Lafayette County, Mississippi Tropical Cyclone History

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

Since 1860, 24 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of Lafayette County, Mississippi — about one every 6.9 years. Of those, 0 were at hurricane strength at their closest approach. The most recent was Ida (2021), which passed 34 miles away on 31 August 2021.

Storms within 50 mi

At hurricane strength

6.9

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) — 34 mi away, 31 August 2021
Strongest stormUnnamed Storm (1888) — 56 kt (64 mph) at its strongest within 50 miles
Closest pass on recordUnnamed Storm (1860) — 6.1 miles
Closest major hurricane (Cat 3+)None on record
Passes within 25 miles12 of 24
Peak monthAugust — 8 storms (33% of all)
Most active year1860 — 1 storms
Most active decade1890s and 1930s — 3 storms
Major hurricanes (Cat 3+) within 50 mi0
Record span1860–2021

When storms arrive

JFMAMJJASOND

Storms by month of closest approach; the peak is highlighted and labelled. In Lafayette County, Mississippi, August is the most active month, with 8 of the 24 recorded storms (33%). The primary season runs July to September, accounting for 79% of all activity. The 1890s and 1930s are tied as the most active decades on record, with 3 storms. 0 of the 24 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	4	8	7	2	0	0

Activity by decade

19002000

Tropical cyclones passing within 50 miles, by decade, 1860s to 2020s. Decades with no storms are shown as empty columns. Comparing two equal 38-year windows inside the aircraft-reconnaissance era: 5 storms in 1950–1987 against 4 in 1988–2025.

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

Every tropical or subtropical cyclone within 50 miles

Storm	Closest approach	Distance	Status	Wind
Ida (2021)	31 Aug 2021	34.2 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Harvey (2017)	1 Sep 2017	10.7 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Dennis (2005)	11 Jul 2005	33.4 mi	TS / TD	23 kt
Erin (1995)	4 Aug 1995	40.8 mi	TS / TD	20 kt
Danny (1985)	16 Aug 1985	11.7 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Bob (1979)	12 Jul 1979	7.0 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Camille (1969)	18 Aug 1969	31.6 mi	TS / TD	38 kt
Audrey (1957)	28 Jun 1957	10.4 mi	TS / TD	36 kt
Easy (1950)	9 Sep 1950	48.1 mi	TS / TD	20 kt
Unnamed Storm (1949)	5 Sep 1949	35.2 mi	TS / TD	22 kt
Unnamed Storm (1948)	5 Sep 1948	18.2 mi	TS / TD	27 kt
Unnamed Storm (1939)	17 Jun 1939	27.9 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Unnamed Storm (1934)	17 Jun 1934	11.7 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Unnamed Storm (1932)	20 Sep 1932	7.6 mi	TS / TD	33 kt
Unnamed Storm (1923)	18 Oct 1923	21.9 mi	TS / TD	38 kt
Unnamed Storm (1916)	7 Jul 1916	38.5 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1908)	3 Aug 1908	47.6 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Unnamed Storm (1906)	28 Sep 1906	18.0 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1893)	9 Sep 1893	49.0 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1891)	8 Jul 1891	21.0 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Unnamed Storm (1890)	28 Aug 1890	38.2 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1888)	20 Aug 1888	43.5 mi	TS / TD	56 kt
Unnamed Storm (1881)	29 Aug 1881	8.3 mi	TS / TD	37 kt
Unnamed Storm (1860)	3 Oct 1860	6.1 mi	TS / TD	40 kt

Post-tropical and extratropical passes

A further 6 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
Francine (2024)	Post-tropical	12 Sep 2024	40.9 mi	25 kt
Delta (2020)	Post-tropical	11 Oct 2020	23.4 mi	25 kt
Olga (2019)	Post-tropical	26 Oct 2019	24.1 mi	42 kt
Barry (2001)	Remnant low	7 Aug 2001	4.9 mi	12 kt
Unnamed Storm (1932)	Post-tropical	2 Sep 1932	35.4 mi	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1901)	Post-tropical	17 Aug 1901	10.4 mi	30 kt

About this data. Computed from NOAA's HURDAT2 Atlantic and Northeast Pacific hurricane databases (hurdat2-1851-2025-02272026.txt), covering 1860–2025. 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 Lafayette County, Mississippi compares

Among the 2,208 U.S. counties and county-equivalents that have recorded at least one tropical cyclone within 50 miles, Lafayette County, Mississippi ranks #657 — more exposed than 70.2% of them. Within Mississippi it ranks #57 of 82, against a state average of 32.3 storms per county.

Notable storms

TS / TD Unnamed Storm (1888) passed 43 miles away on 20 August 1888 as a tropical storm, reaching 56 kt (64 mph) while within 50 miles.
TS / TD Camille (1969) passed 32 miles away on 18 August 1969 as a tropical storm, reaching 45 kt (52 mph) while within 50 miles.
TS / TD Unnamed Storm (1916) passed 39 miles away on 7 July 1916 as a tropical storm, reaching 40 kt (46 mph) while within 50 miles.
TS / TD Unnamed Storm (1906) passed 18 miles away on 28 September 1906 as a tropical storm, reaching 40 kt (46 mph) while within 50 miles.

23 of the 24 storms made a documented landfall somewhere along their track.

How often to expect a storm

A return interval of 6.9 years does not mean storms arrive on a schedule. It is simply 24 storms spread over the 166 years from 1860 to 2025. 0 separate years saw more than one storm pass within 50 miles while decades have gone by with none. The longest recorded quiet stretch was 21 years, between 1860 and 1881. It has been 4 years since the last one; 15 of the 23 gaps in this record were longer than that.

Common questions

Has a hurricane ever hit Lafayette County, Mississippi?

No. No tropical cyclone on record has passed within 50 miles of Lafayette County, Mississippi while at hurricane strength. 24 tropical cyclones have passed within that distance since 1860, all of them as tropical storms or depressions. The strongest was Unnamed Storm (1888).

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

Ida (2021), on 31 August 2021, passing 34 miles away — 5 years ago. No storm on record has passed within 50 miles of Lafayette County, Mississippi at hurricane strength.

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

Unnamed Storm (1888), which reached 56 kt (64 mph) while within 50 miles; its closest approach was 43 miles.

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

On average, one tropical cyclone passes within 50 miles every 6.9 years — 24 storms over the 166 years from 1860 to 2025, the end of the HURDAT2 record. That is a historical average, not a schedule or a forecast.

Nearby counties

Lafayette County, Mississippi borders or sits close to 8 other counties with a published storm record. Calhoun County, Mississippi has 27 on record.

Calhoun County, Mississippi27 storms within 50 mi Yalobusha County, Mississippi24 storms within 50 mi Benton County, Mississippi23 storms within 50 mi Pontotoc County, Mississippi23 storms within 50 mi Union County, Mississippi22 storms within 50 mi Tate County, Mississippi21 storms within 50 mi Panola County, Mississippi21 storms within 50 mi Marshall County, Mississippi20 storms within 50 mi