Adams County, Mississippi Hurricane History

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

Since 1856, 38 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of Adams County, Mississippi — about one every 4.5 years. Of those, 3 were at hurricane strength at their closest approach. The most recent was Ida (2021), which passed 27 miles away on 30 August 2021.

Storms within 50 mi

At hurricane strength

4.5

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 1 · 3TS / TD · 35

The 38 storms by the strongest category each reached while within 50 miles. 3 of them reached Cat 1.

Key facts

Most recentIda (2021) — 27 mi away, 30 August 2021
Strongest stormUnnamed Storm (1909) — 79 kt (91 mph) at its strongest within 50 miles
Closest pass on recordCristobal (2020) — 2.1 miles
Closest major hurricane (Cat 3+)None on record
Passes within 25 miles16 of 38
Peak monthSeptember — 15 storms (39% of all)
Most active year1985 — 2 storms
Most active decade1930s, 1950s and 2000s — 4 storms
Major hurricanes (Cat 3+) within 50 mi0
Record span1856–2021

When storms arrive

JFMAMJJASOND

Storms by month of closest approach; the peak is highlighted and labelled. In Adams County, Mississippi, September is the most active month, with 15 of the 38 recorded storms (39%). The primary season runs August to October, accounting for 82% of all activity. The 1930s, 1950s and 2000s are tied as the most active decades on record, with 4 storms. 0 of the 38 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	4	2	10	15	6	0	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: 9 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
1	1	1	2	2	2	1	2	4	3	4	1	2	3	1	4	1	3

Every tropical or subtropical cyclone within 50 miles

Storm	Closest approach	Distance	Status	Wind
Ida (2021)	30 Aug 2021	26.6 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Delta (2020)	10 Oct 2020	39.3 mi	TS / TD	45 kt
Cristobal (2020)	8 Jun 2020	2.1 mi	TS / TD	31 kt
Isaac (2012)	30 Aug 2012	34.8 mi	TS / TD	45 kt
Humberto (2007)	14 Sep 2007	47.0 mi	TS / TD	22 kt
Matthew (2004)	10 Oct 2004	22.7 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Lili (2002)	3 Oct 2002	48.6 mi	TS / TD	43 kt
Bertha (2002)	6 Aug 2002	44.7 mi	TS / TD	15 kt
Andrew (1992)	26 Aug 1992	11.6 mi	TS / TD	38 kt
Florence (1988)	10 Sep 1988	7.9 mi	TS / TD	23 kt
Elena (1985)	2 Sep 1985	7.9 mi	TS / TD	50 kt
Danny (1985)	16 Aug 1985	47.7 mi	TS / TD	43 kt
Unnamed Storm (1975)	30 Jul 1975	39.5 mi	TD	—
Edith (1971)	16 Sep 1971	42.4 mi	TS / TD	50 kt
Betsy (1965)	10 Sep 1965	36.5 mi	TS / TD	58 kt
Arlene (1959)	31 May 1959	24.4 mi	TS / TD	27 kt
Esther (1957)	19 Sep 1957	38.4 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Unnamed Storm (1956)	14 Jun 1956	35.7 mi	TS / TD	32 kt
Brenda (1955)	2 Aug 1955	30.4 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1949)	5 Sep 1949	46.2 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Unnamed Storm (1945)	6 Sep 1945	7.9 mi	TS / TD	22 kt
Unnamed Storm (1940)	24 Sep 1940	29.2 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Unnamed Storm (1937)	3 Oct 1937	38.8 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1934)	17 Jun 1934	14.9 mi	TS / TD	52 kt
Unnamed Storm (1932)	20 Sep 1932	7.2 mi	TS / TD	39 kt
Unnamed Storm (1931)	16 Jul 1931	37.6 mi	TS / TD	34 kt
Unnamed Storm (1923)	16 Oct 1923	20.8 mi	TS / TD	50 kt
Unnamed Storm (1920)	22 Sep 1920	44.9 mi	TS / TD	53 kt
Unnamed Storm (1911)	13 Aug 1911	33.7 mi	TS / TD	32 kt
Unnamed Storm (1909)	21 Sep 1909	21.4 mi	Cat 1	75 kt
Unnamed Storm (1905)	29 Sep 1905	13.8 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Unnamed Storm (1898)	21 Sep 1898	48.1 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Unnamed Storm (1894)	9 Aug 1894	12.5 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Unnamed Storm (1888)	20 Aug 1888	21.1 mi	Cat 1	67 kt
Unnamed Storm (1886)	15 Jun 1886	29.0 mi	TS / TD	42 kt
Unnamed Storm (1875)	18 Sep 1875	23.8 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1860)	3 Oct 1860	31.4 mi	TS / TD	58 kt
Unnamed Storm (1856)	12 Aug 1856	22.9 mi	TS / TD	40 kt

