Lauderdale County, Mississippi Hurricane History

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

Since 1855, 43 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of Lauderdale County, Mississippi — about one every 4.0 years. Of those, 3 were at hurricane strength at their closest approach. The most recent was Claudette (2021), which passed 37 miles away on 19 June 2021.

Storms within 50 mi

At hurricane strength

4.0

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 1 · 2TS / TD · 41

The 43 storms by the strongest category each reached while within 50 miles. 2 of them reached Cat 1.

Key facts

Most recentClaudette (2021) — 37 mi away, 19 June 2021
Strongest stormFrederic (1979) — 75 kt (86 mph) at its strongest within 50 miles
Closest pass on recordUnnamed Storm (1855) — 5.1 miles
Closest major hurricane (Cat 3+)None on record
Passes within 25 miles17 of 43
Peak monthSeptember — 17 storms (40% of all)
Most active year1912 — 2 storms
Most active decade2000s — 6 storms
Major hurricanes (Cat 3+) within 50 mi0
Record span1855–2021

When storms arrive

JFMAMJJASOND

Storms by month of closest approach; the peak is highlighted and labelled. In Lauderdale County, Mississippi, September is the most active month, with 17 of the 43 recorded storms (40%). The primary season runs July to September, accounting for 81% of all activity. The 2000s was the most active decade on record, with 6 storms. 0 of the 43 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	5	6	12	17	3	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: 8 storms in 1950–1987 against 10 in 1988–2025.

1850s	1860s	1870s	1880s	1890s	1900s	1910s	1920s	1930s	1940s	1950s	1960s	1970s	1980s	1990s	2000s	2010s	2020s
1	1	2	3	4	2	3	2	5	2	2	1	4	1	1	6	1	2

Every tropical or subtropical cyclone within 50 miles

Storm	Closest approach	Distance	Status	Wind
Claudette (2021)	19 Jun 2021	37.3 mi	TS / TD	27 kt
Zeta (2020)	29 Oct 2020	38.8 mi	Cat 1	68 kt
Nate (2017)	8 Oct 2017	41.1 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Claudette (2009)	17 Aug 2009	31.3 mi	TS / TD	21 kt
Fay (2008)	25 Aug 2008	13.0 mi	TS / TD	22 kt
Katrina (2005)	30 Aug 2005	29.0 mi	TS / TD	50 kt
Dennis (2005)	11 Jul 2005	16.5 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Bill (2003)	1 Jul 2003	5.4 mi	TS / TD	27 kt
Isidore (2002)	26 Sep 2002	42.0 mi	TS / TD	27 kt
Erin (1995)	4 Aug 1995	26.5 mi	TS / TD	37 kt
Unnamed Storm (1987)	13 Aug 1987	35.8 mi	TS / TD	20 kt
Frederic (1979)	13 Sep 1979	8.0 mi	TS / TD	62 kt
Babe (1977)	7 Sep 1977	8.2 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Unnamed Storm (1977)	19 Jul 1977	47.6 mi	TD	—
Edith (1971)	17 Sep 1971	7.5 mi	TS / TD	28 kt
Ethel (1960)	16 Sep 1960	8.7 mi	TS / TD	28 kt
Arlene (1959)	1 Jun 1959	17.1 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Baker (1950)	31 Aug 1950	36.3 mi	TS / TD	47 kt
Unnamed Storm (1948)	5 Sep 1948	26.5 mi	TS / TD	34 kt
Unnamed Storm (1940)	25 Sep 1940	29.4 mi	TS / TD	15 kt
Unnamed Storm (1939)	14 Aug 1939	39.2 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1939)	17 Jun 1939	10.2 mi	TS / TD	29 kt
Unnamed Storm (1937)	1 Sep 1937	10.9 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Unnamed Storm (1936)	1 Aug 1936	47.6 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1932)	1 Sep 1932	33.2 mi	TS / TD	45 kt
Unnamed Storm (1926)	30 Jul 1926	40.1 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Unnamed Storm (1923)	18 Oct 1923	24.5 mi	TS / TD	42 kt
Unnamed Storm (1919)	5 Jul 1919	33.2 mi	TS / TD	21 kt
Unnamed Storm (1912)	14 Sep 1912	9.4 mi	TS / TD	38 kt
Unnamed Storm (1912)	13 Jun 1912	29.4 mi	TS / TD	42 kt
Unnamed Storm (1906)	27 Sep 1906	36.4 mi	TS / TD	52 kt
Unnamed Storm (1901)	16 Aug 1901	19.3 mi	TS / TD	38 kt
Unnamed Storm (1898)	3 Aug 1898	38.8 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Unnamed Storm (1895)	17 Aug 1895	28.8 mi	TS / TD	28 kt
Unnamed Storm (1893)	8 Sep 1893	20.9 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1892)	12 Sep 1892	38.9 mi	TS / TD	37 kt
Unnamed Storm (1887)	14 Jun 1887	29.1 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1881)	4 Aug 1881	29.1 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1880)	1 Sep 1880	5.6 mi	TS / TD	37 kt
Unnamed Storm (1879)	2 Sep 1879	49.1 mi	TS / TD	45 kt
Unnamed Storm (1872)	12 Jul 1872	49.0 mi	TS / TD	32 kt
Unnamed Storm (1860)	16 Sep 1860	20.7 mi	TS / TD	47 kt
Unnamed Storm (1855)	17 Sep 1855	5.1 mi	TS / TD	47 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
Beta (2020)	Post-tropical	24 Sep 2020	48.5 mi	20 kt
Unnamed Storm (1932)	Post-tropical	16 Oct 1932	48.4 mi	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1915)	Post-tropical	30 Sep 1915	29.6 mi	48 kt
Unnamed Storm (1905)	Post-tropical	10 Oct 1905	41.8 mi	28 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.

