Lincoln County, Mississippi Tropical Cyclone History

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

Since 1856, 42 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of Lincoln County, Mississippi — about one every 4.0 years. Of those, 2 were at hurricane strength at their closest approach. The most recent was Francine (2024), which passed 19 miles away on 12 September 2024.

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 2 · 1Cat 1 · 3TS / TD · 38

The 42 storms by the strongest category each reached while within 50 miles. 1 of them reached Cat 2.

Key facts

Most recentFrancine (2024) — 19 mi away, 12 September 2024
Strongest stormCamille (1969) — 95 kt (109 mph) at its strongest within 50 miles
Closest pass on recordUnnamed Storm (1894) — 3.7 miles
Closest major hurricane (Cat 3+)None on record
Passes within 25 miles17 of 42
Peak monthSeptember — 17 storms (40% of all)
Most active year1879 — 2 storms
Most active decade1970s and 2000s — 4 storms
Major hurricanes (Cat 3+) within 50 mi0
Record span1856–2024

When storms arrive

JFMAMJJASOND

Storms by month of closest approach; the peak is highlighted and labelled. In Lincoln County, Mississippi, September is the most active month, with 17 of the 42 recorded storms (40%). Activity concentrates in June, August and September, together 79% of all storms. The 1970s and 2000s are tied as the most active decades on record, with 4 storms. 0 of the 42 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	1	5	3	11	17	5	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: 10 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	2	2	2	3	1	3	3	3	1	4	3	2	4	1	3

Every tropical or subtropical cyclone within 50 miles

Storm	Closest approach	Distance	Status	Wind
Francine (2024)	12 Sep 2024	19.1 mi	TS / TD	32 kt
Ida (2021)	30 Aug 2021	22.9 mi	TS / TD	38 kt
Cristobal (2020)	8 Jun 2020	44.1 mi	TS / TD	32 kt
Gordon (2018)	5 Sep 2018	45.7 mi	TS / TD	29 kt
Fay (2008)	25 Aug 2008	31.0 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Matthew (2004)	10 Oct 2004	30.6 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Isidore (2002)	26 Sep 2002	36.8 mi	TS / TD	45 kt
Bertha (2002)	5 Aug 2002	44.7 mi	TS / TD	20 kt
Hermine (1998)	20 Sep 1998	45.7 mi	TS / TD	20 kt
Andrew (1992)	27 Aug 1992	27.4 mi	TS / TD	32 kt
Florence (1988)	10 Sep 1988	42.9 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Unnamed Storm (1987)	12 Aug 1987	35.0 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Elena (1985)	2 Sep 1985	28.6 mi	TS / TD	58 kt
Bob (1979)	11 Jul 1979	21.0 mi	TS / TD	37 kt
Babe (1977)	6 Sep 1977	40.0 mi	TS / TD	29 kt
Unnamed Storm (1975)	30 Jul 1975	49.1 mi	TD	—
Edith (1971)	16 Sep 1971	11.7 mi	TS / TD	47 kt
Camille (1969)	18 Aug 1969	38.5 mi	Cat 2	88 kt
Arlene (1959)	31 May 1959	21.7 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Esther (1957)	19 Sep 1957	14.7 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Unnamed Storm (1956)	14 Jun 1956	17.1 mi	TS / TD	33 kt
Unnamed Storm (1949)	5 Sep 1949	6.0 mi	TS / TD	34 kt
Unnamed Storm (1945)	6 Sep 1945	25.5 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Unnamed Storm (1940)	25 Sep 1940	9.7 mi	TS / TD	20 kt
Unnamed Storm (1936)	28 Jul 1936	44.4 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Unnamed Storm (1934)	17 Jun 1934	36.0 mi	TS / TD	50 kt
Unnamed Storm (1932)	20 Sep 1932	40.4 mi	TS / TD	38 kt
Unnamed Storm (1923)	16 Oct 1923	32.3 mi	TS / TD	50 kt
Unnamed Storm (1915)	30 Sep 1915	35.2 mi	TS / TD	58 kt
Unnamed Storm (1912)	13 Jun 1912	39.9 mi	TS / TD	47 kt
Unnamed Storm (1911)	12 Aug 1911	38.5 mi	TS / TD	36 kt
Unnamed Storm (1905)	10 Oct 1905	22.0 mi	TS / TD	32 kt
Unnamed Storm (1905)	30 Sep 1905	28.6 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Unnamed Storm (1894)	9 Aug 1894	3.7 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Unnamed Storm (1890)	28 Aug 1890	3.7 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Unnamed Storm (1888)	20 Aug 1888	32.6 mi	Cat 1	66 kt
Unnamed Storm (1886)	15 Jun 1886	23.4 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Unnamed Storm (1879)	7 Oct 1879	21.9 mi	TS / TD	38 kt
Unnamed Storm (1879)	2 Sep 1879	9.9 mi	TS / TD	58 kt
Unnamed Storm (1875)	18 Sep 1875	12.2 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1860)	3 Oct 1860	18.6 mi	TS / TD	57 kt
Unnamed Storm (1856)	12 Aug 1856	36.1 mi	TS / TD	40 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	47.5 mi	25 kt
Olga (2019)	Post-tropical	26 Oct 2019	26.6 mi	45 kt
Five (2010)	Remnant low	17 Aug 2010	8.5 mi	18 kt

