George County, Mississippi Hurricane History

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

Since 1852, 53 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of George County, Mississippi — about one every 3.3 years. Of those, 16 were at hurricane strength at their closest approach. The most recent was Claudette (2021), which passed 39 miles away on 19 June 2021.

Storms within 50 mi

At hurricane strength

3.3

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 3 · 5Cat 2 · 4Cat 1 · 11TS / TD · 33

The 53 storms by the strongest category each reached while within 50 miles. 5 of them reached Cat 3.

Key facts

Most recentClaudette (2021) — 39 mi away, 19 June 2021
Strongest stormFrederic (1979) — 105 kt (121 mph) at its strongest within 50 miles
Closest pass on recordUnnamed Storm (1916) — 4.6 miles
Closest major hurricane (Cat 3+)Unnamed Storm (1916) — 4.6 miles
Passes within 25 miles35 of 53
Peak monthSeptember — 23 storms (43% of all)
Most active year1860 — 2 storms
Most active decade1880s — 5 storms
Major hurricanes (Cat 3+) within 50 mi5
Record span1852–2021

When storms arrive

JFMAMJJASOND

Storms by month of closest approach; the peak is highlighted and labelled. In George County, Mississippi, September is the most active month, with 23 of the 53 recorded storms (43%). The primary season runs August to October, accounting for 77% of all activity. The 1880s was the most active decade on record, with 5 storms. 5 of the 53 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	6	6	10	23	8	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
3	2	2	5	4	4	4	3	4	3	1	2	4	3	2	3	2	2

Every tropical or subtropical cyclone within 50 miles

Storm	Closest approach	Distance	Status	Wind
Claudette (2021)	19 Jun 2021	39.1 mi	TS / TD	32 kt
Zeta (2020)	29 Oct 2020	30.8 mi	Cat 1	77 kt
Gordon (2018)	5 Sep 2018	11.2 mi	TS / TD	50 kt
Nate (2017)	8 Oct 2017	8.1 mi	TS / TD	56 kt
Cindy (2005)	6 Jul 2005	9.1 mi	TS / TD	38 kt
Hanna (2002)	14 Sep 2002	31.5 mi	TS / TD	43 kt
Allison (2001)	11 Jun 2001	6.2 mi	TS / TD	37 kt
Georges (1998)	29 Sep 1998	17.8 mi	TS / TD	43 kt
Erin (1995)	3 Aug 1995	33.8 mi	TS / TD	48 kt
Elena (1985)	2 Sep 1985	45.7 mi	Cat 3	100 kt
Unnamed Storm (1984)	27 Oct 1984	21.0 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1980)	20 Jul 1980	44.6 mi	TS / TD	21 kt
Frederic (1979)	13 Sep 1979	9.3 mi	Cat 2	95 kt
Unnamed Storm (1977)	25 Oct 1977	24.7 mi	TD	—
Unnamed Storm (1977)	19 Jul 1977	48.1 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Unnamed Storm (1976)	24 Sep 1976	8.1 mi	TS / TD	20 kt
Hilda (1964)	4 Oct 1964	16.3 mi	TS / TD	53 kt
Ethel (1960)	16 Sep 1960	24.4 mi	TS / TD	48 kt
Baker (1950)	31 Aug 1950	44.1 mi	Cat 1	68 kt
Unnamed Storm (1948)	4 Sep 1948	48.0 mi	TS / TD	45 kt
Unnamed Storm (1947)	8 Sep 1947	11.3 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Unnamed Storm (1944)	11 Sep 1944	33.9 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1939)	26 Sep 1939	13.7 mi	TS / TD	38 kt
Unnamed Storm (1939)	16 Jun 1939	39.7 mi	TS / TD	38 kt
Unnamed Storm (1936)	23 Aug 1936	32.8 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Unnamed Storm (1932)	1 Sep 1932	10.0 mi	TS / TD	62 kt
Unnamed Storm (1926)	21 Sep 1926	37.6 mi	TS / TD	58 kt
Unnamed Storm (1923)	18 Oct 1923	22.5 mi	TS / TD	48 kt
Unnamed Storm (1923)	26 Jun 1923	21.6 mi	TS / TD	36 kt
Unnamed Storm (1916)	6 Jul 1916	4.6 mi	Cat 1	80 kt
Unnamed Storm (1914)	18 Sep 1914	42.7 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Unnamed Storm (1912)	14 Sep 1912	9.3 mi	TS / TD	50 kt
Unnamed Storm (1911)	12 Aug 1911	10.8 mi	TS / TD	50 kt
Unnamed Storm (1907)	21 Sep 1907	11.2 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Unnamed Storm (1906)	27 Sep 1906	12.6 mi	Cat 2	85 kt
Unnamed Storm (1901)	15 Aug 1901	11.2 mi	Cat 1	65 kt
Unnamed Storm (1900)	13 Sep 1900	13.5 mi	TS / TD	32 kt
Unnamed Storm (1895)	16 Aug 1895	5.9 mi	TS / TD	39 kt
Unnamed Storm (1894)	8 Aug 1894	9.0 mi	TS / TD	36 kt
Unnamed Storm (1893)	2 Oct 1893	15.6 mi	Cat 1	78 kt
Unnamed Storm (1892)	12 Sep 1892	15.6 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1887)	19 Oct 1887	20.9 mi	TS / TD	48 kt
Unnamed Storm (1887)	14 Jun 1887	8.2 mi	TS / TD	31 kt
Unnamed Storm (1886)	15 Jun 1886	31.9 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1885)	27 Sep 1885	22.5 mi	TS / TD	43 kt
Unnamed Storm (1881)	3 Aug 1881	14.7 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1872)	11 Jul 1872	21.3 mi	TS / TD	42 kt
Unnamed Storm (1870)	30 Jul 1870	45.4 mi	Cat 1	70 kt
Unnamed Storm (1860)	15 Sep 1860	23.5 mi	Cat 1	67 kt
Unnamed Storm (1860)	12 Aug 1860	13.3 mi	Cat 2	90 kt
Unnamed Storm (1859)	16 Sep 1859	48.0 mi	Cat 1	67 kt
Unnamed Storm (1855)	16 Sep 1855	28.9 mi	Cat 1	70 kt
Unnamed Storm (1852)	26 Aug 1852	16.4 mi	Cat 2	87 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
Lee (2011)	Post-tropical	5 Sep 2011	28.3 mi	40 kt
Five (2010)	Remnant low	13 Aug 2010	4.6 mi	25 kt
Unnamed Storm (1932)	Post-tropical	16 Oct 1932	25.8 mi	43 kt
Unnamed Storm (1922)	Post-tropical	17 Oct 1922	43.4 mi	25 kt

