Essex County, Massachusetts Hurricane History

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

Since 1858, 27 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of Essex County, Massachusetts — about one every 6.2 years. Of those, 6 were at hurricane strength at their closest approach. The most recent was Hermine (2004), which passed 13 miles away on 31 August 2004.

Storms within 50 mi

At hurricane strength

6.2

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 · 3Cat 1 · 3TS / TD · 21

The 27 storms by the strongest category each reached while within 50 miles. 3 of them reached Cat 2.

Key facts

Most recentHermine (2004) — 13 mi away, 31 August 2004
Strongest stormUnnamed Storm (1869) — 90 kt (104 mph) at its strongest within 50 miles
Closest pass on recordUnnamed Storm (1861) — 7.1 miles
Closest major hurricane (Cat 3+)None on record
Passes within 25 miles14 of 27
Peak monthSeptember — 13 storms (48% of all)
Most active year1861 — 2 storms
Most active decade1860s and 1960s — 4 storms
Major hurricanes (Cat 3+) within 50 mi0
Record span1858–2004

When storms arrive

JFMAMJJASOND

Storms by month of closest approach; the peak is highlighted and labelled. In Essex County, Massachusetts, September is the most active month, with 13 of the 27 recorded storms (48%). The primary season runs July to September, accounting for 78% of all activity. The 1860s and 1960s are tied as the most active decades on record, with 4 storms. 0 of the 27 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	0	4	4	13	4	1	0

Activity by decade

19002000

Tropical cyclones passing within 50 miles, by decade, 1850s to 2000s. Decades with no storms are shown as empty columns. Comparing two equal 38-year windows inside the aircraft-reconnaissance era: 7 storms in 1950–1987 against 4 in 1988–2025.

1850s	1860s	1870s	1880s	1890s	1900s	1910s	1920s	1930s	1940s	1950s	1960s	1970s	1980s	1990s	2000s
1	4	3	1	3	1	1	1	0	1	3	4	0	0	3	1

Every tropical or subtropical cyclone within 50 miles

Storm	Closest approach	Distance	Status	Wind
Hermine (2004)	31 Aug 2004	12.9 mi	TS / TD	28 kt
Floyd (1999)	17 Sep 1999	21.4 mi	TS / TD	47 kt
Bertha (1996)	14 Jul 1996	9.2 mi	TS / TD	58 kt
Bob (1991)	19 Aug 1991	18.8 mi	Cat 1	72 kt
Esther (1961)	26 Sep 1961	40.5 mi	TS / TD	44 kt
Unnamed Storm (1961)	15 Sep 1961	27.2 mi	TS / TD	58 kt
Donna (1960)	13 Sep 1960	20.2 mi	TS / TD	60 kt
Brenda (1960)	31 Jul 1960	40.6 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Cindy (1959)	11 Jul 1959	48.9 mi	TS / TD	49 kt
Carol (1954)	31 Aug 1954	38.7 mi	Cat 2	87 kt
Able (1952)	2 Sep 1952	40.1 mi	TS / TD	29 kt
Unnamed Storm (1944)	15 Sep 1944	23.9 mi	TS / TD	63 kt
Unnamed Storm (1923)	19 Oct 1923	12.0 mi	TS / TD	45 kt
Unnamed Storm (1916)	21 Jul 1916	15.7 mi	TS / TD	48 kt
Unnamed Storm (1908)	31 May 1908	12.8 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Unnamed Storm (1897)	24 Sep 1897	18.0 mi	TS / TD	37 kt
Unnamed Storm (1896)	10 Sep 1896	15.2 mi	TS / TD	52 kt
Unnamed Storm (1894)	10 Oct 1894	31.1 mi	TS / TD	52 kt
Unnamed Storm (1888)	22 Aug 1888	26.2 mi	TS / TD	43 kt
Unnamed Storm (1876)	19 Sep 1876	31.4 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1874)	30 Sep 1874	32.6 mi	TS / TD	60 kt
Unnamed Storm (1872)	27 Oct 1872	46.4 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1869)	4 Oct 1869	34.5 mi	Cat 2	90 kt
Unnamed Storm (1869)	9 Sep 1869	16.1 mi	Cat 1	80 kt
Unnamed Storm (1861)	3 Nov 1861	7.1 mi	TS / TD	50 kt
Unnamed Storm (1861)	28 Sep 1861	24.8 mi	TS / TD	50 kt
Unnamed Storm (1858)	16 Sep 1858	25.3 mi	TS / TD	63 kt

