Perry County, Mississippi Hurricane History

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

Since 1852, 47 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of Perry County, Mississippi — about one every 3.7 years. Of those, 13 were at hurricane strength at their closest approach. The most recent was Claudette (2021), which passed 11 miles away on 19 June 2021.

Storms within 50 mi

At hurricane strength

3.7

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 4 · 1Cat 3 · 1Cat 2 · 7Cat 1 · 6TS / TD · 32

The 47 storms by the strongest category each reached while within 50 miles. 1 of them reached Cat 4.

Key facts

Most recentClaudette (2021) — 11 mi away, 19 June 2021
Strongest stormCamille (1969) — 115 kt (132 mph) at its strongest within 50 miles
Closest pass on recordEthel (1960) — 2.2 miles
Closest major hurricane (Cat 3+)Unnamed Storm (1860) — 41.7 miles
Passes within 25 miles22 of 47
Peak monthSeptember — 19 storms (40% of all)
Most active year1912 — 3 storms
Most active decade1890s, 1910s and 2000s — 5 storms
Major hurricanes (Cat 3+) within 50 mi2
Record span1852–2021

When storms arrive

JFMAMJJASOND

Storms by month of closest approach; the peak is highlighted and labelled. In Perry County, Mississippi, September is the most active month, with 19 of the 47 recorded storms (40%). Activity concentrates in June, August and September, together 77% of all storms. The 1890s, 1910s and 2000s are tied as the most active decades on record, with 5 storms. 2 of the 47 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	6	5	11	19	6	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: 7 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
2	2	1	3	5	4	5	1	3	3	0	3	3	1	2	5	2	2

Every tropical or subtropical cyclone within 50 miles

Storm	Closest approach	Distance	Status	Wind
Claudette (2021)	19 Jun 2021	10.7 mi	TS / TD	32 kt
Zeta (2020)	29 Oct 2020	9.7 mi	Cat 1	77 kt
Gordon (2018)	5 Sep 2018	8.0 mi	TS / TD	42 kt
Nate (2017)	8 Oct 2017	24.1 mi	TS / TD	52 kt
Fay (2008)	24 Aug 2008	33.4 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Katrina (2005)	29 Aug 2005	33.6 mi	Cat 1	75 kt
Cindy (2005)	6 Jul 2005	20.9 mi	TS / TD	38 kt
Bill (2003)	1 Jul 2003	32.4 mi	TS / TD	32 kt
Allison (2001)	11 Jun 2001	22.7 mi	TS / TD	38 kt
Georges (1998)	28 Sep 1998	39.3 mi	TS / TD	52 kt
Erin (1995)	4 Aug 1995	33.0 mi	TS / TD	45 kt
Unnamed Storm (1984)	28 Oct 1984	25.5 mi	TD	—
Frederic (1979)	13 Sep 1979	25.8 mi	Cat 2	85 kt
Babe (1977)	6 Sep 1977	42.4 mi	TS / TD	26 kt
Unnamed Storm (1976)	24 Sep 1976	31.2 mi	TD	—
Camille (1969)	18 Aug 1969	42.1 mi	Cat 3	102 kt
Hilda (1964)	4 Oct 1964	34.8 mi	TS / TD	54 kt
Ethel (1960)	16 Sep 1960	2.2 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1948)	4 Sep 1948	23.2 mi	TS / TD	43 kt
Unnamed Storm (1947)	8 Sep 1947	8.1 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1940)	25 Sep 1940	44.8 mi	TS / TD	17 kt
Unnamed Storm (1939)	26 Sep 1939	16.8 mi	TS / TD	38 kt
Unnamed Storm (1939)	16 Jun 1939	46.1 mi	TS / TD	33 kt
Unnamed Storm (1932)	1 Sep 1932	19.5 mi	TS / TD	58 kt
Unnamed Storm (1923)	18 Oct 1923	12.2 mi	TS / TD	46 kt
Unnamed Storm (1916)	6 Jul 1916	5.6 mi	Cat 1	68 kt
Unnamed Storm (1912)	14 Sep 1912	29.0 mi	TS / TD	47 kt
Unnamed Storm (1912)	17 Jul 1912	34.2 mi	TS / TD	20 kt
Unnamed Storm (1912)	13 Jun 1912	35.9 mi	TS / TD	44 kt
Unnamed Storm (1911)	12 Aug 1911	25.5 mi	TS / TD	45 kt
Unnamed Storm (1907)	22 Sep 1907	16.2 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Unnamed Storm (1906)	27 Sep 1906	5.0 mi	Cat 1	70 kt
Unnamed Storm (1901)	15 Aug 1901	40.3 mi	TS / TD	63 kt
Unnamed Storm (1900)	13 Sep 1900	41.6 mi	TS / TD	31 kt
Unnamed Storm (1895)	16 Aug 1895	31.2 mi	TS / TD	38 kt
Unnamed Storm (1894)	8 Aug 1894	6.5 mi	TS / TD	31 kt
Unnamed Storm (1893)	2 Oct 1893	44.6 mi	Cat 1	78 kt
Unnamed Storm (1893)	8 Sep 1893	38.6 mi	TS / TD	48 kt
Unnamed Storm (1892)	12 Sep 1892	17.2 mi	TS / TD	39 kt
Unnamed Storm (1887)	14 Jun 1887	11.2 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1886)	15 Jun 1886	2.2 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1881)	3 Aug 1881	28.4 mi	TS / TD	33 kt
Unnamed Storm (1872)	12 Jul 1872	4.6 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1860)	15 Sep 1860	4.1 mi	TS / TD	63 kt
Unnamed Storm (1860)	12 Aug 1860	41.7 mi	Cat 2	90 kt
Unnamed Storm (1855)	16 Sep 1855	3.6 mi	Cat 1	67 kt
Unnamed Storm (1852)	26 Aug 1852	44.8 mi	Cat 2	83 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
Lee (2011)	Post-tropical	5 Sep 2011	5.7 mi	40 kt
Five (2010)	Remnant low	13 Aug 2010	34.4 mi	25 kt
Unnamed Storm (1932)	Post-tropical	16 Oct 1932	4.1 mi	43 kt
Unnamed Storm (1863)	Post-tropical	1 Oct 1863	49.7 mi	40 kt

