Scott County, Mississippi Tropical Cyclone History

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

Since 1872, 31 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of Scott County, Mississippi — about one every 5.0 years. Of those, 2 were at hurricane strength at their closest approach. The most recent was Francine (2024), which passed 25 miles away on 12 September 2024.

Storms within 50 mi

At hurricane strength

5.0

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 1 · 2TS / TD · 29

The 31 storms by the strongest category each reached while within 50 miles. 2 of them reached Cat 1.

Key facts

Most recentFrancine (2024) — 25 mi away, 12 September 2024
Strongest stormCamille (1969) — 81 kt (93 mph) at its strongest within 50 miles
Closest pass on recordUnnamed Storm (1872) — 2.0 miles
Closest major hurricane (Cat 3+)None on record
Passes within 25 miles15 of 31
Peak monthSeptember — 15 storms (48% of all)
Most active year1879 — 2 storms
Most active decade2000s — 4 storms
Major hurricanes (Cat 3+) within 50 mi0
Record span1872–2024

When storms arrive

JFMAMJJASOND

Storms by month of closest approach; the peak is highlighted and labelled. In Scott County, Mississippi, September is the most active month, with 15 of the 31 recorded storms (48%). The primary season runs July to September, accounting for 87% of all activity. The 2000s was the most active decade on record, with 4 storms. 0 of the 31 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	8	15	2	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: 7 storms in 1950–1987 against 9 in 1988–2025.

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

Every tropical or subtropical cyclone within 50 miles

Storm	Closest approach	Distance	Status	Wind
Francine (2024)	12 Sep 2024	25.0 mi	TS / TD	28 kt
Ida (2021)	30 Aug 2021	43.0 mi	TS / TD	32 kt
Gordon (2018)	5 Sep 2018	34.8 mi	TS / TD	28 kt
Fay (2008)	25 Aug 2008	24.4 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Katrina (2005)	29 Aug 2005	20.9 mi	TS / TD	55 kt
Bill (2003)	1 Jul 2003	43.8 mi	TS / TD	28 kt
Isidore (2002)	26 Sep 2002	3.8 mi	TS / TD	33 kt
Erin (1995)	4 Aug 1995	18.8 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Andrew (1992)	27 Aug 1992	22.6 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1987)	12 Aug 1987	28.5 mi	TS / TD	23 kt
Bob (1979)	12 Jul 1979	22.2 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Babe (1977)	6 Sep 1977	35.5 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Edith (1971)	17 Sep 1971	23.6 mi	TS / TD	33 kt
Camille (1969)	18 Aug 1969	25.5 mi	Cat 1	67 kt
Ethel (1960)	16 Sep 1960	41.6 mi	TS / TD	28 kt
Arlene (1959)	1 Jun 1959	6.4 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Unnamed Storm (1949)	5 Sep 1949	26.2 mi	TS / TD	28 kt
Unnamed Storm (1948)	5 Sep 1948	26.0 mi	TS / TD	34 kt
Unnamed Storm (1940)	25 Sep 1940	47.4 mi	TS / TD	17 kt
Unnamed Storm (1939)	17 Jun 1939	40.3 mi	TS / TD	28 kt
Unnamed Storm (1937)	1 Sep 1937	21.0 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Unnamed Storm (1932)	1 Sep 1932	12.7 mi	TS / TD	42 kt
Unnamed Storm (1923)	18 Oct 1923	26.6 mi	TS / TD	42 kt
Unnamed Storm (1916)	6 Jul 1916	23.0 mi	TS / TD	48 kt
Unnamed Storm (1906)	28 Sep 1906	13.7 mi	TS / TD	50 kt
Unnamed Storm (1893)	8 Sep 1893	26.4 mi	TS / TD	42 kt
Unnamed Storm (1890)	28 Aug 1890	47.0 mi	TS / TD	33 kt
Unnamed Storm (1880)	1 Sep 1880	48.1 mi	TS / TD	33 kt
Unnamed Storm (1879)	7 Oct 1879	46.7 mi	TS / TD	33 kt
Unnamed Storm (1879)	2 Sep 1879	14.2 mi	TS / TD	48 kt
Unnamed Storm (1872)	12 Jul 1872	2.0 mi	TS / TD	32 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	27.1 mi	22 kt
Olga (2019)	Post-tropical	26 Oct 2019	20.6 mi	44 kt
Humberto (2007)	Remnant low	14 Sep 2007	43.6 mi	20 kt
Unnamed Storm (1915)	Post-tropical	30 Sep 1915	15.7 mi	50 kt
Unnamed Storm (1905)	Post-tropical	10 Oct 1905	8.4 mi	28 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 Scott County, Mississippi compares

Among the 2,208 U.S. counties and county-equivalents that have recorded at least one tropical cyclone within 50 miles, Scott County, Mississippi ranks #505 — more exposed than 77.1% of them. Within Mississippi it ranks #36 of 82, against a state average of 32.3 storms per county.

Notable storms

Cat 1 Camille (1969) passed 26 miles away on 18 August 1969 as a hurricane, reaching 81 kt (93 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 1 Katrina (2005) passed 21 miles away on 29 August 2005 as a hurricane, reaching 65 kt (75 mph) while within 50 miles.
TS / TD Unnamed Storm (1906) passed 14 miles away on 28 September 1906 as a tropical storm, reaching 57 kt (66 mph) while within 50 miles.
TS / TD Unnamed Storm (1916) passed 23 miles away on 6 July 1916 as a tropical storm, reaching 55 kt (63 mph) while within 50 miles.

28 of the 31 storms made a documented landfall somewhere along their track.

How often to expect a storm

A return interval of 5.0 years does not mean storms arrive on a schedule. It is simply 31 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 13 years, between 1893 and 1906. It has been 1 year since the last one; 24 of the 29 gaps in this record were longer than that.

Common questions

How many hurricanes have hit Scott County, Mississippi?

2 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of Scott County, Mississippi at hurricane strength since 1872. Counting all tropical cyclones — including tropical storms and depressions — the total is 31.

When was the last hurricane in Scott County, Mississippi?

Katrina (2005), on 29 August 2005, passing 21 miles away — 21 years ago. The most recent tropical cyclone of any strength was Francine (2024) in 2024.

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

Camille (1969), which reached 81 kt (93 mph) while within 50 miles; its closest approach was 26 miles.

How often do hurricanes hit Scott County, Mississippi?

On average, one tropical cyclone passes within 50 miles every 5.0 years — 31 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

Scott County, Mississippi borders or sits close to 6 other counties with a published storm record. Newton County, Mississippi has 38 on record.

Newton County, Mississippi38 storms within 50 mi Smith County, Mississippi37 storms within 50 mi Jasper County, Mississippi35 storms within 50 mi Rankin County, Mississippi30 storms within 50 mi Leake County, Mississippi29 storms within 50 mi Madison County, Mississippi24 storms within 50 mi