Post-tropical and extratropical passes

A further 18 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
Henri (2021)	Remnant low	24 Aug 2021	45.5 mi	20 kt
Fred (2021)	Post-tropical	20 Aug 2021	7.5 mi	25 kt
Elsa (2021)	Post-tropical	9 Jul 2021	26.7 mi	44 kt
Andrea (2013)	Post-tropical	8 Jun 2013	29.0 mi	40 kt
Hanna (2008)	Post-tropical	7 Sep 2008	21.6 mi	45 kt
Barry (2007)	Post-tropical	5 Jun 2007	16.7 mi	34 kt
Chris (1988)	Post-tropical	30 Aug 1988	15.0 mi	20 kt
Alma (1966)	Post-tropical	14 Jun 1966	48.2 mi	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1916)	Post-tropical	17 May 1916	19.6 mi	50 kt

About this data. Computed from NOAA's HURDAT2 Atlantic and Northeast Pacific hurricane databases (hurdat2-1851-2025-02272026.txt), covering 1858–2025. 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 Essex County, Massachusetts compares

Among the 2,208 U.S. counties and county-equivalents that have recorded at least one tropical cyclone within 50 miles, Essex County, Massachusetts ranks #584 — more exposed than 73.5% of them. Within Massachusetts it ranks #3 of 14, against a state average of 24.3 storms per county.

Notable storms

Cat 2 Unnamed (October 1869) passed 35 miles away on 4 October 1869 as a hurricane, reaching 90 kt (104 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 2 Unnamed (September 1869) passed 16 miles away on 9 September 1869 as a hurricane, reaching 90 kt (104 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 2 Carol (1954) passed 39 miles away on 31 August 1954 as a hurricane, reaching 86 kt (99 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 1 Bob (1991) passed 19 miles away on 19 August 1991 as a hurricane, reaching 76 kt (87 mph) while within 50 miles.

27 of the 27 storms made a documented landfall somewhere along their track.

How often to expect a storm

A return interval of 6.2 years does not mean storms arrive on a schedule. It is simply 27 storms spread over the 168 years from 1858 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 30 years, between 1961 and 1991. It has been 21 years since the last one; 1 of the 22 gaps in this record were longer than that.

Common questions

How many hurricanes have hit Essex County, Massachusetts?

6 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of Essex County, Massachusetts at hurricane strength since 1858. Counting all tropical cyclones — including tropical storms and depressions — the total is 27.

When was the last hurricane in Essex County, Massachusetts?

Bob (1991), on 19 August 1991, passing 19 miles away — 35 years ago. The most recent tropical cyclone of any strength was Hermine (2004) in 2004.

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

Unnamed Storm (1869), which reached 90 kt (104 mph) while within 50 miles; its closest approach was 35 miles.

How often do hurricanes hit Essex County, Massachusetts?

On average, one tropical cyclone passes within 50 miles every 6.2 years — 27 storms over the 168 years from 1858 to 2025, the end of the HURDAT2 record. That is a historical average, not a schedule or a forecast.

Nearby counties

Essex County, Massachusetts borders or sits close to 4 other counties with a published storm record. Suffolk County, Massachusetts has 27 on record.

Suffolk County, Massachusetts27 storms within 50 mi Middlesex County, Massachusetts27 storms within 50 mi Rockingham County, New Hampshire21 storms within 50 mi Hillsborough County, New Hampshire21 storms within 50 mi