Newton County, Georgia Tropical Cyclone History

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

Since 1852, 25 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of Newton County, Georgia — about one every 7.0 years. Of those, 0 were at hurricane strength at their closest approach. The most recent was Helene (2024), which passed 43 miles away on 27 September 2024.

Storms within 50 mi

At hurricane strength

7.0

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) — 43 mi away, 27 September 2024
Strongest stormHelene (2024) — 55 kt (63 mph) at its strongest within 50 miles
Closest pass on recordJerry (1995) — 0.2 miles
Closest major hurricane (Cat 3+)None on record
Passes within 25 miles10 of 25
Peak monthSeptember — 10 storms (40% of all)
Most active year1959 — 2 storms
Most active decade1990s — 4 storms
Major hurricanes (Cat 3+) within 50 mi0
Record span1852–2024

When storms arrive

JFMAMJJASOND

Storms by month of closest approach; the peak is highlighted and labelled. In Newton County, Georgia, September is the most active month, with 10 of the 25 recorded storms (40%). The primary season runs July to September, accounting for 76% of all activity. The 1990s was the most active decade on record, with 4 storms. 0 of the 25 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	2	4	5	10	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: 3 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	3	2	2	1	0	0	2	3	0	0	0	4	3	0	3

Every tropical or subtropical cyclone within 50 miles

Storm	Closest approach	Distance	Status	Wind
Helene (2024)	27 Sep 2024	42.7 mi	TS / TD	55 kt
Nicole (2022)	11 Nov 2022	35.4 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Claudette (2021)	20 Jun 2021	8.8 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Jeanne (2004)	28 Sep 2004	44.8 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Frances (2004)	8 Sep 2004	42.4 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Helene (2000)	23 Sep 2000	49.5 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Danny (1997)	23 Jul 1997	49.8 mi	TS / TD	20 kt
Jerry (1995)	27 Aug 1995	0.2 mi	TS / TD	20 kt
Beryl (1994)	17 Aug 1994	6.0 mi	TS / TD	19 kt
Alberto (1994)	6 Jul 1994	33.3 mi	TS / TD	15 kt
Irene (1959)	9 Oct 1959	49.1 mi	TS / TD	20 kt
Arlene (1959)	2 Jun 1959	24.4 mi	TS / TD	20 kt
Debbie (1957)	9 Sep 1957	44.5 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Unnamed Storm (1947)	9 Oct 1947	49.2 mi	TS / TD	20 kt
Unnamed Storm (1940)	12 Aug 1940	31.1 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1911)	30 Aug 1911	6.8 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1903)	16 Sep 1903	12.8 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1900)	15 Sep 1900	22.2 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Unnamed Storm (1896)	8 Jul 1896	26.2 mi	TS / TD	34 kt
Unnamed Storm (1893)	3 Oct 1893	10.9 mi	TS / TD	45 kt
Unnamed Storm (1889)	24 Sep 1889	39.8 mi	TS / TD	45 kt
Unnamed Storm (1887)	28 Jul 1887	31.8 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1882)	10 Sep 1882	16.5 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1859)	16 Sep 1859	11.1 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1852)	27 Aug 1852	38.3 mi	TS / TD	40 kt

Post-tropical and extratropical passes

A further 6 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	24.6 mi	30 kt
Fay (2020)	Remnant low	7 Jul 2020	40.2 mi	20 kt
Unnamed Storm (1912)	Post-tropical	14 Jun 1912	8.7 mi	35 kt
Unnamed Storm (1907)	Post-tropical	23 Sep 1907	41.1 mi	35 kt
Unnamed Storm (1902)	Post-tropical	11 Oct 1902	41.1 mi	35 kt
Unnamed Storm (1901)	Post-tropical	28 Sep 1901	20.9 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.

Storms that came back

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

Helene — 2 passes (2000, 2024)

How Newton County, Georgia compares

Among the 2,208 U.S. counties and county-equivalents that have recorded at least one tropical cyclone within 50 miles, Newton County, Georgia ranks #636 — more exposed than 71.2% of them. Within Georgia it ranks #116 of 159, against a state average of 39.8 storms per county.

Notable storms

TS / TD Helene (2024) passed 43 miles away on 27 September 2024 as a tropical storm, reaching 55 kt (63 mph) while within 50 miles.
TS / TD Unnamed Storm (1893) passed 11 miles away on 3 October 1893 as a tropical storm, reaching 46 kt (53 mph) while within 50 miles.
TS / TD Unnamed Storm (1889) passed 40 miles away on 24 September 1889 as a tropical storm, reaching 45 kt (52 mph) while within 50 miles.
TS / TD Unnamed Storm (1896) passed 26 miles away on 8 July 1896 as a tropical storm, reaching 40 kt (46 mph) while within 50 miles.

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

How often to expect a storm

A return interval of 7.0 years does not mean storms arrive on a schedule. It is simply 25 storms spread over the 174 years from 1852 to 2025. 3 separate years saw more than one storm pass within 50 miles while decades have gone by with none. The longest recorded quiet stretch was 35 years, between 1959 and 1994. It has been 1 year since the last one; 19 of the 21 gaps in this record were longer than that.

Common questions

Has a hurricane ever hit Newton County, Georgia?

No. No tropical cyclone on record has passed within 50 miles of Newton County, Georgia while at hurricane strength. 25 tropical cyclones have passed within that distance since 1852, all of them as tropical storms or depressions. The strongest was Helene (2024).

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

Helene (2024), on 27 September 2024, passing 43 miles away — 2 years ago. No storm on record has passed within 50 miles of Newton County, Georgia at hurricane strength.

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

Helene (2024), which reached 55 kt (63 mph) while within 50 miles; its closest approach was 43 miles.

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

On average, one tropical cyclone passes within 50 miles every 7.0 years — 25 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

Newton County, Georgia borders or sits close to 6 other counties with a published storm record. Jasper County, Georgia has 28 on record.

Jasper County, Georgia28 storms within 50 mi Butts County, Georgia26 storms within 50 mi Henry County, Georgia24 storms within 50 mi Walton County, Georgia22 storms within 50 mi Rockdale County, Georgia22 storms within 50 mi Morgan County, Georgia21 storms within 50 mi