Harris County, Georgia Tropical Cyclone History

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

Since 1852, 33 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of Harris County, Georgia — about one every 5.3 years. Of those, 0 were at hurricane strength at their closest approach. The most recent was Nicole (2022), which passed 20 miles away on 11 November 2022.

Storms within 50 mi

At hurricane strength

5.3

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 recentNicole (2022) — 20 mi away, 11 November 2022
Strongest stormUnnamed Storm (1882) — 56 kt (64 mph) at its strongest within 50 miles
Closest pass on recordUnnamed Storm (1898) — 2.5 miles
Closest major hurricane (Cat 3+)None on record
Passes within 25 miles15 of 33
Peak monthSeptember — 13 storms (39% of all)
Most active year1898 — 2 storms
Most active decade1880s, 1890s, 1950s and 2000s — 4 storms
Major hurricanes (Cat 3+) within 50 mi0
Record span1852–2022

When storms arrive

JFMAMJJASOND

Storms by month of closest approach; the peak is highlighted and labelled. In Harris County, Georgia, September is the most active month, with 13 of the 33 recorded storms (39%). Activity concentrates in June, August and September, together 73% of all storms. The 1880s, 1890s, 1950s and 2000s are tied as the most active decades on record, with 4 storms. 0 of the 33 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	5	5	13	3	1	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: 6 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	0	0	4	4	3	2	2	0	0	4	0	2	0	2	4	1	3

Every tropical or subtropical cyclone within 50 miles

Storm	Closest approach	Distance	Status	Wind
Nicole (2022)	11 Nov 2022	20.4 mi	TS / TD	26 kt
Fred (2021)	17 Aug 2021	17.4 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Claudette (2021)	20 Jun 2021	49.5 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Irma (2017)	12 Sep 2017	20.2 mi	TS / TD	28 kt
Frances (2004)	7 Sep 2004	5.7 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Hanna (2002)	15 Sep 2002	16.4 mi	TS / TD	20 kt
Allison (2001)	12 Jun 2001	26.0 mi	TS / TD	20 kt
Helene (2000)	22 Sep 2000	42.8 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Beryl (1994)	16 Aug 1994	35.0 mi	TS / TD	24 kt
Alberto (1994)	4 Jul 1994	13.6 mi	TS / TD	20 kt
Eloise (1975)	23 Sep 1975	49.3 mi	TS / TD	55 kt
Becky (1970)	22 Jul 1970	34.2 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Arlene (1959)	2 Jun 1959	12.7 mi	TS / TD	20 kt
Debbie (1957)	9 Sep 1957	18.6 mi	TS / TD	27 kt
King (1950)	19 Oct 1950	48.9 mi	TS / TD	24 kt
Easy (1950)	7 Sep 1950	28.4 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Unnamed Storm (1928)	15 Aug 1928	31.3 mi	TS / TD	31 kt
Unnamed Storm (1926)	29 Jul 1926	35.4 mi	TS / TD	32 kt
Unnamed Storm (1915)	4 Sep 1915	14.9 mi	TS / TD	42 kt
Unnamed Storm (1912)	14 Jun 1912	41.9 mi	TS / TD	36 kt
Unnamed Storm (1906)	13 Jun 1906	46.0 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Unnamed Storm (1903)	15 Sep 1903	28.8 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Unnamed Storm (1901)	14 Jun 1901	9.0 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Unnamed Storm (1898)	3 Oct 1898	27.4 mi	TS / TD	42 kt
Unnamed Storm (1898)	1 Sep 1898	2.5 mi	TS / TD	37 kt
Unnamed Storm (1896)	8 Jul 1896	41.3 mi	TS / TD	48 kt
Unnamed Storm (1893)	3 Oct 1893	14.3 mi	TS / TD	48 kt
Unnamed Storm (1889)	23 Sep 1889	33.1 mi	TS / TD	47 kt
Unnamed Storm (1887)	28 Jul 1887	7.0 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Unnamed Storm (1882)	10 Sep 1882	26.6 mi	TS / TD	50 kt
Unnamed Storm (1881)	28 Aug 1881	39.7 mi	TS / TD	47 kt
Unnamed Storm (1859)	16 Sep 1859	18.1 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1852)	27 Aug 1852	8.1 mi	TS / TD	40 kt

Post-tropical and extratropical passes

A further 3 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	3.8 mi	30 kt
Five (2010)	Remnant low	15 Aug 2010	3.8 mi	15 kt
Unnamed Storm (1902)	Post-tropical	11 Oct 1902	36.0 mi	35 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 Harris County, Georgia compares

Among the 2,208 U.S. counties and county-equivalents that have recorded at least one tropical cyclone within 50 miles, Harris County, Georgia ranks #448 — more exposed than 79.7% of them. Within Georgia it ranks #80 of 159, against a state average of 39.8 storms per county.

Notable storms

TS / TD Unnamed Storm (1882) passed 27 miles away on 10 September 1882 as a tropical storm, reaching 56 kt (64 mph) while within 50 miles.
TS / TD Eloise (1975) passed 49 miles away on 23 September 1975 as a tropical storm, reaching 55 kt (63 mph) while within 50 miles.
TS / TD Unnamed Storm (1896) passed 41 miles away on 8 July 1896 as a tropical storm, reaching 50 kt (58 mph) while within 50 miles.
TS / TD Unnamed Storm (1893) passed 14 miles away on 3 October 1893 as a tropical storm, reaching 50 kt (58 mph) while within 50 miles.

32 of the 33 storms made a documented landfall somewhere along their track.

How often to expect a storm

A return interval of 5.3 years does not mean storms arrive on a schedule. It is simply 33 storms spread over the 174 years from 1852 to 2025. 4 separate years saw more than one storm pass within 50 miles while decades have gone by with none. The longest recorded quiet stretch was 22 years, between 1859 and 1881. It has been 3 years since the last one; 14 of the 28 gaps in this record were longer than that.

Common questions

Has a hurricane ever hit Harris County, Georgia?

No. No tropical cyclone on record has passed within 50 miles of Harris County, Georgia while at hurricane strength. 33 tropical cyclones have passed within that distance since 1852, all of them as tropical storms or depressions. The strongest was Unnamed Storm (1882).

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

Nicole (2022), on 11 November 2022, passing 20 miles away — 4 years ago. No storm on record has passed within 50 miles of Harris County, Georgia at hurricane strength.

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

Unnamed Storm (1882), which reached 56 kt (64 mph) while within 50 miles; its closest approach was 27 miles.

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

On average, one tropical cyclone passes within 50 miles every 5.3 years — 33 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

Harris County, Georgia borders or sits close to 6 other counties with a published storm record. Muscogee County, Georgia has 34 on record.

Muscogee County, Georgia34 storms within 50 mi Talbot County, Georgia32 storms within 50 mi Lee County, Alabama32 storms within 50 mi Meriwether County, Georgia30 storms within 50 mi Chambers County, Alabama29 storms within 50 mi Troup County, Georgia29 storms within 50 mi