Clay County, Mississippi Tropical Cyclone History

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

Since 1872, 26 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of Clay County, Mississippi — about one every 5.9 years. Of those, 1 were at hurricane strength at their closest approach. The most recent was Ida (2021), which passed 29 miles away on 31 August 2021.

Storms within 50 mi

At hurricane strength

5.9

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.

Key facts

Most recentIda (2021) — 29 mi away, 31 August 2021
Strongest stormFrederic (1979) — 55 kt (63 mph) at its strongest within 50 miles
Closest pass on recordBarry (2001) — 1.2 miles
Closest major hurricane (Cat 3+)None on record
Passes within 25 miles17 of 26
Peak monthSeptember — 10 storms (38% of all)
Most active year2005 — 2 storms
Most active decade2000s — 4 storms
Major hurricanes (Cat 3+) within 50 mi0
Record span1872–2021

When storms arrive

JFMAMJJASOND

Storms by month of closest approach; the peak is highlighted and labelled. In Clay County, Mississippi, September is the most active month, with 10 of the 26 recorded storms (38%). The primary season runs July to September, accounting for 92% of all activity. The 2000s was the most active decade on record, with 4 storms. 0 of the 26 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	0	1	5	9	10	1	0	0

Activity by decade

19002000

Tropical cyclones passing within 50 miles, by decade, 1870s to 2020s. 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 6 in 1988–2025.

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

Every tropical or subtropical cyclone within 50 miles

Storm	Closest approach	Distance	Status	Wind
Ida (2021)	31 Aug 2021	28.6 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Katrina (2005)	30 Aug 2005	4.2 mi	TS / TD	43 kt
Dennis (2005)	11 Jul 2005	2.5 mi	TS / TD	26 kt
Isidore (2002)	27 Sep 2002	25.3 mi	TS / TD	20 kt
Barry (2001)	7 Aug 2001	1.2 mi	TS / TD	15 kt
Andrew (1992)	27 Aug 1992	17.0 mi	TS / TD	26 kt
Danny (1985)	17 Aug 1985	50.0 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Frederic (1979)	13 Sep 1979	36.4 mi	TS / TD	52 kt
Ethel (1960)	16 Sep 1960	17.5 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Baker (1950)	31 Aug 1950	27.8 mi	TS / TD	38 kt
Unnamed Storm (1949)	5 Sep 1949	23.2 mi	TS / TD	23 kt
Unnamed Storm (1948)	5 Sep 1948	19.6 mi	TS / TD	29 kt
Unnamed Storm (1939)	17 Jun 1939	12.8 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Unnamed Storm (1926)	30 Jul 1926	44.1 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Unnamed Storm (1923)	18 Oct 1923	21.5 mi	TS / TD	38 kt
Unnamed Storm (1919)	5 Jul 1919	35.7 mi	TS / TD	20 kt
Unnamed Storm (1916)	7 Jul 1916	5.2 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1912)	15 Sep 1912	16.2 mi	TS / TD	33 kt
Unnamed Storm (1906)	28 Sep 1906	47.2 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1901)	16 Aug 1901	21.4 mi	TS / TD	32 kt
Unnamed Storm (1895)	17 Aug 1895	47.8 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Unnamed Storm (1893)	9 Sep 1893	2.0 mi	TS / TD	32 kt
Unnamed Storm (1881)	29 Aug 1881	14.3 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1880)	1 Sep 1880	21.4 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1879)	2 Sep 1879	19.6 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1872)	13 Jul 1872	5.9 mi	TS / TD	30 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
Delta (2020)	Post-tropical	11 Oct 2020	38.5 mi	25 kt
Beta (2020)	Post-tropical	24 Sep 2020	33.5 mi	20 kt
Unnamed Storm (1915)	Post-tropical	30 Sep 1915	22.4 mi	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1905)	Post-tropical	10 Oct 1905	12.0 mi	25 kt

About this data. Computed from NOAA's HURDAT2 Atlantic and Northeast Pacific hurricane databases (hurdat2-1851-2025-02272026.txt), covering 1872–2025. 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 Clay County, Mississippi compares

Among the 2,208 U.S. counties and county-equivalents that have recorded at least one tropical cyclone within 50 miles, Clay County, Mississippi ranks #615 — more exposed than 72.1% of them. Within Mississippi it ranks #51 of 82, against a state average of 32.3 storms per county.

Notable storms

TS / TD Frederic (1979) passed 36 miles away on 13 September 1979 as a hurricane, reaching 55 kt (63 mph) while within 50 miles.
TS / TD Katrina (2005) passed 4 miles away on 30 August 2005 as a tropical storm, reaching 46 kt (53 mph) while within 50 miles.
TS / TD Unnamed Storm (1879) passed 20 miles away on 2 September 1879 as a tropical storm, reaching 43 kt (49 mph) while within 50 miles.
TS / TD Unnamed Storm (1906) passed 47 miles away on 28 September 1906 as a tropical storm, reaching 41 kt (47 mph) while within 50 miles.

25 of the 26 storms made a documented landfall somewhere along their track.

How often to expect a storm

A return interval of 5.9 years does not mean storms arrive on a schedule. It is simply 26 storms spread over the 154 years from 1872 to 2025. 1 separate year 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 19 years, between 1960 and 1979. It has been 4 years since the last one; 13 of the 24 gaps in this record were longer than that.

Common questions

How many hurricanes have hit Clay County, Mississippi?

1 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of Clay County, Mississippi at hurricane strength since 1872. Counting all tropical cyclones — including tropical storms and depressions — the total is 26.

When was the last hurricane in Clay County, Mississippi?

Frederic (1979), on 13 September 1979, passing 36 miles away — 47 years ago. The most recent tropical cyclone of any strength was Ida (2021) in 2021.

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

Frederic (1979), which reached 55 kt (63 mph) while within 50 miles; its closest approach was 36 miles.

How often do hurricanes hit Clay County, Mississippi?

On average, one tropical cyclone passes within 50 miles every 5.9 years — 26 storms over the 154 years from 1872 to 2025, the end of the HURDAT2 record. That is a historical average, not a schedule or a forecast.

Nearby counties

Clay County, Mississippi borders or sits close to 5 other counties with a published storm record. Lowndes County, Mississippi has 32 on record.

Lowndes County, Mississippi32 storms within 50 mi Webster County, Mississippi31 storms within 50 mi Oktibbeha County, Mississippi29 storms within 50 mi Chickasaw County, Mississippi28 storms within 50 mi Monroe County, Mississippi26 storms within 50 mi