Amite County, Mississippi Hurricane History

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

Since 1856, 40 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of Amite County, Mississippi — about one every 4.2 years. Of those, 4 were at hurricane strength at their closest approach. The most recent was Francine (2024), which passed 35 miles away on 12 September 2024.

Storms within 50 mi

At hurricane strength

4.2

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 1 · 5TS / TD · 35

The 40 storms by the strongest category each reached while within 50 miles. 5 of them reached Cat 1.

Key facts

Most recentFrancine (2024) — 35 mi away, 12 September 2024
Strongest stormUnnamed Storm (1879) — 75 kt (86 mph) at its strongest within 50 miles
Closest pass on recordIda (2021) — 4.2 miles
Closest major hurricane (Cat 3+)None on record
Passes within 25 miles25 of 40
Peak monthSeptember — 16 storms (40% of all)
Most active year1879 — 2 storms
Most active decade1950s and 1970s — 4 storms
Major hurricanes (Cat 3+) within 50 mi0
Record span1856–2024

When storms arrive

JFMAMJJASOND

Storms by month of closest approach; the peak is highlighted and labelled. In Amite County, Mississippi, September is the most active month, with 16 of the 40 recorded storms (40%). The primary season runs August to October, accounting for 80% of all activity. The 1950s and 1970s are tied as the most active decades on record, with 4 storms. 0 of the 40 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	5	2	10	16	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: 10 storms in 1950–1987 against 9 in 1988–2025.

1850s	1860s	1870s	1880s	1890s	1900s	1910s	1920s	1930s	1940s	1950s	1960s	1970s	1980s	1990s	2000s	2010s	2020s
1	1	3	2	2	2	3	2	2	3	4	1	4	2	2	3	0	3

Every tropical or subtropical cyclone within 50 miles

Storm	Closest approach	Distance	Status	Wind
Francine (2024)	12 Sep 2024	35.4 mi	TS / TD	38 kt
Ida (2021)	30 Aug 2021	4.2 mi	TS / TD	48 kt
Cristobal (2020)	8 Jun 2020	15.5 mi	TS / TD	32 kt
Fay (2008)	25 Aug 2008	47.5 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Matthew (2004)	10 Oct 2004	9.1 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Bertha (2002)	5 Aug 2002	21.0 mi	TS / TD	18 kt
Hermine (1998)	20 Sep 1998	45.0 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Andrew (1992)	26 Aug 1992	26.6 mi	TS / TD	38 kt
Florence (1988)	10 Sep 1988	13.9 mi	TS / TD	27 kt
Elena (1985)	2 Sep 1985	7.9 mi	TS / TD	55 kt
Bob (1979)	11 Jul 1979	38.0 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Babe (1977)	6 Sep 1977	36.0 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1975)	30 Jul 1975	18.6 mi	TD	—
Edith (1971)	16 Sep 1971	4.6 mi	TS / TD	50 kt
Hilda (1964)	4 Oct 1964	43.3 mi	TS / TD	60 kt
Arlene (1959)	31 May 1959	13.8 mi	TS / TD	27 kt
Esther (1957)	18 Sep 1957	7.5 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1956)	14 Jun 1956	7.9 mi	TS / TD	34 kt
Brenda (1955)	2 Aug 1955	27.3 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Unnamed Storm (1949)	4 Sep 1949	10.8 mi	TS / TD	36 kt
Unnamed Storm (1945)	6 Sep 1945	6.6 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Unnamed Storm (1940)	24 Sep 1940	8.1 mi	TS / TD	22 kt
Unnamed Storm (1934)	17 Jun 1934	22.9 mi	TS / TD	55 kt
Unnamed Storm (1932)	20 Sep 1932	31.8 mi	TS / TD	39 kt
Unnamed Storm (1926)	22 Sep 1926	46.8 mi	TS / TD	37 kt
Unnamed Storm (1923)	16 Oct 1923	13.5 mi	TS / TD	53 kt
Unnamed Storm (1915)	30 Sep 1915	46.9 mi	TS / TD	62 kt
Unnamed Storm (1912)	13 Jun 1912	36.1 mi	TS / TD	48 kt
Unnamed Storm (1911)	13 Aug 1911	14.4 mi	TS / TD	34 kt
Unnamed Storm (1905)	10 Oct 1905	31.4 mi	TS / TD	34 kt
Unnamed Storm (1905)	29 Sep 1905	25.5 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Unnamed Storm (1894)	9 Aug 1894	24.0 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Unnamed Storm (1890)	27 Aug 1890	14.7 mi	TS / TD	36 kt
Unnamed Storm (1888)	20 Aug 1888	12.5 mi	Cat 1	68 kt
Unnamed Storm (1886)	15 Jun 1886	6.4 mi	TS / TD	38 kt
Unnamed Storm (1879)	7 Oct 1879	46.7 mi	TS / TD	38 kt
Unnamed Storm (1879)	2 Sep 1879	17.5 mi	TS / TD	60 kt
Unnamed Storm (1875)	18 Sep 1875	6.9 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1860)	3 Oct 1860	6.2 mi	TS / TD	60 kt
Unnamed Storm (1856)	12 Aug 1856	13.8 mi	TS / TD	40 kt

