Kemper County, Mississippi Tropical Cyclone History

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

Since 1855, 38 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of Kemper County, Mississippi — about one every 4.5 years. Of those, 2 were at hurricane strength at their closest approach. The most recent was Zeta (2020), which passed 50 miles away on 29 October 2020.

Storms within 50 mi

At hurricane strength

4.5

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.

How strong they get

Cat 1 · 2TS / TD · 36

The 38 storms by the strongest category each reached while within 50 miles. 2 of them reached Cat 1.

Key facts

Most recentZeta (2020) — 50 mi away, 29 October 2020
Strongest stormFrederic (1979) — 65 kt (75 mph) at its strongest within 50 miles
Closest pass on recordFay (2008) — 3.8 miles
Closest major hurricane (Cat 3+)None on record
Passes within 25 miles18 of 38
Peak monthSeptember — 16 storms (42% of all)
Most active year1879 — 2 storms
Most active decade2000s — 7 storms
Major hurricanes (Cat 3+) within 50 mi0
Record span1855–2020

When storms arrive

JFMAMJJASOND

Storms by month of closest approach; the peak is highlighted and labelled. In Kemper County, Mississippi, September is the most active month, with 16 of the 38 recorded storms (42%). The primary season runs July to September, accounting for 82% of all activity. The 2000s was the most active decade on record, with 7 storms. 0 of the 38 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	5	10	16	4	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: 6 storms in 1950–1987 against 11 in 1988–2025.

1850s	1860s	1870s	1880s	1890s	1900s	1910s	1920s	1930s	1940s	1950s	1960s	1970s	1980s	1990s	2000s	2010s	2020s
1	1	3	1	3	2	3	2	4	1	2	1	3	0	2	7	1	1

Every tropical or subtropical cyclone within 50 miles

Storm	Closest approach	Distance	Status	Wind
Zeta (2020)	29 Oct 2020	49.9 mi	Cat 1	64 kt
Nate (2017)	8 Oct 2017	47.9 mi	TS / TD	33 kt
Claudette (2009)	17 Aug 2009	19.2 mi	TS / TD	20 kt
Fay (2008)	26 Aug 2008	3.8 mi	TS / TD	20 kt
Katrina (2005)	30 Aug 2005	23.7 mi	TS / TD	48 kt
Dennis (2005)	11 Jul 2005	6.4 mi	TS / TD	29 kt
Bill (2003)	1 Jul 2003	13.6 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Isidore (2002)	27 Sep 2002	27.8 mi	TS / TD	20 kt
Barry (2001)	6 Aug 2001	33.2 mi	TS / TD	17 kt
Erin (1995)	4 Aug 1995	39.3 mi	TS / TD	32 kt
Andrew (1992)	27 Aug 1992	37.9 mi	TS / TD	28 kt
Frederic (1979)	13 Sep 1979	9.9 mi	TS / TD	58 kt
Babe (1977)	7 Sep 1977	7.9 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Edith (1971)	17 Sep 1971	16.7 mi	TS / TD	28 kt
Ethel (1960)	16 Sep 1960	6.3 mi	TS / TD	26 kt
Arlene (1959)	1 Jun 1959	6.7 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Baker (1950)	31 Aug 1950	31.6 mi	TS / TD	47 kt
Unnamed Storm (1948)	5 Sep 1948	27.8 mi	TS / TD	33 kt
Unnamed Storm (1939)	15 Aug 1939	43.5 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1939)	17 Jun 1939	15.9 mi	TS / TD	28 kt
Unnamed Storm (1937)	1 Sep 1937	30.7 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Unnamed Storm (1932)	1 Sep 1932	45.1 mi	TS / TD	42 kt
Unnamed Storm (1926)	30 Jul 1926	16.1 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Unnamed Storm (1923)	18 Oct 1923	29.4 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1919)	5 Jul 1919	20.6 mi	TS / TD	20 kt
Unnamed Storm (1912)	14 Sep 1912	8.1 mi	TS / TD	36 kt
Unnamed Storm (1912)	13 Jun 1912	48.4 mi	TS / TD	42 kt
Unnamed Storm (1906)	28 Sep 1906	43.4 mi	TS / TD	48 kt
Unnamed Storm (1901)	16 Aug 1901	6.2 mi	TS / TD	36 kt
Unnamed Storm (1895)	17 Aug 1895	28.8 mi	TS / TD	27 kt
Unnamed Storm (1893)	8 Sep 1893	18.8 mi	TS / TD	37 kt
Unnamed Storm (1892)	12 Sep 1892	48.7 mi	TS / TD	36 kt
Unnamed Storm (1880)	1 Sep 1880	10.2 mi	TS / TD	33 kt
Unnamed Storm (1879)	16 Oct 1879	40.2 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1879)	2 Sep 1879	33.0 mi	TS / TD	43 kt
Unnamed Storm (1872)	13 Jul 1872	47.0 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1860)	16 Sep 1860	26.8 mi	TS / TD	43 kt
Unnamed Storm (1855)	17 Sep 1855	10.9 mi	TS / TD	43 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
Beta (2020)	Post-tropical	24 Sep 2020	27.4 mi	20 kt
Unnamed Storm (1915)	Post-tropical	30 Sep 1915	19.0 mi	45 kt
Unnamed Storm (1905)	Post-tropical	10 Oct 1905	30.9 mi	27 kt

