Jeff Davis County, Georgia Hurricane History

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

Since 1851, 63 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of Jeff Davis County, Georgia — about one every 2.8 years. Of those, 10 were at hurricane strength at their closest approach. The most recent was Helene (2024), which passed 35 miles away on 27 September 2024.

Storms within 50 mi

At hurricane strength

2.8

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 · 8TS / TD · 55

The 63 storms by the strongest category each reached while within 50 miles. 8 of them reached Cat 1.

Key facts

Most recentHelene (2024) — 35 mi away, 27 September 2024
Strongest stormUnnamed Storm (1898) — 81 kt (93 mph) at its strongest within 50 miles
Closest pass on recordUnnamed Storm (1902) — 1.9 miles
Closest major hurricane (Cat 3+)None on record
Passes within 25 miles33 of 63
Peak monthAugust, September and October — 15 storms (24% of all)
Most active year1871 — 3 storms
Most active decade1910s — 8 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 Jeff Davis County, Georgia, August, September and October are tied as the most active months, with 15 of the 63 recorded storms (24%). The primary season runs August to October, accounting for 71% of all activity. The 1910s was the most active decade on record, with 8 storms. 0 of the 63 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	10	5	15	15	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 12 in 1988–2025.

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

Every tropical or subtropical cyclone within 50 miles

Storm	Closest approach	Distance	Status	Wind
Helene (2024)	27 Sep 2024	35.0 mi	Cat 1	73 kt
Idalia (2023)	30 Aug 2023	23.0 mi	TS / TD	60 kt
Elsa (2021)	8 Jul 2021	8.3 mi	TS / TD	44 kt
Hermine (2016)	2 Sep 2016	18.0 mi	TS / TD	50 kt
Beryl (2012)	29 May 2012	6.6 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Alberto (2006)	14 Jun 2006	8.1 mi	TS / TD	33 kt
Tammy (2005)	6 Oct 2005	36.6 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Bonnie (2004)	12 Aug 2004	41.9 mi	TS / TD	27 kt
Gordon (2000)	18 Sep 2000	44.1 mi	TS / TD	28 kt
Earl (1998)	3 Sep 1998	23.2 mi	TS / TD	42 kt
Allison (1995)	6 Jun 1995	9.6 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Marco (1990)	12 Oct 1990	21.4 mi	TS / TD	20 kt
Unnamed Storm (1987)	17 Aug 1987	12.8 mi	TS / TD	10 kt
Charley (1986)	14 Aug 1986	28.4 mi	TS / TD	10 kt
Kate (1985)	22 Nov 1985	11.6 mi	TS / TD	60 kt
Abby (1968)	7 Jun 1968	39.6 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Unnamed Storm (1966)	2 Jul 1966	11.1 mi	TS / TD	22 kt
Alma (1966)	10 Jun 1966	28.0 mi	TS / TD	42 kt
Dora (1964)	12 Sep 1964	8.6 mi	TS / TD	58 kt
Unnamed Storm (1957)	9 Jun 1957	24.6 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Unnamed Storm (1953)	1 Sep 1953	42.4 mi	TS / TD	27 kt
Love (1950)	22 Oct 1950	33.5 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Easy (1950)	7 Sep 1950	47.4 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1949)	28 Aug 1949	15.5 mi	Cat 1	65 kt
Unnamed Storm (1947)	15 Oct 1947	14.5 mi	TS / TD	61 kt
Unnamed Storm (1947)	8 Oct 1947	39.0 mi	TS / TD	20 kt
Unnamed Storm (1946)	8 Oct 1946	44.7 mi	TS / TD	52 kt
Unnamed Storm (1941)	8 Oct 1941	33.8 mi	TS / TD	44 kt
Unnamed Storm (1940)	12 Aug 1940	43.0 mi	TS / TD	50 kt
Unnamed Storm (1935)	5 Sep 1935	2.2 mi	TS / TD	57 kt
Unnamed Storm (1933)	6 Sep 1933	8.2 mi	TS / TD	47 kt
Unnamed Storm (1924)	16 Sep 1924	36.4 mi	TS / TD	38 kt
Unnamed Storm (1923)	27 Jun 1923	10.9 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1919)	1 Oct 1919	26.4 mi	TS / TD	33 kt
Unnamed Storm (1917)	30 Sep 1917	13.1 mi	TS / TD	31 kt
Unnamed Storm (1916)	4 Oct 1916	28.0 mi	TS / TD	37 kt
Unnamed Storm (1915)	3 Aug 1915	19.8 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1912)	6 Sep 1912	23.0 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Unnamed Storm (1912)	15 Jul 1912	35.5 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1911)	29 Aug 1911	27.1 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Unnamed Storm (1911)	5 Aug 1911	35.4 mi	TS / TD	20 kt
Unnamed Storm (1909)	2 Jul 1909	28.5 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Unnamed Storm (1907)	29 Sep 1907	21.9 mi	TS / TD	37 kt
Unnamed Storm (1907)	29 Jun 1907	45.5 mi	TS / TD	50 kt
Unnamed Storm (1904)	4 Nov 1904	20.3 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1902)	15 Jun 1902	1.9 mi	TS / TD	36 kt
Unnamed Storm (1898)	2 Oct 1898	12.4 mi	Cat 1	73 kt
Unnamed Storm (1894)	9 Oct 1894	8.9 mi	Cat 1	68 kt
Unnamed Storm (1888)	9 Sep 1888	37.5 mi	TS / TD	38 kt
Unnamed Storm (1886)	1 Jul 1886	3.8 mi	TS / TD	55 kt
Unnamed Storm (1886)	21 Jun 1886	44.8 mi	TS / TD	48 kt
Unnamed Storm (1885)	12 Oct 1885	24.8 mi	TS / TD	48 kt
Unnamed Storm (1881)	28 Aug 1881	10.7 mi	TS / TD	57 kt
Unnamed Storm (1877)	3 Oct 1877	23.4 mi	TS / TD	47 kt
Unnamed Storm (1873)	19 Sep 1873	36.7 mi	TS / TD	57 kt
Unnamed Storm (1873)	2 Jun 1873	33.3 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Unnamed Storm (1871)	6 Oct 1871	24.7 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1871)	28 Aug 1871	26.9 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1871)	23 Aug 1871	33.9 mi	TS / TD	47 kt
Unnamed Storm (1860)	13 Aug 1860	2.3 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1856)	31 Aug 1856	42.4 mi	TS / TD	58 kt
Unnamed Storm (1852)	10 Oct 1852	9.6 mi	TS / TD	60 kt
Unnamed Storm (1851)	24 Aug 1851	49.1 mi	TS / TD	62 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	29.7 mi	38 kt
Flossy (1956)	Post-tropical	25 Sep 1956	22.9 mi	37 kt
Florence (1953)	Post-tropical	27 Sep 1953	8.6 mi	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1929)	Post-tropical	1 Oct 1929	13.5 mi	50 kt
Unnamed Storm (1924)	Post-tropical	30 Sep 1924	25.7 mi	55 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 Jeff Davis County, Georgia compares