Storms that came back

1 named storm in this record passed Lauderdale County, Mississippi more than once.

Claudette — 2 passes (2009, 2021)

How Lauderdale County, Mississippi compares

Among the 2,208 U.S. counties and county-equivalents that have recorded at least one tropical cyclone within 50 miles, Lauderdale County, Mississippi ranks #275 — more exposed than 87.5% of them. Within Mississippi it ranks #15 of 82, against a state average of 32.3 storms per county.

Notable storms

Cat 1 Frederic (1979) passed 8 miles away on 13 September 1979 as a hurricane, reaching 75 kt (86 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 1 Zeta (2020) passed 39 miles away on 29 October 2020 as a hurricane, reaching 68 kt (78 mph) while within 50 miles.
TS / TD Katrina (2005) passed 29 miles away on 30 August 2005 as a tropical storm, reaching 60 kt (69 mph) while within 50 miles.
TS / TD Unnamed Storm (1906) passed 36 miles away on 27 September 1906 as a hurricane, reaching 57 kt (66 mph) while within 50 miles.

39 of the 43 storms made a documented landfall somewhere along their track.

How often to expect a storm

A return interval of 4.0 years does not mean storms arrive on a schedule. It is simply 43 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 12 years, between 1860 and 1872. It has been 4 years since the last one; 17 of the 38 gaps in this record were longer than that.

Common questions

How many hurricanes have hit Lauderdale County, Mississippi?

3 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of Lauderdale County, Mississippi at hurricane strength since 1855. Counting all tropical cyclones — including tropical storms and depressions — the total is 43.

When was the last hurricane in Lauderdale County, Mississippi?

Zeta (2020), on 29 October 2020, passing 39 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 Lauderdale County, Mississippi?

Frederic (1979), which reached 75 kt (86 mph) while within 50 miles; its closest approach was 8 miles.

How often do hurricanes hit Lauderdale County, Mississippi?

On average, one tropical cyclone passes within 50 miles every 4.0 years — 43 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

Lauderdale County, Mississippi borders or sits close to 7 other counties with a published storm record. Clarke County, Mississippi has 45 on record.

Clarke County, Mississippi45 storms within 50 mi Choctaw County, Alabama45 storms within 50 mi Newton County, Mississippi38 storms within 50 mi Sumter County, Alabama38 storms within 50 mi Kemper County, Mississippi38 storms within 50 mi Jasper County, Mississippi35 storms within 50 mi Neshoba County, Mississippi31 storms within 50 mi