Plymouth County, Massachusetts Hurricane History

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

Since 1851, 23 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of Plymouth County, Massachusetts — about one every 7.6 years. Of those, 8 were at hurricane strength at their closest approach. The most recent was Hermine (2004), which passed 3 miles away on 31 August 2004.

Storms within 50 mi

At hurricane strength

7.6

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 · 6TS / TD · 14

The 23 storms by the strongest category each reached while within 50 miles. 3 of them reached Cat 2.

Key facts

Most recentHermine (2004) — 3 mi away, 31 August 2004
Strongest stormEdna (1954) — 95 kt (109 mph) at its strongest within 50 miles
Closest pass on recordUnnamed Storm (1896) — 2.3 miles
Closest major hurricane (Cat 3+)None on record
Passes within 25 miles10 of 23
Peak monthSeptember — 10 storms (43% of all)
Most active year1869 — 2 storms
Most active decade1860s and 1870s — 3 storms
Major hurricanes (Cat 3+) within 50 mi0
Record span1851–2004

When storms arrive

JFMAMJJASOND

Storms by month of closest approach; the peak is highlighted and labelled. In Plymouth County, Massachusetts, September is the most active month, with 10 of the 23 recorded storms (43%). The primary season runs August to October, accounting for 78% of all activity. The 1860s and 1870s are tied as the most active decades on record, with 3 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	1	0	3	4	10	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: 4 storms in 1950–1987 against 3 in 1988–2025.

1850s	1860s	1870s	1880s	1890s	1900s	1910s	1920s	1930s	1940s	1950s	1960s	1970s	1980s	1990s	2000s
2	3	3	2	2	1	1	1	0	1	2	2	0	0	2	1

Every tropical or subtropical cyclone within 50 miles

Storm	Closest approach	Distance	Status	Wind
Hermine (2004)	31 Aug 2004	3.4 mi	TS / TD	32 kt
Bertha (1996)	14 Jul 1996	46.3 mi	TS / TD	59 kt
Bob (1991)	19 Aug 1991	15.0 mi	Cat 1	77 kt
Esther (1961)	26 Sep 1961	32.2 mi	TS / TD	47 kt
Donna (1960)	12 Sep 1960	49.2 mi	Cat 1	65 kt
Cindy (1959)	11 Jul 1959	20.0 mi	TS / TD	50 kt
Edna (1954)	11 Sep 1954	30.2 mi	Cat 2	95 kt
Unnamed Storm (1944)	15 Sep 1944	13.3 mi	Cat 1	65 kt
Unnamed Storm (1923)	19 Oct 1923	10.1 mi	TS / TD	47 kt
Unnamed Storm (1916)	21 Jul 1916	8.0 mi	TS / TD	54 kt
Unnamed Storm (1908)	31 May 1908	38.5 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Unnamed Storm (1897)	24 Sep 1897	42.7 mi	TS / TD	41 kt
Unnamed Storm (1896)	10 Sep 1896	2.3 mi	TS / TD	55 kt
Unnamed Storm (1889)	25 Sep 1889	35.0 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Unnamed Storm (1888)	22 Aug 1888	24.4 mi	TS / TD	42 kt
Unnamed Storm (1879)	19 Aug 1879	28.1 mi	Cat 1	68 kt
Unnamed Storm (1876)	19 Sep 1876	11.3 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1872)	27 Oct 1872	7.3 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1869)	4 Oct 1869	26.5 mi	Cat 2	90 kt
Unnamed Storm (1869)	8 Sep 1869	34.6 mi	Cat 2	90 kt
Unnamed Storm (1861)	3 Nov 1861	35.3 mi	TS / TD	50 kt
Unnamed Storm (1858)	16 Sep 1858	47.9 mi	Cat 1	67 kt
Unnamed Storm (1851)	19 Oct 1851	44.1 mi	TS / TD	40 kt

Post-tropical and extratropical passes

A further 17 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	4.0 mi	20 kt
Fred (2021)	Post-tropical	20 Aug 2021	44.4 mi	25 kt
Elsa (2021)	Post-tropical	9 Jul 2021	13.3 mi	45 kt
Hermine (2016)	Post-tropical	8 Sep 2016	43.0 mi	20 kt
Andrea (2013)	Post-tropical	8 Jun 2013	9.8 mi	40 kt
Hanna (2008)	Post-tropical	7 Sep 2008	23.6 mi	45 kt
Barry (2007)	Post-tropical	4 Jun 2007	16.7 mi	35 kt
Gordon (2000)	Post-tropical	20 Sep 2000	16.4 mi	28 kt
Unnamed Storm (1904)	Post-tropical	15 Sep 1904	22.7 mi	75 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 Plymouth County, Massachusetts compares

Among the 2,208 U.S. counties and county-equivalents that have recorded at least one tropical cyclone within 50 miles, Plymouth County, Massachusetts ranks #679 — more exposed than 69.2% of them. Within Massachusetts it ranks #10 of 14, against a state average of 24.3 storms per county.

Notable storms

Cat 2 Edna (1954) passed 30 miles away on 11 September 1954 as a hurricane, reaching 95 kt (109 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 2 Unnamed (October 1869) passed 27 miles away on 4 October 1869 as a hurricane, reaching 90 kt (104 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 2 Unnamed (September 1869) passed 35 miles away on 8 September 1869 as a hurricane, reaching 90 kt (104 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 1 Bob (1991) passed 15 miles away on 19 August 1991 as a hurricane, reaching 80 kt (92 mph) while within 50 miles.

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

How often to expect a storm

A return interval of 7.6 years does not mean storms arrive on a schedule. It is simply 23 storms spread over the 175 years from 1851 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 21 years since the last one; 1 of the 21 gaps in this record were longer than that.

Common questions

How many hurricanes have hit Plymouth County, Massachusetts?

8 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of Plymouth County, Massachusetts at hurricane strength since 1851. Counting all tropical cyclones — including tropical storms and depressions — the total is 23.

When was the last hurricane in Plymouth County, Massachusetts?

Bob (1991), on 19 August 1991, passing 15 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 Plymouth County, Massachusetts?

Edna (1954), which reached 95 kt (109 mph) while within 50 miles; its closest approach was 30 miles.

How often do hurricanes hit Plymouth County, Massachusetts?

On average, one tropical cyclone passes within 50 miles every 7.6 years — 23 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

Plymouth County, Massachusetts borders or sits close to 5 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 Norfolk County, Massachusetts27 storms within 50 mi Suffolk County, Massachusetts27 storms within 50 mi Barnstable County, Massachusetts23 storms within 50 mi