Monroe County, Mississippi Tropical Cyclone History

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

Since 1872, 26 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of Monroe County, Mississippi — about one every 5.9 years. Of those, 1 were at hurricane strength at their closest approach. The most recent was Ida (2021), which passed 26 miles away on 31 August 2021.

Storms within 50 mi

At hurricane strength

5.9

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) — 26 mi away, 31 August 2021
Strongest stormFrederic (1979) — 51 kt (59 mph) at its strongest within 50 miles
Closest pass on recordEthel (1960) — 4.9 miles
Closest major hurricane (Cat 3+)None on record
Passes within 25 miles14 of 26
Peak monthSeptember — 10 storms (38% of all)
Most active year2005 — 3 storms
Most active decade2000s — 5 storms
Major hurricanes (Cat 3+) within 50 mi0
Record span1872–2021

When storms arrive

JFMAMJJASOND

Storms by month of closest approach; the peak is highlighted and labelled. In Monroe County, Mississippi, September is the most active month, with 10 of the 26 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 5 storms. 0 of the 26 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	9	10	1	0	0

Activity by decade

19002000

Tropical cyclones passing within 50 miles, by decade, 1870s 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 8 in 1988–2025.

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

Every tropical or subtropical cyclone within 50 miles

Storm	Closest approach	Distance	Status	Wind
Ida (2021)	31 Aug 2021	25.7 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Harvey (2017)	1 Sep 2017	48.4 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Katrina (2005)	30 Aug 2005	11.7 mi	TS / TD	42 kt
Dennis (2005)	11 Jul 2005	18.1 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Arlene (2005)	12 Jun 2005	36.5 mi	TS / TD	22 kt
Isidore (2002)	27 Sep 2002	23.9 mi	TS / TD	20 kt
Barry (2001)	7 Aug 2001	24.5 mi	TS / TD	15 kt
Andrew (1992)	27 Aug 1992	20.6 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Danny (1985)	17 Aug 1985	40.1 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Frederic (1979)	13 Sep 1979	24.9 mi	TS / TD	48 kt
Ethel (1960)	17 Sep 1960	4.9 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Baker (1950)	31 Aug 1950	7.0 mi	TS / TD	38 kt
Unnamed Storm (1949)	5 Sep 1949	30.3 mi	TS / TD	22 kt
Unnamed Storm (1948)	5 Sep 1948	37.3 mi	TS / TD	28 kt
Unnamed Storm (1939)	17 Jun 1939	29.5 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Unnamed Storm (1923)	18 Oct 1923	38.2 mi	TS / TD	38 kt
Unnamed Storm (1919)	5 Jul 1919	47.7 mi	TS / TD	20 kt
Unnamed Storm (1916)	8 Jul 1916	13.2 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1912)	15 Sep 1912	7.7 mi	TS / TD	32 kt
Unnamed Storm (1901)	16 Aug 1901	44.5 mi	TS / TD	32 kt
Unnamed Storm (1895)	17 Aug 1895	34.1 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Unnamed Storm (1893)	9 Sep 1893	13.3 mi	TS / TD	31 kt
Unnamed Storm (1881)	29 Aug 1881	11.2 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1880)	1 Sep 1880	44.5 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1879)	2 Sep 1879	17.3 mi	TS / TD	38 kt
Unnamed Storm (1872)	13 Jul 1872	11.7 mi	TS / TD	30 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
Delta (2020)	Post-tropical	11 Oct 2020	33.6 mi	25 kt
Beta (2020)	Post-tropical	24 Sep 2020	40.5 mi	20 kt
Unnamed Storm (1915)	Post-tropical	30 Sep 1915	20.6 mi	39 kt
Unnamed Storm (1905)	Post-tropical	10 Oct 1905	15.8 mi	25 kt

About this data. Computed from NOAA's HURDAT2 Atlantic and Northeast Pacific hurricane databases (hurdat2-1851-2025-02272026.txt), covering 1872–2025. 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 Monroe County, Mississippi compares

Among the 2,208 U.S. counties and county-equivalents that have recorded at least one tropical cyclone within 50 miles, Monroe County, Mississippi ranks #617 — more exposed than 72.1% of them. Within Mississippi it ranks #53 of 82, against a state average of 32.3 storms per county.

Notable storms

TS / TD Frederic (1979) passed 25 miles away on 13 September 1979 as a hurricane, reaching 51 kt (59 mph) while within 50 miles.
TS / TD Katrina (2005) passed 12 miles away on 30 August 2005 as a tropical storm, reaching 45 kt (52 mph) while within 50 miles.
TS / TD Unnamed Storm (1879) passed 17 miles away on 2 September 1879 as a tropical storm, reaching 41 kt (47 mph) while within 50 miles.
TS / TD Baker (1950) passed 7 miles away on 31 August 1950 as a tropical storm, reaching 40 kt (46 mph) while within 50 miles.

25 of the 26 storms made a documented landfall somewhere along their track.

How often to expect a storm

A return interval of 5.9 years does not mean storms arrive on a schedule. It is simply 26 storms spread over the 154 years from 1872 to 2025. 1 separate year 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 19 years, between 1960 and 1979. It has been 4 years since the last one; 12 of the 23 gaps in this record were longer than that.

Common questions

How many hurricanes have hit Monroe County, Mississippi?

1 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of Monroe County, Mississippi at hurricane strength since 1872. Counting all tropical cyclones — including tropical storms and depressions — the total is 26.

When was the last hurricane in Monroe County, Mississippi?

Frederic (1979), on 13 September 1979, passing 25 miles away — 47 years ago. The most recent tropical cyclone of any strength was Ida (2021) in 2021.

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

Frederic (1979), which reached 51 kt (59 mph) while within 50 miles; its closest approach was 25 miles.

How often do hurricanes hit Monroe County, Mississippi?

On average, one tropical cyclone passes within 50 miles every 5.9 years — 26 storms over the 154 years from 1872 to 2025, the end of the HURDAT2 record. That is a historical average, not a schedule or a forecast.

Nearby counties

Monroe County, Mississippi borders or sits close to 7 other counties with a published storm record. Lowndes County, Mississippi has 32 on record.

Lowndes County, Mississippi32 storms within 50 mi Chickasaw County, Mississippi28 storms within 50 mi Itawamba County, Mississippi28 storms within 50 mi Clay County, Mississippi26 storms within 50 mi Lee County, Mississippi24 storms within 50 mi Lamar County, Alabama23 storms within 50 mi Marion County, Alabama22 storms within 50 mi