Lowndes County, Mississippi Tropical Cyclone History

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

Since 1855, 32 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of Lowndes County, Mississippi — about one every 5.3 years. Of those, 1 were at hurricane strength at their closest approach. The most recent was Claudette (2009), which passed 47 miles away on 17 August 2009.

Storms within 50 mi

At hurricane strength

5.3

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 recentClaudette (2009) — 47 mi away, 17 August 2009
Strongest stormFrederic (1979) — 58 kt (67 mph) at its strongest within 50 miles
Closest pass on recordUnnamed Storm (1879) — 4.0 miles
Closest major hurricane (Cat 3+)None on record
Passes within 25 miles14 of 32
Peak monthSeptember — 12 storms (38% of all)
Most active year2005 — 3 storms
Most active decade2000s — 8 storms
Major hurricanes (Cat 3+) within 50 mi0
Record span1855–2009

When storms arrive

JFMAMJJASOND

Storms by month of closest approach; the peak is highlighted and labelled. In Lowndes County, Mississippi, September is the most active month, with 12 of the 32 recorded storms (38%). The primary season runs July to September, accounting for 88% of all activity. The 2000s was the most active decade on record, with 8 storms. 0 of the 32 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	2	6	10	12	2	0	0

Activity by decade

19002000

Tropical cyclones passing within 50 miles, by decade, 1850s to 2000s. Decades with no storms are shown as empty columns. Comparing two equal 38-year windows inside the aircraft-reconnaissance era: 4 storms in 1950–1987 against 9 in 1988–2025.

1850s	1860s	1870s	1880s	1890s	1900s	1910s	1920s	1930s	1940s	1950s	1960s	1970s	1980s	1990s	2000s
1	1	3	2	2	1	3	2	2	2	1	1	2	0	1	8

Every tropical or subtropical cyclone within 50 miles

Storm	Closest approach	Distance	Status	Wind
Claudette (2009)	17 Aug 2009	47.1 mi	TS / TD	20 kt
Fay (2008)	26 Aug 2008	30.8 mi	TS / TD	20 kt
Katrina (2005)	30 Aug 2005	20.8 mi	TS / TD	43 kt
Dennis (2005)	11 Jul 2005	15.0 mi	TS / TD	27 kt
Arlene (2005)	12 Jun 2005	36.9 mi	TS / TD	23 kt
Bill (2003)	1 Jul 2003	43.8 mi	TS / TD	23 kt
Isidore (2002)	27 Sep 2002	12.6 mi	TS / TD	20 kt
Barry (2001)	7 Aug 2001	10.0 mi	TS / TD	15 kt
Andrew (1992)	27 Aug 1992	9.2 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Frederic (1979)	13 Sep 1979	12.9 mi	TS / TD	52 kt
Babe (1977)	7 Sep 1977	31.6 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Ethel (1960)	16 Sep 1960	7.4 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Baker (1950)	31 Aug 1950	14.4 mi	TS / TD	39 kt
Unnamed Storm (1949)	5 Sep 1949	46.8 mi	TS / TD	23 kt
Unnamed Storm (1948)	5 Sep 1948	38.1 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1939)	15 Aug 1939	49.2 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1939)	17 Jun 1939	32.4 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Unnamed Storm (1926)	30 Jul 1926	34.9 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Unnamed Storm (1923)	18 Oct 1923	40.2 mi	TS / TD	39 kt
Unnamed Storm (1919)	5 Jul 1919	19.1 mi	TS / TD	20 kt
Unnamed Storm (1916)	8 Jul 1916	14.4 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1912)	15 Sep 1912	10.2 mi	TS / TD	34 kt
Unnamed Storm (1901)	16 Aug 1901	31.0 mi	TS / TD	34 kt
Unnamed Storm (1895)	17 Aug 1895	25.8 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Unnamed Storm (1893)	9 Sep 1893	19.3 mi	TS / TD	33 kt
Unnamed Storm (1881)	29 Aug 1881	12.0 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1880)	1 Sep 1880	37.3 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1879)	16 Oct 1879	41.3 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1879)	2 Sep 1879	4.0 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1872)	13 Jul 1872	29.0 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1860)	16 Sep 1860	41.3 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1855)	17 Sep 1855	33.6 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	12.9 mi	20 kt
Unnamed Storm (1915)	Post-tropical	30 Sep 1915	8.8 mi	42 kt
Unnamed Storm (1905)	Post-tropical	10 Oct 1905	15.1 mi	25 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 Lowndes County, Mississippi compares

Among the 2,208 U.S. counties and county-equivalents that have recorded at least one tropical cyclone within 50 miles, Lowndes County, Mississippi ranks #477 — more exposed than 78.4% of them. Within Mississippi it ranks #34 of 82, against a state average of 32.3 storms per county.

Notable storms

TS / TD Frederic (1979) passed 13 miles away on 13 September 1979 as a hurricane, reaching 58 kt (67 mph) while within 50 miles.
TS / TD Katrina (2005) passed 21 miles away on 30 August 2005 as a tropical storm, reaching 46 kt (53 mph) while within 50 miles.
TS / TD Baker (1950) passed 14 miles away on 31 August 1950 as a tropical storm, reaching 43 kt (49 mph) while within 50 miles.
TS / TD Unnamed Storm (1879) passed 4 miles away on 2 September 1879 as a tropical storm, reaching 43 kt (49 mph) while within 50 miles.

30 of the 32 storms made a documented landfall somewhere along their track.

How often to expect a storm

A return interval of 5.3 years does not mean storms arrive on a schedule. It is simply 32 storms spread over the 171 years from 1855 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 17 years, between 1960 and 1977. It has been 16 years since the last one; 1 of the 27 gaps in this record were longer than that.

Common questions

How many hurricanes have hit Lowndes County, Mississippi?

1 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of Lowndes County, Mississippi at hurricane strength since 1855. Counting all tropical cyclones — including tropical storms and depressions — the total is 32.

When was the last hurricane in Lowndes County, Mississippi?

Frederic (1979), on 13 September 1979, passing 13 miles away — 47 years ago. The most recent tropical cyclone of any strength was Claudette (2009) in 2009.

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

Frederic (1979), which reached 58 kt (67 mph) while within 50 miles; its closest approach was 13 miles.

How often do hurricanes hit Lowndes County, Mississippi?

On average, one tropical cyclone passes within 50 miles every 5.3 years — 32 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

Lowndes County, Mississippi borders or sits close to 6 other counties with a published storm record. Noxubee County, Mississippi has 33 on record.

Noxubee County, Mississippi33 storms within 50 mi Pickens County, Alabama32 storms within 50 mi Oktibbeha County, Mississippi29 storms within 50 mi Clay County, Mississippi26 storms within 50 mi Monroe County, Mississippi26 storms within 50 mi Lamar County, Alabama23 storms within 50 mi