Post-tropical and extratropical passes

A further 4 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	49.0 mi	25 kt
Olga (2019)	Post-tropical	26 Oct 2019	35.2 mi	45 kt
Lee (2011)	Post-tropical	5 Sep 2011	48.7 mi	38 kt
Five (2010)	Remnant low	17 Aug 2010	22.1 mi	18 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 Amite County, Mississippi compares

Among the 2,208 U.S. counties and county-equivalents that have recorded at least one tropical cyclone within 50 miles, Amite County, Mississippi ranks #322 — more exposed than 85.4% of them. Within Mississippi it ranks #19 of 82, against a state average of 32.3 storms per county.

Notable storms

Cat 1 Unnamed Storm (1879) passed 17 miles away on 2 September 1879 as a tropical storm, reaching 75 kt (86 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 1 Ida (2021) passed 4 miles away on 30 August 2021 as a hurricane, reaching 71 kt (82 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 1 Unnamed Storm (1888) passed 12 miles away on 20 August 1888 as a hurricane, reaching 70 kt (81 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 1 Unnamed Storm (1860) passed 6 miles away on 3 October 1860 as a tropical storm, reaching 70 kt (81 mph) while within 50 miles.

36 of the 40 storms made a documented landfall somewhere along their track.

How often to expect a storm

A return interval of 4.2 years does not mean storms arrive on a schedule. It is simply 40 storms spread over the 170 years from 1856 to 2025. 2 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 1 year since the last one; 33 of the 37 gaps in this record were longer than that.

Common questions

How many hurricanes have hit Amite County, Mississippi?

4 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of Amite County, Mississippi at hurricane strength since 1856. Counting all tropical cyclones — including tropical storms and depressions — the total is 40.

When was the last hurricane in Amite County, Mississippi?

Ida (2021), on 30 August 2021, passing 4 miles away — 5 years ago. The most recent tropical cyclone of any strength was Francine (2024) in 2024.

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

Unnamed Storm (1879), which reached 75 kt (86 mph) while within 50 miles; its closest approach was 17 miles.

How often do hurricanes hit Amite County, Mississippi?

On average, one tropical cyclone passes within 50 miles every 4.2 years — 40 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

Amite County, Mississippi borders or sits close to 7 other counties with a published storm record. St. Helena Parish, Louisiana has 52 on record.

St. Helena Parish, Louisiana52 storms within 50 mi Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana50 storms within 50 mi Pike County, Mississippi49 storms within 50 mi East Feliciana Parish, Louisiana46 storms within 50 mi Lincoln County, Mississippi42 storms within 50 mi Wilkinson County, Mississippi38 storms within 50 mi Franklin County, Mississippi35 storms within 50 mi