Harrison County, Mississippi Hurricane History

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

Since 1852, 58 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of Harrison County, Mississippi — about one every 3.0 years. Of those, 20 were at hurricane strength at their closest approach. The most recent was Claudette (2021), which passed 43 miles away on 19 June 2021.

Storms within 50 mi

At hurricane strength

3.0

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 5 · 1Cat 3 · 7Cat 2 · 4Cat 1 · 8TS / TD · 38

The 58 storms by the strongest category each reached while within 50 miles. 1 of them reached Cat 5.

Key facts

Most recentClaudette (2021) — 43 mi away, 19 June 2021
Strongest stormCamille (1969) — 150 kt (173 mph) at its strongest within 50 miles
Closest pass on recordUnnamed Storm (1860) — 4.0 miles
Closest major hurricane (Cat 3+)Unnamed Storm (1860) — 4.0 miles
Passes within 25 miles33 of 58
Peak monthSeptember — 26 storms (45% of all)
Most active year1860 — 2 storms
Most active decade2000s — 6 storms
Major hurricanes (Cat 3+) within 50 mi8
Record span1852–2021

When storms arrive

JFMAMJJASOND

Storms by month of closest approach; the peak is highlighted and labelled. In Harrison County, Mississippi, September is the most active month, with 26 of the 58 recorded storms (45%). The primary season runs August to October, accounting for 81% of all activity. The 2000s was the most active decade on record, with 6 storms. 8 of the 58 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	4	6	12	26	9	1	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: 13 storms in 1950–1987 against 12 in 1988–2025.

1850s	1860s	1870s	1880s	1890s	1900s	1910s	1920s	1930s	1940s	1950s	1960s	1970s	1980s	1990s	2000s	2010s	2020s
2	2	3	4	4	4	4	3	3	4	2	3	5	3	2	6	2	2

Every tropical or subtropical cyclone within 50 miles

Storm	Closest approach	Distance	Status	Wind
Claudette (2021)	19 Jun 2021	42.8 mi	TS / TD	33 kt
Zeta (2020)	29 Oct 2020	29.0 mi	Cat 1	81 kt
Gordon (2018)	5 Sep 2018	28.7 mi	TS / TD	55 kt
Nate (2017)	8 Oct 2017	5.1 mi	Cat 1	65 kt
Ida (2009)	10 Nov 2009	49.9 mi	TS / TD	48 kt
Katrina (2005)	29 Aug 2005	31.3 mi	Cat 3	97 kt
Cindy (2005)	6 Jul 2005	12.7 mi	TS / TD	42 kt
Isidore (2002)	26 Sep 2002	47.8 mi	TS / TD	52 kt
Hanna (2002)	14 Sep 2002	31.6 mi	TS / TD	50 kt
Allison (2001)	11 Jun 2001	24.7 mi	TS / TD	39 kt
Georges (1998)	28 Sep 1998	11.0 mi	Cat 2	90 kt
Danny (1997)	18 Jul 1997	49.6 mi	Cat 1	70 kt
Elena (1985)	2 Sep 1985	7.0 mi	Cat 3	100 kt
Unnamed Storm (1984)	27 Oct 1984	20.4 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1980)	20 Jul 1980	5.8 mi	TS / TD	21 kt
Frederic (1979)	13 Sep 1979	42.0 mi	Cat 3	98 kt
Unnamed Storm (1977)	25 Oct 1977	16.0 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Unnamed Storm (1976)	24 Sep 1976	23.0 mi	TS / TD	20 kt
Unnamed Storm (1975)	29 Jul 1975	48.2 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Fern (1971)	5 Sep 1971	35.7 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Camille (1969)	18 Aug 1969	20.5 mi	Cat 5	150 kt
Hilda (1964)	4 Oct 1964	17.7 mi	TS / TD	54 kt
Ethel (1960)	15 Sep 1960	4.6 mi	Cat 1	65 kt
Unnamed Storm (1955)	27 Aug 1955	29.6 mi	TS / TD	45 kt
Brenda (1955)	1 Aug 1955	43.5 mi	TS / TD	55 kt
Unnamed Storm (1948)	4 Sep 1948	36.5 mi	TS / TD	50 kt
Unnamed Storm (1947)	8 Sep 1947	30.1 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Unnamed Storm (1945)	6 Sep 1945	13.0 mi	TS / TD	28 kt
Unnamed Storm (1944)	10 Sep 1944	39.5 mi	TS / TD	51 kt
Unnamed Storm (1939)	26 Sep 1939	9.6 mi	TS / TD	42 kt
Unnamed Storm (1936)	23 Aug 1936	6.1 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Unnamed Storm (1932)	1 Sep 1932	45.1 mi	Cat 1	68 kt
Unnamed Storm (1926)	21 Sep 1926	4.5 mi	TS / TD	53 kt
Unnamed Storm (1923)	18 Oct 1923	9.5 mi	TS / TD	50 kt
Unnamed Storm (1923)	26 Jun 1923	15.9 mi	TS / TD	38 kt
Unnamed Storm (1916)	5 Jul 1916	37.0 mi	Cat 2	88 kt
Unnamed Storm (1914)	18 Sep 1914	16.1 mi	TS / TD	34 kt
Unnamed Storm (1912)	14 Sep 1912	38.8 mi	TS / TD	58 kt
Unnamed Storm (1911)	12 Aug 1911	26.9 mi	TS / TD	45 kt
Unnamed Storm (1907)	21 Sep 1907	11.0 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1906)	27 Sep 1906	22.4 mi	Cat 2	90 kt
Unnamed Storm (1901)	15 Aug 1901	16.0 mi	Cat 1	75 kt
Unnamed Storm (1900)	13 Sep 1900	18.7 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Unnamed Storm (1895)	16 Aug 1895	20.9 mi	TS / TD	44 kt
Unnamed Storm (1894)	8 Aug 1894	45.1 mi	TS / TD	32 kt
Unnamed Storm (1893)	2 Oct 1893	13.6 mi	Cat 2	95 kt
Unnamed Storm (1892)	12 Sep 1892	14.1 mi	TS / TD	42 kt
Unnamed Storm (1887)	19 Oct 1887	12.1 mi	TS / TD	53 kt
Unnamed Storm (1887)	14 Jun 1887	21.7 mi	TS / TD	33 kt
Unnamed Storm (1885)	26 Sep 1885	13.6 mi	TS / TD	60 kt
Unnamed Storm (1881)	3 Aug 1881	44.5 mi	TS / TD	46 kt
Unnamed Storm (1879)	7 Oct 1879	35.7 mi	TS / TD	45 kt
Unnamed Storm (1877)	19 Sep 1877	48.4 mi	Cat 1	70 kt
Unnamed Storm (1872)	11 Jul 1872	5.0 mi	TS / TD	50 kt
Unnamed Storm (1860)	15 Sep 1860	10.2 mi	Cat 1	80 kt
Unnamed Storm (1860)	12 Aug 1860	4.0 mi	Cat 3	100 kt
Unnamed Storm (1855)	16 Sep 1855	13.4 mi	Cat 2	90 kt
Unnamed Storm (1852)	26 Aug 1852	31.3 mi	Cat 3	97 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	41.6 mi	40 kt
Five (2010)	Remnant low	17 Aug 2010	4.6 mi	25 kt
Unnamed Storm (1932)	Post-tropical	16 Oct 1932	28.1 mi	46 kt
Unnamed Storm (1863)	Post-tropical	1 Oct 1863	27.9 mi	40 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 Harrison County, Mississippi compares

