Madison County, Mississippi Tropical Cyclone History

No active tropical cyclones are within 500 miles of Madison 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 Madison County, Mississippi — about one every 6.9 years. Of those, 2 were at hurricane strength at their closest approach. The most recent was Francine (2024), which passed 8 miles away on 12 September 2024.

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.

How strong they get

Cat 1 · 1TS / TD · 23

The 24 storms by the strongest category each reached while within 50 miles. 1 of them reached Cat 1.

Key facts

Most recentFrancine (2024) — 8 mi away, 12 September 2024
Strongest stormCamille (1969) — 75 kt (86 mph) at its strongest within 50 miles
Closest pass on recordUnnamed Storm (1916) — 2.5 miles
Closest major hurricane (Cat 3+)None on record
Passes within 25 miles13 of 24
Peak monthSeptember — 9 storms (38% of all)
Most active year1879 — 2 storms
Most active decade1930s — 4 storms
Major hurricanes (Cat 3+) within 50 mi0
Record span1860–2024

When storms arrive

JFMAMJJASOND

Storms by month of closest approach; the peak is highlighted and labelled. In Madison County, Mississippi, September is the most active month, with 9 of the 24 recorded storms (38%). The primary season runs July to September, accounting for 83% of all activity. The 1930s was the most active decade on record, with 4 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	2	4	7	9	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: 4 storms in 1950–1987 against 6 in 1988–2025.

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

Every tropical or subtropical cyclone within 50 miles

Storm	Closest approach	Distance	Status	Wind
Francine (2024)	12 Sep 2024	8.2 mi	TS / TD	28 kt
Ida (2021)	30 Aug 2021	10.3 mi	TS / TD	32 kt
Gordon (2018)	5 Sep 2018	22.4 mi	TS / TD	26 kt
Isidore (2002)	26 Sep 2002	29.9 mi	TS / TD	37 kt
Erin (1995)	4 Aug 1995	36.0 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Andrew (1992)	27 Aug 1992	9.1 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1987)	12 Aug 1987	43.8 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Bob (1979)	12 Jul 1979	12.1 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Camille (1969)	18 Aug 1969	5.0 mi	TS / TD	62 kt
Arlene (1959)	1 Jun 1959	18.0 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Unnamed Storm (1949)	5 Sep 1949	10.0 mi	TS / TD	28 kt
Unnamed Storm (1937)	1 Sep 1937	26.7 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Unnamed Storm (1934)	17 Jun 1934	32.7 mi	TS / TD	38 kt
Unnamed Storm (1932)	20 Sep 1932	33.6 mi	TS / TD	36 kt
Unnamed Storm (1932)	2 Sep 1932	32.2 mi	TS / TD	38 kt
Unnamed Storm (1926)	30 Jul 1926	46.5 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Unnamed Storm (1916)	6 Jul 1916	2.5 mi	TS / TD	42 kt
Unnamed Storm (1906)	28 Sep 1906	38.6 mi	TS / TD	47 kt
Unnamed Storm (1890)	28 Aug 1890	14.9 mi	TS / TD	32 kt
Unnamed Storm (1888)	20 Aug 1888	48.9 mi	TS / TD	62 kt
Unnamed Storm (1879)	7 Oct 1879	22.7 mi	TS / TD	32 kt
Unnamed Storm (1879)	2 Sep 1879	18.0 mi	TS / TD	50 kt
Unnamed Storm (1872)	13 Jul 1872	32.2 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1860)	3 Oct 1860	18.0 mi	TS / TD	47 kt

Post-tropical and extratropical passes

A further 5 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	4.5 mi	23 kt
Olga (2019)	Post-tropical	26 Oct 2019	15.5 mi	44 kt
Humberto (2007)	Remnant low	14 Sep 2007	10.7 mi	20 kt
Unnamed Storm (1915)	Post-tropical	30 Sep 1915	48.6 mi	50 kt
Unnamed Storm (1905)	Post-tropical	10 Oct 1905	36.0 mi	29 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 Madison County, Mississippi compares

Among the 2,208 U.S. counties and county-equivalents that have recorded at least one tropical cyclone within 50 miles, Madison County, Mississippi ranks #659 — more exposed than 70.1% of them. Within Mississippi it ranks #59 of 82, against a state average of 32.3 storms per county.

Notable storms

Cat 1 Camille (1969) passed 5 miles away on 18 August 1969 as a hurricane, reaching 75 kt (86 mph) while within 50 miles.
TS / TD Unnamed Storm (1888) passed 49 miles away on 20 August 1888 as a hurricane, reaching 61 kt (70 mph) while within 50 miles.
TS / TD Unnamed Storm (1879) passed 18 miles away on 2 September 1879 as a tropical storm, reaching 53 kt (61 mph) while within 50 miles.
TS / TD Unnamed Storm (1860) passed 18 miles away on 3 October 1860 as a tropical storm, reaching 51 kt (59 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. 2 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 16 years, between 1890 and 1906. It has been 1 year since the last one; 21 of the 21 gaps in this record were longer than that.

Common questions

How many hurricanes have hit Madison County, Mississippi?

2 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of Madison County, Mississippi at hurricane strength since 1860. Counting all tropical cyclones — including tropical storms and depressions — the total is 24.

When was the last hurricane in Madison County, Mississippi?

Camille (1969), on 18 August 1969, passing 5 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 Madison County, Mississippi?

Camille (1969), which reached 75 kt (86 mph) while within 50 miles; its closest approach was 5 miles.

How often do hurricanes hit Madison 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

Madison County, Mississippi borders or sits close to 5 other counties with a published storm record. Scott County, Mississippi has 31 on record.

Scott County, Mississippi31 storms within 50 mi Rankin County, Mississippi30 storms within 50 mi Leake County, Mississippi29 storms within 50 mi Yazoo County, Mississippi27 storms within 50 mi Attala County, Mississippi27 storms within 50 mi