Elbert County, Georgia Tropical Cyclone History

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

Since 1859, 26 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of Elbert County, Georgia — about one every 6.4 years. Of those, 0 were at hurricane strength at their closest approach. The most recent was Helene (2024), which passed 24 miles away on 27 September 2024.

Storms within 50 mi

At hurricane strength

6.4

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 recentHelene (2024) — 24 mi away, 27 September 2024
Strongest stormUnnamed Storm (1949) — 54 kt (62 mph) at its strongest within 50 miles
Closest pass on recordUnnamed Storm (1859) — 2.6 miles
Closest major hurricane (Cat 3+)None on record
Passes within 25 miles10 of 26
Peak monthSeptember — 11 storms (42% of all)
Most active year1959 — 2 storms
Most active decade1880s, 1900s and 1990s — 3 storms
Major hurricanes (Cat 3+) within 50 mi0
Record span1859–2024

When storms arrive

JFMAMJJASOND

Storms by month of closest approach; the peak is highlighted and labelled. In Elbert County, Georgia, September is the most active month, with 11 of the 26 recorded storms (42%). Activity concentrates in June, August and September, together 77% of all storms. The 1880s, 1900s and 1990s are tied as the most active decades on record, with 3 storms. 0 of the 26 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	4	2	5	11	4	0	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: 5 storms in 1950–1987 against 8 in 1988–2025.

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

Every tropical or subtropical cyclone within 50 miles

Storm	Closest approach	Distance	Status	Wind
Helene (2024)	27 Sep 2024	23.9 mi	TS / TD	50 kt
Claudette (2021)	20 Jun 2021	17.6 mi	TS / TD	26 kt
Michael (2018)	11 Oct 2018	48.2 mi	TS / TD	47 kt
Florence (2018)	16 Sep 2018	42.5 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Jeanne (2004)	28 Sep 2004	21.1 mi	TS / TD	21 kt
Danny (1997)	23 Jul 1997	17.3 mi	TS / TD	20 kt
Jerry (1995)	27 Aug 1995	16.4 mi	TS / TD	20 kt
Beryl (1994)	17 Aug 1994	39.3 mi	TS / TD	15 kt
Babe (1977)	8 Sep 1977	39.2 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Abby (1968)	8 Jun 1968	31.0 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Cleo (1964)	30 Aug 1964	48.9 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Irene (1959)	9 Oct 1959	46.0 mi	TS / TD	20 kt
Arlene (1959)	2 Jun 1959	43.4 mi	TS / TD	20 kt
Unnamed Storm (1949)	28 Aug 1949	25.2 mi	TS / TD	52 kt
Unnamed Storm (1947)	9 Oct 1947	16.0 mi	TS / TD	20 kt
Unnamed Storm (1928)	11 Aug 1928	34.2 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1913)	4 Sep 1913	37.2 mi	TS / TD	21 kt
Unnamed Storm (1906)	18 Sep 1906	49.0 mi	TS / TD	33 kt
Unnamed Storm (1903)	16 Sep 1903	9.5 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1900)	15 Sep 1900	27.4 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Unnamed Storm (1896)	8 Jul 1896	14.8 mi	TS / TD	32 kt
Unnamed Storm (1893)	3 Oct 1893	28.8 mi	TS / TD	42 kt
Unnamed Storm (1889)	24 Sep 1889	34.9 mi	TS / TD	45 kt
Unnamed Storm (1886)	22 Jun 1886	42.8 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1882)	11 Sep 1882	8.2 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1859)	16 Sep 1859	2.6 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	38.4 mi	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1912)	Post-tropical	14 Jun 1912	9.6 mi	35 kt
Unnamed Storm (1907)	Post-tropical	23 Sep 1907	39.1 mi	35 kt
Unnamed Storm (1902)	Post-tropical	11 Oct 1902	43.6 mi	35 kt
Unnamed Storm (1901)	Post-tropical	28 Sep 1901	18.5 mi	35 kt

About this data. Computed from NOAA's HURDAT2 Atlantic and Northeast Pacific hurricane databases (hurdat2-1851-2025-02272026.txt), covering 1859–2025. 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 Elbert County, Georgia compares

Among the 2,208 U.S. counties and county-equivalents that have recorded at least one tropical cyclone within 50 miles, Elbert County, Georgia ranks #605 — more exposed than 72.6% of them. Within Georgia it ranks #109 of 159, against a state average of 39.8 storms per county.

Notable storms

TS / TD Unnamed Storm (1949) passed 25 miles away on 28 August 1949 as a tropical storm, reaching 54 kt (62 mph) while within 50 miles.
TS / TD Helene (2024) passed 24 miles away on 27 September 2024 as a tropical storm, reaching 50 kt (58 mph) while within 50 miles.
TS / TD Michael (2018) passed 48 miles away on 11 October 2018 as a tropical storm, reaching 46 kt (53 mph) while within 50 miles.
TS / TD Unnamed Storm (1889) passed 35 miles away on 24 September 1889 as a tropical storm, reaching 45 kt (52 mph) while within 50 miles.

25 of the 26 storms made a documented landfall somewhere along their track.

How often to expect a storm

A return interval of 6.4 years does not mean storms arrive on a schedule. It is simply 26 storms spread over the 167 years from 1859 to 2025. 2 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 1 year since the last one; 22 of the 23 gaps in this record were longer than that.

Common questions

Has a hurricane ever hit Elbert County, Georgia?

No. No tropical cyclone on record has passed within 50 miles of Elbert County, Georgia while at hurricane strength. 26 tropical cyclones have passed within that distance since 1859, all of them as tropical storms or depressions. The strongest was Unnamed Storm (1949).

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

Helene (2024), on 27 September 2024, passing 24 miles away — 2 years ago. No storm on record has passed within 50 miles of Elbert County, Georgia at hurricane strength.

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

Unnamed Storm (1949), which reached 54 kt (62 mph) while within 50 miles; its closest approach was 25 miles.

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

On average, one tropical cyclone passes within 50 miles every 6.4 years — 26 storms over the 167 years from 1859 to 2025, the end of the HURDAT2 record. That is a historical average, not a schedule or a forecast.

Nearby counties

Elbert County, Georgia borders or sits close to 8 other counties with a published storm record. McCormick County, South Carolina has 29 on record.

McCormick County, South Carolina29 storms within 50 mi Wilkes County, Georgia27 storms within 50 mi Lincoln County, Georgia27 storms within 50 mi Oglethorpe County, Georgia24 storms within 50 mi Abbeville County, South Carolina23 storms within 50 mi Anderson County, South Carolina22 storms within 50 mi Hart County, Georgia21 storms within 50 mi Madison County, Georgia18 storms within 50 mi