Among the 2,208 U.S. counties and county-equivalents that have recorded at least one tropical cyclone within 50 miles, Harrison County, Mississippi ranks #131 — more exposed than 94.1% of them. Within Mississippi it ranks #2 of 82, against a state average of 32.3 storms per county.

Notable storms

Cat 5 Camille (1969) passed 21 miles away on 18 August 1969 as a hurricane, reaching 150 kt (173 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 3 Katrina (2005) passed 31 miles away on 29 August 2005 as a hurricane, reaching 106 kt (122 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 3 Unnamed Storm (1855) passed 13 miles away on 16 September 1855 as a hurricane, reaching 106 kt (122 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 3 Unnamed Storm (1916) passed 37 miles away on 5 July 1916 as a hurricane, reaching 105 kt (121 mph) while within 50 miles.

51 of the 58 storms made a documented landfall somewhere along their track.

How often to expect a storm

A return interval of 3.0 years does not mean storms arrive on a schedule. It is simply 58 storms spread over the 174 years from 1852 to 2025. 6 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 1860 and 1872. It has been 4 years since the last one; 14 of the 51 gaps in this record were longer than that.

Common questions

How many hurricanes have hit Harrison County, Mississippi?

20 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of Harrison County, Mississippi at hurricane strength since 1852. Counting all tropical cyclones — including tropical storms and depressions — the total is 58.

When was the last hurricane in Harrison County, Mississippi?

Zeta (2020), on 29 October 2020, passing 29 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 Harrison County, Mississippi?

Camille (1969), which reached 150 kt (173 mph) while within 50 miles; its closest approach was 21 miles.

How often do hurricanes hit Harrison County, Mississippi?

On average, one tropical cyclone passes within 50 miles every 3.0 years — 58 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

Harrison County, Mississippi borders or sits close to 5 other counties with a published storm record. St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana has 59 on record.

St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana59 storms within 50 mi Hancock County, Mississippi59 storms within 50 mi Jackson County, Mississippi55 storms within 50 mi Pearl River County, Mississippi54 storms within 50 mi Stone County, Mississippi54 storms within 50 mi