Among the 2,208 U.S. counties and county-equivalents that have recorded at least one tropical cyclone within 50 miles, Jeff Davis County, Georgia ranks #95 — more exposed than 95.7% of them. Within Georgia it ranks #29 of 159, against a state average of 39.8 storms per county.

Notable storms

Cat 1 Unnamed Storm (1898) passed 12 miles away on 2 October 1898 as a hurricane, reaching 81 kt (93 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 1 Helene (2024) passed 35 miles away on 27 September 2024 as a hurricane, reaching 73 kt (84 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 1 Unnamed Storm (1947) passed 14 miles away on 15 October 1947 as a hurricane, reaching 72 kt (83 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 1 Unnamed Storm (1894) passed 9 miles away on 9 October 1894 as a hurricane, reaching 72 kt (83 mph) while within 50 miles.

59 of the 63 storms made a documented landfall somewhere along their track.

How often to expect a storm

A return interval of 2.8 years does not mean storms arrive on a schedule. It is simply 63 storms spread over the 175 years from 1851 to 2025. 9 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 17 years, between 1968 and 1985. It has been 1 year since the last one; 38 of the 52 gaps in this record were longer than that.

Common questions

How many hurricanes have hit Jeff Davis County, Georgia?

10 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of Jeff Davis County, Georgia at hurricane strength since 1851. Counting all tropical cyclones — including tropical storms and depressions — the total is 63.

When was the last hurricane in Jeff Davis County, Georgia?

Helene (2024), on 27 September 2024, passing 35 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 Jeff Davis County, Georgia?

Unnamed Storm (1898), which reached 81 kt (93 mph) while within 50 miles; its closest approach was 12 miles.

How often do hurricanes hit Jeff Davis County, Georgia?

On average, one tropical cyclone passes within 50 miles every 2.8 years — 63 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

Jeff Davis County, Georgia borders or sits close to 7 other counties with a published storm record. Appling County, Georgia has 71 on record.

Appling County, Georgia71 storms within 50 mi Bacon County, Georgia71 storms within 50 mi Coffee County, Georgia66 storms within 50 mi Telfair County, Georgia57 storms within 50 mi Toombs County, Georgia56 storms within 50 mi Wheeler County, Georgia55 storms within 50 mi Montgomery County, Georgia54 storms within 50 mi