About this data. Computed from NOAA's HURDAT2 Atlantic and Northeast Pacific hurricane databases (hurdat2-1851-2025-02272026.txt), covering 1852–2025. 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 Perry County, Mississippi compares

Among the 2,208 U.S. counties and county-equivalents that have recorded at least one tropical cyclone within 50 miles, Perry County, Mississippi ranks #233 — more exposed than 89.4% of them. Within Mississippi it ranks #12 of 82, against a state average of 32.3 storms per county.

Notable storms

Cat 4 Camille (1969) passed 42 miles away on 18 August 1969 as a hurricane, reaching 115 kt (132 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 3 Unnamed Storm (1860) passed 42 miles away on 12 August 1860 as a hurricane, reaching 100 kt (115 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 2 Frederic (1979) passed 26 miles away on 13 September 1979 as a hurricane, reaching 95 kt (109 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 2 Unnamed Storm (1906) passed 5 miles away on 27 September 1906 as a hurricane, reaching 90 kt (104 mph) while within 50 miles.

43 of the 47 storms made a documented landfall somewhere along their track.

How often to expect a storm

A return interval of 3.7 years does not mean storms arrive on a schedule. It is simply 47 storms spread over the 174 years from 1852 to 2025. 5 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 40 gaps in this record were longer than that.

Common questions

How many hurricanes have hit Perry County, Mississippi?

13 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of Perry County, Mississippi at hurricane strength since 1852. Counting all tropical cyclones — including tropical storms and depressions — the total is 47.

When was the last hurricane in Perry County, Mississippi?

Zeta (2020), on 29 October 2020, passing 10 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 Perry County, Mississippi?

Camille (1969), which reached 115 kt (132 mph) while within 50 miles; its closest approach was 42 miles.

How often do hurricanes hit Perry County, Mississippi?

On average, one tropical cyclone passes within 50 miles every 3.7 years — 47 storms over the 174 years from 1852 to 2025, the end of the HURDAT2 record. That is a historical average, not a schedule or a forecast.

Nearby counties

Perry County, Mississippi borders or sits close to 6 other counties with a published storm record. Stone County, Mississippi has 54 on record.

Stone County, Mississippi54 storms within 50 mi George County, Mississippi53 storms within 50 mi Greene County, Mississippi53 storms within 50 mi Forrest County, Mississippi51 storms within 50 mi Wayne County, Mississippi50 storms within 50 mi Jones County, Mississippi42 storms within 50 mi