Post-tropical and extratropical passes

A further 3 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
Beta (2020)	Post-tropical	24 Sep 2020	11.8 mi	25 kt
Five (2010)	Remnant low	18 Aug 2010	25.4 mi	15 kt
Unnamed Storm (1933)	Post-tropical	26 Jul 1933	38.9 mi	30 kt

About this data. Computed from NOAA's HURDAT2 Atlantic and Northeast Pacific hurricane databases (hurdat2-1851-2025-02272026.txt), covering 1856–2025. 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 Adams County, Mississippi compares

Among the 2,208 U.S. counties and county-equivalents that have recorded at least one tropical cyclone within 50 miles, Adams County, Mississippi ranks #364 — more exposed than 83.5% of them. Within Mississippi it ranks #22 of 82, against a state average of 32.3 storms per county.

Notable storms

Cat 1 Unnamed Storm (1909) passed 21 miles away on 21 September 1909 as a hurricane, reaching 79 kt (91 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 1 Unnamed Storm (1888) passed 21 miles away on 20 August 1888 as a hurricane, reaching 69 kt (79 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 1 Unnamed Storm (1860) passed 31 miles away on 3 October 1860 as a tropical storm, reaching 65 kt (75 mph) while within 50 miles.
TS / TD Betsy (1965) passed 37 miles away on 10 September 1965 as a hurricane, reaching 62 kt (71 mph) while within 50 miles.

36 of the 38 storms made a documented landfall somewhere along their track.

How often to expect a storm

A return interval of 4.5 years does not mean storms arrive on a schedule. It is simply 38 storms spread over the 170 years from 1856 to 2025. 3 separate years saw more than one storm pass within 50 miles while stretches of a decade or more have passed with none. The longest recorded quiet stretch was 15 years, between 1860 and 1875. It has been 4 years since the last one; 14 of the 34 gaps in this record were longer than that.

Common questions

How many hurricanes have hit Adams County, Mississippi?

3 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of Adams County, Mississippi at hurricane strength since 1856. Counting all tropical cyclones — including tropical storms and depressions — the total is 38.

When was the last hurricane in Adams County, Mississippi?

Betsy (1965), on 10 September 1965, passing 37 miles away — 61 years ago. The most recent tropical cyclone of any strength was Ida (2021) in 2021.

What was the strongest storm to affect Adams County, Mississippi?

Unnamed Storm (1909), which reached 79 kt (91 mph) while within 50 miles; its closest approach was 21 miles.

How often do hurricanes hit Adams County, Mississippi?

On average, one tropical cyclone passes within 50 miles every 4.5 years — 38 storms over the 170 years from 1856 to 2025, the end of the HURDAT2 record. That is a historical average, not a schedule or a forecast.

Nearby counties

Adams County, Mississippi borders or sits close to 5 other counties with a published storm record. Wilkinson County, Mississippi has 38 on record.

Wilkinson County, Mississippi38 storms within 50 mi Concordia Parish, Louisiana36 storms within 50 mi Franklin County, Mississippi35 storms within 50 mi Jefferson County, Mississippi29 storms within 50 mi Tensas Parish, Louisiana27 storms within 50 mi