Jackson County, Mississippi Hurricane History

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

Since 1852, 55 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of Jackson County, Mississippi — about one every 3.2 years. Of those, 21 were at hurricane strength at their closest approach. The most recent was Gordon (2018), which passed 8 miles away on 5 September 2018.

Storms within 50 mi

At hurricane strength

3.2

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 · 11TS / TD · 32

The 55 storms by the strongest category each reached while within 50 miles. 1 of them reached Cat 5.

Key facts

Most recentGordon (2018) — 8 mi away, 5 September 2018
Strongest stormCamille (1969) — 150 kt (173 mph) at its strongest within 50 miles
Closest pass on recordUnnamed Storm (1885) — 1.9 miles
Closest major hurricane (Cat 3+)Unnamed Storm (1852) — 5.5 miles
Passes within 25 miles36 of 55
Peak monthSeptember — 26 storms (47% of all)
Most active year1860 — 2 storms
Most active decade1880s — 5 storms
Major hurricanes (Cat 3+) within 50 mi8
Record span1852–2018

When storms arrive

JFMAMJJASOND

Storms by month of closest approach; the peak is highlighted and labelled. In Jackson County, Mississippi, September is the most active month, with 26 of the 55 recorded storms (47%). The primary season runs August to October, accounting for 84% of all activity. The 1880s was the most active decade on record, with 5 storms. 8 of the 55 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	3	6	11	26	9	0	0

Activity by decade

19002000

Tropical cyclones passing within 50 miles, by decade, 1850s to 2010s. Decades with no storms are shown as empty columns. Comparing two equal 38-year windows inside the aircraft-reconnaissance era: 12 storms in 1950–1987 against 8 in 1988–2025.

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

Every tropical or subtropical cyclone within 50 miles

Storm	Closest approach	Distance	Status	Wind
Gordon (2018)	5 Sep 2018	7.7 mi	TS / TD	55 kt
Nate (2017)	8 Oct 2017	16.6 mi	TS / TD	60 kt
Cindy (2005)	6 Jul 2005	28.8 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Ivan (2004)	16 Sep 2004	45.6 mi	Cat 3	98 kt
Hanna (2002)	14 Sep 2002	14.0 mi	TS / TD	50 kt
Allison (2001)	11 Jun 2001	31.3 mi	TS / TD	37 kt
Georges (1998)	29 Sep 1998	10.1 mi	TS / TD	43 kt
Danny (1997)	19 Jul 1997	36.0 mi	Cat 1	70 kt
Juan (1985)	31 Oct 1985	43.5 mi	TS / TD	57 kt
Elena (1985)	2 Sep 1985	20.5 mi	Cat 3	100 kt
Unnamed Storm (1984)	27 Oct 1984	6.3 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1980)	20 Jul 1980	22.2 mi	TS / TD	22 kt
Frederic (1979)	13 Sep 1979	16.6 mi	Cat 3	98 kt
Unnamed Storm (1977)	25 Oct 1977	3.4 mi	TD	—
Unnamed Storm (1976)	24 Sep 1976	3.9 mi	TS / TD	20 kt
Camille (1969)	18 Aug 1969	47.4 mi	Cat 5	150 kt
Hilda (1964)	4 Oct 1964	13.8 mi	TS / TD	53 kt
Ethel (1960)	15 Sep 1960	21.3 mi	Cat 1	70 kt
Unnamed Storm (1955)	27 Aug 1955	42.2 mi	TS / TD	45 kt
Baker (1950)	31 Aug 1950	41.3 mi	Cat 1	75 kt
Unnamed Storm (1947)	8 Sep 1947	10.4 mi	TS / TD	38 kt
Unnamed Storm (1945)	6 Sep 1945	31.1 mi	TS / TD	29 kt
Unnamed Storm (1944)	10 Sep 1944	22.2 mi	TS / TD	50 kt
Unnamed Storm (1939)	26 Sep 1939	31.7 mi	TS / TD	41 kt
Unnamed Storm (1936)	23 Aug 1936	5.6 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Unnamed Storm (1932)	1 Sep 1932	19.0 mi	Cat 1	70 kt
Unnamed Storm (1926)	21 Sep 1926	10.9 mi	TS / TD	60 kt
Unnamed Storm (1923)	18 Oct 1923	24.8 mi	TS / TD	50 kt
Unnamed Storm (1923)	26 Jun 1923	3.4 mi	TS / TD	37 kt
Unnamed Storm (1922)	17 Oct 1922	45.5 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Unnamed Storm (1916)	5 Jul 1916	10.8 mi	Cat 3	97 kt
Unnamed Storm (1914)	18 Sep 1914	16.1 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Unnamed Storm (1912)	14 Sep 1912	12.1 mi	TS / TD	61 kt
Unnamed Storm (1911)	12 Aug 1911	15.6 mi	TS / TD	52 kt
Unnamed Storm (1907)	21 Sep 1907	16.6 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Unnamed Storm (1906)	27 Sep 1906	5.9 mi	Cat 2	95 kt
Unnamed Storm (1901)	15 Aug 1901	5.4 mi	Cat 1	70 kt
Unnamed Storm (1900)	13 Sep 1900	2.9 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Unnamed Storm (1895)	16 Aug 1895	4.5 mi	TS / TD	42 kt
Unnamed Storm (1894)	8 Aug 1894	35.7 mi	TS / TD	38 kt
Unnamed Storm (1893)	2 Oct 1893	5.4 mi	Cat 2	85 kt
Unnamed Storm (1892)	12 Sep 1892	32.9 mi	TS / TD	41 kt
Unnamed Storm (1889)	23 Sep 1889	41.1 mi	TS / TD	61 kt
Unnamed Storm (1887)	19 Oct 1887	6.6 mi	TS / TD	52 kt
Unnamed Storm (1887)	14 Jun 1887	8.2 mi	TS / TD	33 kt
Unnamed Storm (1885)	27 Sep 1885	1.9 mi	TS / TD	50 kt
Unnamed Storm (1881)	3 Aug 1881	17.1 mi	TS / TD	46 kt
Unnamed Storm (1877)	19 Sep 1877	42.2 mi	Cat 1	70 kt
Unnamed Storm (1872)	11 Jul 1872	22.5 mi	TS / TD	50 kt
Unnamed Storm (1870)	30 Jul 1870	37.4 mi	Cat 1	70 kt
Unnamed Storm (1860)	15 Sep 1860	35.0 mi	Cat 1	73 kt
Unnamed Storm (1860)	12 Aug 1860	11.5 mi	Cat 2	95 kt
Unnamed Storm (1859)	15 Sep 1859	32.4 mi	Cat 1	70 kt
Unnamed Storm (1855)	16 Sep 1855	38.5 mi	Cat 2	85 kt
Unnamed Storm (1852)	26 Aug 1852	5.5 mi	Cat 2	93 kt