About this data. Computed from NOAA's HURDAT2 Atlantic and Northeast Pacific hurricane databases (hurdat2-1851-2025-02272026.txt), covering 1852–2025. 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 George County, Mississippi compares

Among the 2,208 U.S. counties and county-equivalents that have recorded at least one tropical cyclone within 50 miles, George County, Mississippi ranks #169 — more exposed than 92.3% of them. Within Mississippi it ranks #6 of 82, against a state average of 32.3 storms per county.

Notable storms

Cat 3 Frederic (1979) passed 9 miles away on 13 September 1979 as a hurricane, reaching 105 kt (121 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 3 Unnamed Storm (1916) passed 5 miles away on 6 July 1916 as a hurricane, reaching 105 kt (121 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 3 Elena (1985) passed 46 miles away on 2 September 1985 as a hurricane, reaching 100 kt (115 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 3 Unnamed Storm (1860) passed 13 miles away on 12 August 1860 as a hurricane, reaching 100 kt (115 mph) while within 50 miles.

47 of the 53 storms made a documented landfall somewhere along their track.

How often to expect a storm

A return interval of 3.3 years does not mean storms arrive on a schedule. It is simply 53 storms spread over the 174 years from 1852 to 2025. 5 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 12 years, between 1964 and 1976. It has been 4 years since the last one; 12 of the 47 gaps in this record were longer than that.

Common questions

How many hurricanes have hit George County, Mississippi?

16 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of George County, Mississippi at hurricane strength since 1852. Counting all tropical cyclones — including tropical storms and depressions — the total is 53.

When was the last hurricane in George County, Mississippi?

Zeta (2020), on 29 October 2020, passing 31 miles away — 6 years ago. The most recent tropical cyclone of any strength was Claudette (2021) in 2021.

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

Frederic (1979), which reached 105 kt (121 mph) while within 50 miles; its closest approach was 9 miles.

How often do hurricanes hit George County, Mississippi?

On average, one tropical cyclone passes within 50 miles every 3.3 years — 53 storms over the 174 years from 1852 to 2025, the end of the HURDAT2 record. That is a historical average, not a schedule or a forecast.

Nearby counties

George County, Mississippi borders or sits close to 5 other counties with a published storm record. Mobile County, Alabama has 57 on record.

Mobile County, Alabama57 storms within 50 mi Jackson County, Mississippi55 storms within 50 mi Stone County, Mississippi54 storms within 50 mi Greene County, Mississippi53 storms within 50 mi Perry County, Mississippi47 storms within 50 mi