Suffolk County, Massachusetts Hurricane History

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

Since 1851, 27 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of Suffolk County, Massachusetts — about one every 6.5 years. Of those, 7 were at hurricane strength at their closest approach. The most recent was Hermine (2004), which passed 16 miles away on 31 August 2004.

Storms within 50 mi

At hurricane strength

6.5

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 · 4TS / TD · 20

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

Key facts

Most recentHermine (2004) — 16 mi away, 31 August 2004
Strongest stormUnnamed Storm (1869) — 90 kt (104 mph) at its strongest within 50 miles
Closest pass on recordUnnamed Storm (1876) — 9.6 miles
Closest major hurricane (Cat 3+)None on record
Passes within 25 miles12 of 27
Peak monthSeptember — 12 storms (44% of all)
Most active year1861 — 2 storms
Most active decade1860s and 1960s — 4 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 Suffolk County, Massachusetts, September is the most active month, with 12 of the 27 recorded storms (44%). The primary season runs August to October, 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	12	5	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: 6 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
2	4	3	1	3	1	1	1	0	1	2	4	0	0	3	1

Every tropical or subtropical cyclone within 50 miles

Storm	Closest approach	Distance	Status	Wind
Hermine (2004)	31 Aug 2004	16.5 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Floyd (1999)	17 Sep 1999	30.1 mi	TS / TD	48 kt
Bertha (1996)	14 Jul 1996	21.4 mi	TS / TD	59 kt
Bob (1991)	19 Aug 1991	14.7 mi	Cat 1	77 kt
Esther (1961)	26 Sep 1961	47.4 mi	TS / TD	47 kt
Unnamed Storm (1961)	15 Sep 1961	33.2 mi	TS / TD	57 kt
Donna (1960)	12 Sep 1960	25.3 mi	Cat 1	65 kt
Brenda (1960)	30 Jul 1960	47.2 mi	TS / TD	42 kt
Cindy (1959)	11 Jul 1959	44.2 mi	TS / TD	49 kt
Carol (1954)	31 Aug 1954	31.7 mi	Cat 2	87 kt
Unnamed Storm (1944)	15 Sep 1944	22.3 mi	TS / TD	63 kt
Unnamed Storm (1923)	19 Oct 1923	11.2 mi	TS / TD	45 kt
Unnamed Storm (1916)	21 Jul 1916	15.3 mi	TS / TD	51 kt
Unnamed Storm (1908)	31 May 1908	14.1 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Unnamed Storm (1897)	24 Sep 1897	15.9 mi	TS / TD	39 kt
Unnamed Storm (1896)	10 Sep 1896	19.7 mi	TS / TD	53 kt
Unnamed Storm (1894)	10 Oct 1894	31.8 mi	TS / TD	53 kt
Unnamed Storm (1888)	22 Aug 1888	17.5 mi	TS / TD	42 kt
Unnamed Storm (1876)	19 Sep 1876	9.6 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1874)	30 Sep 1874	38.8 mi	TS / TD	60 kt
Unnamed Storm (1872)	27 Oct 1872	30.5 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1869)	4 Oct 1869	36.7 mi	Cat 2	90 kt
Unnamed Storm (1869)	8 Sep 1869	25.6 mi	Cat 2	90 kt
Unnamed Storm (1861)	3 Nov 1861	11.8 mi	TS / TD	50 kt
Unnamed Storm (1861)	28 Sep 1861	39.0 mi	TS / TD	50 kt
Unnamed Storm (1858)	16 Sep 1858	33.6 mi	TS / TD	63 kt
Unnamed Storm (1851)	19 Oct 1851	37.9 mi	TS / TD	40 kt

Post-tropical and extratropical passes

A further 19 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	27.2 mi	20 kt
Fred (2021)	Post-tropical	20 Aug 2021	18.1 mi	25 kt
Elsa (2021)	Post-tropical	9 Jul 2021	23.4 mi	45 kt
Andrea (2013)	Post-tropical	8 Jun 2013	24.9 mi	40 kt
Hanna (2008)	Post-tropical	7 Sep 2008	9.1 mi	45 kt
Barry (2007)	Post-tropical	5 Jun 2007	11.9 mi	35 kt
Gordon (2000)	Post-tropical	20 Sep 2000	42.9 mi	28 kt
Chris (1988)	Post-tropical	30 Aug 1988	27.9 mi	20 kt
Unnamed Storm (1904)	Post-tropical	15 Sep 1904	43.6 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 Suffolk County, Massachusetts compares

Among the 2,208 U.S. counties and county-equivalents that have recorded at least one tropical cyclone within 50 miles, Suffolk County, Massachusetts ranks #587 — more exposed than 73.4% of them. Within Massachusetts it ranks #6 of 14, against a state average of 24.3 storms per county.

Notable storms

Cat 2 Unnamed (October 1869) passed 37 miles away on 4 October 1869 as a hurricane, reaching 90 kt (104 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 2 Unnamed (September 1869) passed 26 miles away on 8 September 1869 as a hurricane, reaching 90 kt (104 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 2 Carol (1954) passed 32 miles away on 31 August 1954 as a hurricane, reaching 86 kt (99 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.

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

How often to expect a storm

A return interval of 6.5 years does not mean storms arrive on a schedule. It is simply 27 storms spread over the 175 years from 1851 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 Suffolk County, Massachusetts?

7 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of Suffolk County, Massachusetts at hurricane strength since 1851. Counting all tropical cyclones — including tropical storms and depressions — the total is 27.

When was the last hurricane in Suffolk 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 Suffolk County, Massachusetts?

Unnamed Storm (1869), which reached 90 kt (104 mph) while within 50 miles; its closest approach was 37 miles.

How often do hurricanes hit Suffolk County, Massachusetts?

On average, one tropical cyclone passes within 50 miles every 6.5 years — 27 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

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

Essex County, Massachusetts27 storms within 50 mi Middlesex County, Massachusetts27 storms within 50 mi Norfolk County, Massachusetts27 storms within 50 mi Plymouth County, Massachusetts23 storms within 50 mi