (1956)	25 Sep 1956	14.1 mi	TS / TD	38 kt
King (1950)	19 Oct 1950	3.4 mi	TS / TD	38 kt
Easy (1950)	7 Sep 1950	13.9 mi	TS / TD	27 kt
Unnamed Storm (1947)	16 Oct 1947	21.6 mi	TS / TD	37 kt
Unnamed Storm (1941)	7 Oct 1941	11.2 mi	TS / TD	60 kt
Unnamed Storm (1928)	10 Aug 1928	5.3 mi	TS / TD	32 kt
Unnamed Storm (1926)	29 Jul 1926	14.7 mi	TS / TD	38 kt
Unnamed Storm (1923)	26 Jun 1923	24.2 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1919)	1 Oct 1919	5.8 mi	TS / TD	27 kt
Unnamed Storm (1917)	29 Sep 1917	26.5 mi	TS / TD	39 kt
Unnamed Storm (1914)	17 Sep 1914	24.4 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Unnamed Storm (1912)	6 Sep 1912	14.0 mi	TS / TD	21 kt
Unnamed Storm (1912)	16 Jul 1912	16.9 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Unnamed Storm (1911)	4 Aug 1911	26.5 mi	TS / TD	20 kt
Unnamed Storm (1909)	2 Jul 1909	7.1 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Unnamed Storm (1907)	29 Sep 1907	38.0 mi	TS / TD	39 kt
Unnamed Storm (1904)	3 Nov 1904	6.8 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1901)	28 Sep 1901	2.7 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Unnamed Storm (1901)	18 Sep 1901	36.7 mi	TS / TD	38 kt
Unnamed Storm (1901)	14 Jun 1901	34.9 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1896)	8 Jul 1896	47.4 mi	TS / TD	52 kt
Unnamed Storm (1894)	9 Oct 1894	31.2 mi	Cat 1	78 kt
Unnamed Storm (1887)	20 Oct 1887	40.3 mi	TS / TD	31 kt
Unnamed Storm (1886)	1 Jul 1886	49.1 mi	TS / TD	62 kt
Unnamed Storm (1886)	21 Jun 1886	29.0 mi	Cat 1	65 kt
Unnamed Storm (1881)	28 Aug 1881	32.4 mi	TS / TD	50 kt
Unnamed Storm (1877)	3 Oct 1877	29.3 mi	TS / TD	60 kt
Unnamed Storm (1877)	20 Sep 1877	44.2 mi	TS / TD	45 kt
Unnamed Storm (1875)	28 Sep 1875	38.8 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1873)	2 Jun 1873	26.7 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1871)	27 Aug 1871	13.4 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1871)	23 Aug 1871	9.5 mi	TS / TD	33 kt
Unnamed Storm (1860)	13 Aug 1860	4.1 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1856)	31 Aug 1856	7.0 mi	Cat 1	67 kt
Unnamed Storm (1851)	24 Aug 1851	6.6 mi	Cat 1	73 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	6 Jul 2020	19.9 mi	20 kt
Nestor (2019)	Post-tropical	20 Oct 2019	23.0 mi	35 kt
Hilda (1964)	Post-tropical	5 Oct 1964	48.9 mi	45 kt
Florence (1953)	Post-tropical	27 Sep 1953	14.0 mi	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1929)	Post-tropical	1 Oct 1929	29.5 mi	54 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 Dougherty County, Georgia compares

Among the 2,208 U.S. counties and county-equivalents that have recorded at least one tropical cyclone within 50 miles, Dougherty County, Georgia ranks #198 — more exposed than 91.0% of them. Within Georgia it ranks #51 of 159, against a state average of 39.8 storms per county.

Notable storms

Cat 3 Michael (2018) passed 13 miles away on 11 October 2018 as a hurricane, reaching 98 kt (113 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 2 Unnamed Storm (1851) passed 7 miles away on 24 August 1851 as a hurricane, reaching 83 kt (96 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 1 Unnamed Storm (1894) passed 31 miles away on 9 October 1894 as a hurricane, reaching 82 kt (94 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 1 Kate (1985) passed 31 miles away on 22 November 1985 as a hurricane, reaching 72 kt (83 mph) while within 50 miles.

47 of the 50 storms made a documented landfall somewhere along their track.

How often to expect a storm

A return interval of 3.5 years does not mean storms arrive on a schedule. It is simply 50 storms spread over the 175 years from 1851 to 2025. 7 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 1928 and 1941. It has been 3 years since the last one; 18 of the 41 gaps in this record were longer than that.

Common questions

How many hurricanes have hit Dougherty County, Georgia?

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

When was the last hurricane in Dougherty County, Georgia?

Michael (2018), on 11 October 2018, passing 13 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 Dougherty County, Georgia?

Michael (2018), which reached 98 kt (113 mph) while within 50 miles; its closest approach was 13 miles.

How often do hurricanes hit Dougherty County, Georgia?

On average, one tropical cyclone passes within 50 miles every 3.5 years — 50 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

Dougherty County, Georgia borders or sits close to 5 other counties with a published storm record. Baker County, Georgia has 54 on record.

Baker County, Georgia54 storms within 50 mi Calhoun County, Georgia53 storms within 50 mi Mitchell County, Georgia52 storms within 50 mi Lee County, Georgia52 storms within 50 mi Terrell County, Georgia46 storms within 50 mi