Barnstable County, Massachusetts Hurricane History

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

Since 1869, 23 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of Barnstable County, Massachusetts — about one every 6.8 years. Of those, 9 were at hurricane strength at their closest approach. The most recent was Beryl (2006), which passed 25 miles away on 21 July 2006.

Storms within 50 mi

At hurricane strength

6.8

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 2 · 2Cat 1 · 7TS / TD · 14

The 23 storms by the strongest category each reached while within 50 miles. 2 of them reached Cat 2.

Key facts

Most recentBeryl (2006) — 25 mi away, 21 July 2006
Strongest stormEdna (1954) — 95 kt (109 mph) at its strongest within 50 miles
Closest pass on recordEsther (1961) — 1.9 miles
Closest major hurricane (Cat 3+)None on record
Passes within 25 miles8 of 23
Peak monthSeptember — 8 storms (35% of all)
Most active year1888 — 3 storms
Most active decade1880s — 5 storms
Major hurricanes (Cat 3+) within 50 mi0
Record span1869–2006

When storms arrive

JFMAMJJASOND

Storms by month of closest approach; the peak is highlighted and labelled. In Barnstable County, Massachusetts, September is the most active month, with 8 of the 23 recorded storms (35%). The primary season runs August to October, accounting for 87% of all activity. The 1880s was the most active decade on record, with 5 storms. 0 of the 23 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	0	3	7	8	5	0	0

Activity by decade

19002000

Tropical cyclones passing within 50 miles, by decade, 1860s to 2000s. Decades with no storms are shown as empty columns. Comparing two equal 38-year windows inside the aircraft-reconnaissance era: 4 storms in 1950–1987 against 3 in 1988–2025.

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

Every tropical or subtropical cyclone within 50 miles

Storm	Closest approach	Distance	Status	Wind
Beryl (2006)	21 Jul 2006	24.6 mi	TS / TD	44 kt
Hermine (2004)	31 Aug 2004	34.7 mi	TS / TD	33 kt
Bob (1991)	19 Aug 1991	47.2 mi	Cat 1	77 kt
Esther (1961)	26 Sep 1961	1.9 mi	TS / TD	50 kt
Cindy (1959)	11 Jul 1959	27.6 mi	TS / TD	50 kt
Diane (1955)	19 Aug 1955	49.9 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Edna (1954)	11 Sep 1954	7.0 mi	Cat 2	95 kt
Unnamed Storm (1944)	15 Sep 1944	47.5 mi	Cat 1	65 kt
Unnamed Storm (1924)	26 Aug 1924	32.5 mi	Cat 1	79 kt
Unnamed Storm (1923)	19 Oct 1923	29.3 mi	TS / TD	48 kt
Unnamed Storm (1917)	10 Aug 1917	44.4 mi	TS / TD	57 kt
Unnamed Storm (1916)	21 Jul 1916	43.4 mi	TS / TD	54 kt
Unnamed Storm (1896)	10 Sep 1896	25.6 mi	TS / TD	61 kt
Unnamed Storm (1889)	25 Sep 1889	16.2 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Unnamed Storm (1888)	12 Oct 1888	46.7 mi	TS / TD	38 kt
Unnamed Storm (1888)	26 Sep 1888	15.5 mi	Cat 1	70 kt
Unnamed Storm (1888)	22 Aug 1888	48.0 mi	TS / TD	43 kt
Unnamed Storm (1885)	23 Sep 1885	44.4 mi	Cat 1	80 kt
Unnamed Storm (1879)	19 Aug 1879	8.7 mi	Cat 1	68 kt
Unnamed Storm (1876)	19 Sep 1876	22.0 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1875)	15 Oct 1875	49.0 mi	TS / TD	53 kt
Unnamed Storm (1872)	27 Oct 1872	27.6 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1869)	4 Oct 1869	12.1 mi	Cat 2	90 kt

Post-tropical and extratropical passes

A further 23 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. Showing the 9 most recent.

Storm	Status	Closest approach	Distance	Wind
Wanda (2021)	Post-tropical	27 Oct 2021	44.9 mi	60 kt
Ida (2021)	Post-tropical	2 Sep 2021	30.5 mi	40 kt
Henri (2021)	Remnant low	24 Aug 2021	26.7 mi	20 kt
Elsa (2021)	Post-tropical	9 Jul 2021	47.5 mi	45 kt
Hermine (2016)	Post-tropical	8 Sep 2016	8.5 mi	20 kt
Ana (2015)	Remnant low	12 May 2015	37.5 mi	25 kt
Andrea (2013)	Post-tropical	8 Jun 2013	44.0 mi	40 kt
Cindy (2005)	Post-tropical	9 Jul 2005	19.9 mi	29 kt
Unnamed Storm (1904)	Post-tropical	15 Sep 1904	21.5 mi	75 kt

About this data. Computed from NOAA's HURDAT2 Atlantic and Northeast Pacific hurricane databases (hurdat2-1851-2025-02272026.txt), covering 1869–2025. 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 Barnstable County, Massachusetts compares

Among the 2,208 U.S. counties and county-equivalents that have recorded at least one tropical cyclone within 50 miles, Barnstable County, Massachusetts ranks #678 — more exposed than 69.3% of them. Within Massachusetts it ranks #9 of 14, against a state average of 24.3 storms per county.

Notable storms

Cat 2 Edna (1954) passed 7 miles away on 11 September 1954 as a hurricane, reaching 95 kt (109 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 2 Unnamed Storm (1869) passed 12 miles away on 4 October 1869 as a hurricane, reaching 90 kt (104 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 1 Bob (1991) passed 47 miles away on 19 August 1991 as a hurricane, reaching 80 kt (92 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 1 Unnamed Storm (1885) passed 44 miles away on 23 September 1885 as a hurricane, reaching 80 kt (92 mph) while within 50 miles.

20 of the 23 storms made a documented landfall somewhere along their track.

How often to expect a storm

A return interval of 6.8 years does not mean storms arrive on a schedule. It is simply 23 storms spread over the 157 years from 1869 to 2025. 1 separate year saw more than one storm pass within 50 miles while decades have gone by with none. The longest recorded quiet stretch was 30 years, between 1961 and 1991. It has been 19 years since the last one; 3 of the 20 gaps in this record were longer than that.

Common questions

How many hurricanes have hit Barnstable County, Massachusetts?

9 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of Barnstable County, Massachusetts at hurricane strength since 1869. Counting all tropical cyclones — including tropical storms and depressions — the total is 23.

When was the last hurricane in Barnstable County, Massachusetts?

Bob (1991), on 19 August 1991, passing 47 miles away — 35 years ago. The most recent tropical cyclone of any strength was Beryl (2006) in 2006.

What was the strongest storm to affect Barnstable County, Massachusetts?

Edna (1954), which reached 95 kt (109 mph) while within 50 miles; its closest approach was 7 miles.

How often do hurricanes hit Barnstable County, Massachusetts?

On average, one tropical cyclone passes within 50 miles every 6.8 years — 23 storms over the 157 years from 1869 to 2025, the end of the HURDAT2 record. That is a historical average, not a schedule or a forecast.

Nearby counties

Barnstable County, Massachusetts borders or sits close to 4 other counties with a published storm record. Nantucket County, Massachusetts has 31 on record.

Nantucket County, Massachusetts31 storms within 50 mi Bristol County, Massachusetts28 storms within 50 mi Plymouth County, Massachusetts23 storms within 50 mi Dukes County, Massachusetts20 storms within 50 mi