About this data. Computed from NOAA's HURDAT2 Atlantic and Northeast Pacific hurricane databases (hurdat2-1851-2025-02272026.txt), covering 1855–2025. 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 Kemper County, Mississippi compares

Among the 2,208 U.S. counties and county-equivalents that have recorded at least one tropical cyclone within 50 miles, Kemper County, Mississippi ranks #365 — more exposed than 83.5% of them. Within Mississippi it ranks #23 of 82, against a state average of 32.3 storms per county.

Notable storms

Cat 1 Frederic (1979) passed 10 miles away on 13 September 1979 as a hurricane, reaching 65 kt (75 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 1 Zeta (2020) passed 50 miles away on 29 October 2020 as a hurricane, reaching 64 kt (74 mph) while within 50 miles.
TS / TD Katrina (2005) passed 24 miles away on 30 August 2005 as a tropical storm, reaching 55 kt (63 mph) while within 50 miles.
TS / TD Baker (1950) passed 32 miles away on 31 August 1950 as a tropical storm, reaching 50 kt (58 mph) while within 50 miles.

35 of the 38 storms made a documented landfall somewhere along their track.

How often to expect a storm

A return interval of 4.5 years does not mean storms arrive on a schedule. It is simply 38 storms spread over the 171 years from 1855 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 13 years, between 1979 and 1992. It has been 5 years since the last one; 14 of the 33 gaps in this record were longer than that.

Common questions

How many hurricanes have hit Kemper County, Mississippi?

2 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of Kemper County, Mississippi at hurricane strength since 1855. Counting all tropical cyclones — including tropical storms and depressions — the total is 38.

When was the last hurricane in Kemper County, Mississippi?

Zeta (2020), on 29 October 2020, passing 50 miles away — 6 years ago. The most recent tropical cyclone of any strength was Zeta (2020) in 2020.

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

Frederic (1979), which reached 65 kt (75 mph) while within 50 miles; its closest approach was 10 miles.

How often do hurricanes hit Kemper County, Mississippi?

On average, one tropical cyclone passes within 50 miles every 4.5 years — 38 storms over the 171 years from 1855 to 2025, the end of the HURDAT2 record. That is a historical average, not a schedule or a forecast.

Nearby counties

Kemper County, Mississippi borders or sits close to 6 other counties with a published storm record. Lauderdale County, Mississippi has 43 on record.

Lauderdale County, Mississippi43 storms within 50 mi Newton County, Mississippi38 storms within 50 mi Sumter County, Alabama38 storms within 50 mi Winston County, Mississippi34 storms within 50 mi Noxubee County, Mississippi33 storms within 50 mi Neshoba County, Mississippi31 storms within 50 mi