Post-tropical and extratropical passes

A further 3 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
Five (2010)	Remnant low	13 Aug 2010	8.4 mi	25 kt
Ida (2009)	Post-tropical	10 Nov 2009	31.3 mi	45 kt
Unnamed Storm (1932)	Post-tropical	16 Oct 1932	45.8 mi	44 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 Jackson County, Mississippi compares

Among the 2,208 U.S. counties and county-equivalents that have recorded at least one tropical cyclone within 50 miles, Jackson County, Mississippi ranks #154 — more exposed than 93.0% of them. Within Mississippi it ranks #3 of 82, against a state average of 32.3 storms per county.

Notable storms

Cat 5 Camille (1969) passed 47 miles away on 18 August 1969 as a hurricane, reaching 150 kt (173 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 3 Frederic (1979) passed 17 miles away on 13 September 1979 as a hurricane, reaching 108 kt (124 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 3 Ivan (2004) passed 46 miles away on 16 September 2004 as a hurricane, reaching 105 kt (121 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 3 Unnamed Storm (1916) passed 11 miles away on 5 July 1916 as a hurricane, reaching 105 kt (121 mph) while within 50 miles.

49 of the 55 storms made a documented landfall somewhere along their track.

How often to expect a storm

A return interval of 3.2 years does not mean storms arrive on a schedule. It is simply 55 storms spread over the 174 years from 1852 to 2025. 4 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 1985 and 1997. It has been 7 years since the last one; 3 of the 50 gaps in this record were longer than that.

Common questions

How many hurricanes have hit Jackson County, Mississippi?

21 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of Jackson County, Mississippi at hurricane strength since 1852. Counting all tropical cyclones — including tropical storms and depressions — the total is 55.

When was the last hurricane in Jackson County, Mississippi?

Ivan (2004), on 16 September 2004, passing 46 miles away — 22 years ago. The most recent tropical cyclone of any strength was Gordon (2018) in 2018.

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

Camille (1969), which reached 150 kt (173 mph) while within 50 miles; its closest approach was 47 miles.

How often do hurricanes hit Jackson County, Mississippi?

On average, one tropical cyclone passes within 50 miles every 3.2 years — 55 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

Jackson County, Mississippi borders or sits close to 4 other counties with a published storm record. Harrison County, Mississippi has 58 on record.

Harrison County, Mississippi58 storms within 50 mi Mobile County, Alabama57 storms within 50 mi Stone County, Mississippi54 storms within 50 mi George County, Mississippi53 storms within 50 mi