Itawamba County, Mississippi Tropical Cyclone History

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

Since 1872, 28 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of Itawamba County, Mississippi — about one every 5.5 years. Of those, 0 were at hurricane strength at their closest approach. The most recent was Ida (2021), which passed 8 miles away on 31 August 2021.

Storms within 50 mi

At hurricane strength

5.5

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) — 8 mi away, 31 August 2021
Strongest stormFrederic (1979) — 48 kt (55 mph) at its strongest within 50 miles
Closest pass on recordEthel (1960) — 6.4 miles
Closest major hurricane (Cat 3+)None on record
Passes within 25 miles8 of 28
Peak monthSeptember — 10 storms (36% of all)
Most active year2005 — 3 storms
Most active decade2000s — 5 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 Itawamba County, Mississippi, September is the most active month, with 10 of the 28 recorded storms (36%). The primary season runs July to September, accounting for 79% of all activity. The 2000s was the most active decade on record, with 5 storms. 0 of the 28 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	4	8	10	2	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: 6 storms in 1950–1987 against 8 in 1988–2025.

1870s	1880s	1890s	1900s	1910s	1920s	1930s	1940s	1950s	1960s	1970s	1980s	1990s	2000s	2010s	2020s
2	1	3	0	3	1	2	2	3	1	1	1	1	5	1	1

Every tropical or subtropical cyclone within 50 miles

Storm	Closest approach	Distance	Status	Wind
Ida (2021)	31 Aug 2021	8.5 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Harvey (2017)	1 Sep 2017	29.9 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Katrina (2005)	30 Aug 2005	9.2 mi	TS / TD	38 kt
Dennis (2005)	11 Jul 2005	29.6 mi	TS / TD	24 kt
Arlene (2005)	12 Jun 2005	26.6 mi	TS / TD	22 kt
Isidore (2002)	27 Sep 2002	40.1 mi	TS / TD	20 kt
Barry (2001)	7 Aug 2001	45.6 mi	TS / TD	15 kt
Andrew (1992)	27 Aug 1992	40.4 mi	TS / TD	24 kt
Danny (1985)	17 Aug 1985	17.0 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Frederic (1979)	13 Sep 1979	28.4 mi	TS / TD	45 kt
Ethel (1960)	17 Sep 1960	6.4 mi	TS / TD	23 kt
Audrey (1957)	28 Jun 1957	46.4 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Easy (1950)	8 Sep 1950	43.9 mi	TS / TD	20 kt
Baker (1950)	31 Aug 1950	10.4 mi	TS / TD	37 kt
Unnamed Storm (1949)	5 Sep 1949	25.2 mi	TS / TD	22 kt
Unnamed Storm (1948)	5 Sep 1948	45.9 mi	TS / TD	28 kt
Unnamed Storm (1939)	17 Jun 1939	36.4 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Unnamed Storm (1934)	17 Jun 1934	33.7 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Unnamed Storm (1923)	18 Oct 1923	45.3 mi	TS / TD	38 kt
Unnamed Storm (1916)	19 Oct 1916	37.9 mi	TS / TD	42 kt
Unnamed Storm (1916)	8 Jul 1916	40.9 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1912)	15 Sep 1912	8.6 mi	TS / TD	32 kt
Unnamed Storm (1895)	17 Aug 1895	42.5 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Unnamed Storm (1893)	9 Sep 1893	15.5 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1891)	8 Jul 1891	43.3 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Unnamed Storm (1881)	29 Aug 1881	36.8 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1879)	2 Sep 1879	30.6 mi	TS / TD	37 kt
Unnamed Storm (1872)	13 Jul 1872	9.6 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	13.2 mi	24 kt
Irma (2017)	Remnant low	12 Sep 2017	35.9 mi	16 kt
Unnamed Storm (1915)	Post-tropical	30 Sep 1915	32.0 mi	38 kt
Unnamed Storm (1905)	Post-tropical	10 Oct 1905	34.8 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 Itawamba County, Mississippi compares

Among the 2,208 U.S. counties and county-equivalents that have recorded at least one tropical cyclone within 50 miles, Itawamba County, Mississippi ranks #566 — more exposed than 74.4% of them. Within Mississippi it ranks #46 of 82, against a state average of 32.3 storms per county.

Notable storms

TS / TD Frederic (1979) passed 28 miles away on 13 September 1979 as a tropical storm, reaching 48 kt (55 mph) while within 50 miles.
TS / TD Unnamed (October 1916) passed 38 miles away on 19 October 1916 as a tropical storm, reaching 42 kt (48 mph) while within 50 miles.
TS / TD Katrina (2005) passed 9 miles away on 30 August 2005 as a tropical storm, reaching 41 kt (47 mph) while within 50 miles.
TS / TD Unnamed (July 1916) passed 41 miles away on 8 July 1916 as a tropical storm, reaching 40 kt (46 mph) while within 50 miles.

27 of the 28 storms made a documented landfall somewhere along their track.

How often to expect a storm

A return interval of 5.5 years does not mean storms arrive on a schedule. It is simply 28 storms spread over the 154 years from 1872 to 2025. 3 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 19 years, between 1960 and 1979. It has been 4 years since the last one; 13 of the 23 gaps in this record were longer than that.

Common questions

Has a hurricane ever hit Itawamba County, Mississippi?

No. No tropical cyclone on record has passed within 50 miles of Itawamba County, Mississippi while at hurricane strength. 28 tropical cyclones have passed within that distance since 1872, all of them as tropical storms or depressions. The strongest was Frederic (1979).

When was the last tropical cyclone in Itawamba County, Mississippi?

Ida (2021), on 31 August 2021, passing 8 miles away — 5 years ago. No storm on record has passed within 50 miles of Itawamba County, Mississippi at hurricane strength.

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

Frederic (1979), which reached 48 kt (55 mph) while within 50 miles; its closest approach was 28 miles.

How often does a tropical storm reach Itawamba County, Mississippi?

On average, one tropical cyclone passes within 50 miles every 5.5 years — 28 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

Itawamba County, Mississippi borders or sits close to 6 other counties with a published storm record. Monroe County, Mississippi has 26 on record.

Monroe County, Mississippi26 storms within 50 mi Lee County, Mississippi24 storms within 50 mi Prentiss County, Mississippi23 storms within 50 mi Tishomingo County, Mississippi22 storms within 50 mi Marion County, Alabama22 storms within 50 mi Franklin County, Alabama21 storms within 50 mi