About this data. Computed from NOAA's HURDAT2 Atlantic and Northeast Pacific hurricane databases (hurdat2-1851-2025-02272026.txt), covering 1856–2025. 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 Lincoln County, Mississippi compares

Among the 2,208 U.S. counties and county-equivalents that have recorded at least one tropical cyclone within 50 miles, Lincoln County, Mississippi ranks #290 — more exposed than 86.9% of them. Within Mississippi it ranks #18 of 82, against a state average of 32.3 storms per county.

Notable storms

Cat 2 Camille (1969) passed 39 miles away on 18 August 1969 as a hurricane, reaching 95 kt (109 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 1 Elena (1985) passed 29 miles away on 2 September 1985 as a tropical storm, reaching 68 kt (78 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 1 Unnamed Storm (1888) passed 33 miles away on 20 August 1888 as a hurricane, reaching 68 kt (78 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 1 Unnamed Storm (1879) passed 10 miles away on 2 September 1879 as a tropical storm, reaching 65 kt (75 mph) while within 50 miles.

38 of the 42 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 42 storms spread over the 170 years from 1856 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 15 years, between 1860 and 1875. It has been 1 year since the last one; 34 of the 38 gaps in this record were longer than that.

Common questions

How many hurricanes have hit Lincoln County, Mississippi?

2 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of Lincoln County, Mississippi at hurricane strength since 1856. Counting all tropical cyclones — including tropical storms and depressions — the total is 42.

When was the last hurricane in Lincoln County, Mississippi?

Camille (1969), on 18 August 1969, passing 39 miles away — 57 years ago. The most recent tropical cyclone of any strength was Francine (2024) in 2024.

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

Camille (1969), which reached 95 kt (109 mph) while within 50 miles; its closest approach was 39 miles.

How often do hurricanes hit Lincoln County, Mississippi?

On average, one tropical cyclone passes within 50 miles every 4.0 years — 42 storms over the 170 years from 1856 to 2025, the end of the HURDAT2 record. That is a historical average, not a schedule or a forecast.

Nearby counties

Lincoln County, Mississippi borders or sits close to 7 other counties with a published storm record. Pike County, Mississippi has 49 on record.

Pike County, Mississippi49 storms within 50 mi Walthall County, Mississippi43 storms within 50 mi Lawrence County, Mississippi40 storms within 50 mi Amite County, Mississippi40 storms within 50 mi Franklin County, Mississippi35 storms within 50 mi Copiah County, Mississippi33 storms within 50 mi Jefferson County, Mississippi29 storms within 50 mi