Claiborne County, Mississippi Tropical Cyclone History

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

Since 1856, 30 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of Claiborne County, Mississippi — about one every 5.7 years. Of those, 2 were at hurricane strength at their closest approach. The most recent was Francine (2024), which passed 49 miles away on 12 September 2024.

Storms within 50 mi

At hurricane strength

5.7

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 · 2TS / TD · 28

The 30 storms by the strongest category each reached while within 50 miles. 2 of them reached Cat 1.

Key facts

Most recentFrancine (2024) — 49 mi away, 12 September 2024
Strongest stormUnnamed Storm (1909) — 71 kt (82 mph) at its strongest within 50 miles
Closest pass on recordUnnamed Storm (1956) — 4.0 miles
Closest major hurricane (Cat 3+)None on record
Passes within 25 miles12 of 30
Peak monthSeptember — 14 storms (47% of all)
Most active year1879 — 2 storms
Most active decade2020s — 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 Claiborne County, Mississippi, September is the most active month, with 14 of the 30 recorded storms (47%). The primary season runs August to October, accounting for 87% of all activity. The 2020s was the most active decade on record, with 4 storms. 0 of the 30 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	3	0	8	14	4	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: 6 storms in 1950–1987 against 7 in 1988–2025.

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

Every tropical or subtropical cyclone within 50 miles

Storm	Closest approach	Distance	Status	Wind
Francine (2024)	12 Sep 2024	49.3 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Ida (2021)	30 Aug 2021	15.2 mi	TS / TD	38 kt
Delta (2020)	10 Oct 2020	43.3 mi	TS / TD	38 kt
Cristobal (2020)	8 Jun 2020	39.1 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Gordon (2018)	5 Sep 2018	46.5 mi	TS / TD	26 kt
Andrew (1992)	27 Aug 1992	13.6 mi	TS / TD	32 kt
Florence (1988)	10 Sep 1988	36.2 mi	TS / TD	22 kt
Unnamed Storm (1987)	11 Aug 1987	12.3 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Elena (1985)	2 Sep 1985	35.6 mi	TS / TD	50 kt
Edith (1971)	16 Sep 1971	49.5 mi	TS / TD	47 kt
Arlene (1959)	31 May 1959	17.3 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Esther (1957)	19 Sep 1957	7.0 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1956)	14 Jun 1956	4.0 mi	TS / TD	32 kt
Unnamed Storm (1949)	5 Sep 1949	35.3 mi	TS / TD	32 kt
Unnamed Storm (1945)	6 Sep 1945	35.9 mi	TS / TD	23 kt
Unnamed Storm (1940)	25 Sep 1940	46.5 mi	TS / TD	20 kt
Unnamed Storm (1934)	17 Jun 1934	5.9 mi	TS / TD	48 kt
Unnamed Storm (1932)	20 Sep 1932	14.9 mi	TS / TD	38 kt
Unnamed Storm (1923)	16 Oct 1923	10.1 mi	TS / TD	49 kt
Unnamed Storm (1909)	21 Sep 1909	42.1 mi	Cat 1	68 kt
Unnamed Storm (1908)	2 Aug 1908	45.2 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1905)	30 Sep 1905	4.4 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Unnamed Storm (1894)	9 Aug 1894	26.2 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Unnamed Storm (1890)	28 Aug 1890	29.5 mi	TS / TD	34 kt
Unnamed Storm (1888)	20 Aug 1888	5.2 mi	Cat 1	64 kt
Unnamed Storm (1879)	7 Oct 1879	40.0 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Unnamed Storm (1879)	2 Sep 1879	43.6 mi	TS / TD	55 kt
Unnamed Storm (1875)	18 Sep 1875	47.9 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1860)	3 Oct 1860	16.8 mi	TS / TD	53 kt
Unnamed Storm (1856)	12 Aug 1856	46.8 mi	TS / TD	40 kt

Post-tropical and extratropical passes

A further 5 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	8.1 mi	25 kt
Five (2010)	Remnant low	18 Aug 2010	19.5 mi	15 kt
Humberto (2007)	Remnant low	14 Sep 2007	35.0 mi	20 kt
Matthew (2004)	Post-tropical	11 Oct 2004	5.3 mi	25 kt
Unnamed Storm (1933)	Post-tropical	26 Jul 1933	41.0 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 Claiborne County, Mississippi compares

Among the 2,208 U.S. counties and county-equivalents that have recorded at least one tropical cyclone within 50 miles, Claiborne County, Mississippi ranks #525 — more exposed than 76.2% of them. Within Mississippi it ranks #39 of 82, against a state average of 32.3 storms per county.

Notable storms

Cat 1 Unnamed Storm (1909) passed 42 miles away on 21 September 1909 as a hurricane, reaching 71 kt (82 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 1 Unnamed Storm (1888) passed 5 miles away on 20 August 1888 as a hurricane, reaching 66 kt (76 mph) while within 50 miles.
TS / TD Unnamed Storm (1879) passed 44 miles away on 2 September 1879 as a tropical storm, reaching 58 kt (67 mph) while within 50 miles.
TS / TD Unnamed Storm (1860) passed 17 miles away on 3 October 1860 as a tropical storm, reaching 58 kt (67 mph) while within 50 miles.

29 of the 30 storms made a documented landfall somewhere along their track.

How often to expect a storm

A return interval of 5.7 years does not mean storms arrive on a schedule. It is simply 30 storms spread over the 170 years from 1856 to 2025. 2 separate years saw more than one storm pass within 50 miles while decades have gone by with none. The longest recorded quiet stretch was 26 years, between 1992 and 2018. It has been 1 year since the last one; 23 of the 27 gaps in this record were longer than that.

Common questions

How many hurricanes have hit Claiborne County, Mississippi?

2 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of Claiborne County, Mississippi at hurricane strength since 1856. Counting all tropical cyclones — including tropical storms and depressions — the total is 30.

When was the last hurricane in Claiborne County, Mississippi?

Unnamed Storm (1909), on 21 September 1909, passing 42 miles away — 117 years ago. The most recent tropical cyclone of any strength was Francine (2024) in 2024.

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

Unnamed Storm (1909), which reached 71 kt (82 mph) while within 50 miles; its closest approach was 42 miles.

How often do hurricanes hit Claiborne County, Mississippi?

On average, one tropical cyclone passes within 50 miles every 5.7 years — 30 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

Claiborne County, Mississippi borders or sits close to 5 other counties with a published storm record. Copiah County, Mississippi has 33 on record.

Copiah County, Mississippi33 storms within 50 mi Jefferson County, Mississippi29 storms within 50 mi Tensas Parish, Louisiana27 storms within 50 mi Hinds County, Mississippi23 storms within 50 mi Warren County, Mississippi22 storms within 50 mi