Smith County, Mississippi Hurricane History

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

Since 1855, 37 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of Smith County, Mississippi — about one every 4.6 years. Of those, 5 were at hurricane strength at their closest approach. The most recent was Francine (2024), which passed 32 miles away on 12 September 2024.

Storms within 50 mi

At hurricane strength

4.6

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 2 · 1Cat 1 · 2TS / TD · 34

The 37 storms by the strongest category each reached while within 50 miles. 1 of them reached Cat 2.

Key facts

Most recentFrancine (2024) — 32 mi away, 12 September 2024
Strongest stormCamille (1969) — 95 kt (109 mph) at its strongest within 50 miles
Closest pass on recordUnnamed Storm (1987) — 1.4 miles
Closest major hurricane (Cat 3+)None on record
Passes within 25 miles17 of 37
Peak monthSeptember — 19 storms (51% of all)
Most active year1879 — 2 storms
Most active decade1870s, 1910s, 1940s, 1970s and 2000s — 4 storms
Major hurricanes (Cat 3+) within 50 mi0
Record span1855–2024

When storms arrive

JFMAMJJASOND

Storms by month of closest approach; the peak is highlighted and labelled. In Smith County, Mississippi, September is the most active month, with 19 of the 37 recorded storms (51%). The primary season runs July to September, accounting for 84% of all activity. The 1870s, 1910s, 1940s, 1970s and 2000s are tied as the most active decades on record, with 4 storms. 0 of the 37 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	4	5	7	19	2	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: 8 storms in 1950–1987 against 8 in 1988–2025.

1850s	1860s	1870s	1880s	1890s	1900s	1910s	1920s	1930s	1940s	1950s	1960s	1970s	1980s	1990s	2000s	2010s	2020s
1	0	4	2	1	1	4	1	3	4	1	2	4	1	2	4	1	1

Every tropical or subtropical cyclone within 50 miles

Storm	Closest approach	Distance	Status	Wind
Francine (2024)	12 Sep 2024	31.7 mi	TS / TD	29 kt
Gordon (2018)	5 Sep 2018	19.7 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Fay (2008)	25 Aug 2008	5.7 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Katrina (2005)	29 Aug 2005	14.4 mi	Cat 1	65 kt
Bill (2003)	1 Jul 2003	26.0 mi	TS / TD	29 kt
Isidore (2002)	26 Sep 2002	21.8 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Erin (1995)	4 Aug 1995	30.2 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Andrew (1992)	27 Aug 1992	44.0 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1987)	12 Aug 1987	1.4 mi	TS / TD	22 kt
Frederic (1979)	13 Sep 1979	48.2 mi	Cat 1	65 kt
Bob (1979)	11 Jul 1979	29.6 mi	TS / TD	33 kt
Babe (1977)	6 Sep 1977	18.1 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Edith (1971)	17 Sep 1971	3.4 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Camille (1969)	18 Aug 1969	23.8 mi	Cat 1	75 kt
Ethel (1960)	16 Sep 1960	34.9 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Arlene (1959)	1 Jun 1959	32.0 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Unnamed Storm (1949)	5 Sep 1949	40.4 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1948)	4 Sep 1948	19.1 mi	TS / TD	38 kt
Unnamed Storm (1947)	9 Sep 1947	35.9 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Unnamed Storm (1940)	25 Sep 1940	22.0 mi	TS / TD	18 kt
Unnamed Storm (1939)	17 Jun 1939	42.5 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1937)	1 Sep 1937	40.5 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Unnamed Storm (1932)	1 Sep 1932	22.6 mi	TS / TD	47 kt
Unnamed Storm (1923)	18 Oct 1923	27.8 mi	TS / TD	44 kt
Unnamed Storm (1916)	6 Jul 1916	8.6 mi	TS / TD	52 kt
Unnamed Storm (1915)	30 Sep 1915	6.3 mi	TS / TD	53 kt
Unnamed Storm (1912)	17 Jul 1912	24.8 mi	TS / TD	20 kt
Unnamed Storm (1912)	13 Jun 1912	31.1 mi	TS / TD	44 kt
Unnamed Storm (1906)	27 Sep 1906	17.6 mi	TS / TD	55 kt
Unnamed Storm (1893)	8 Sep 1893	13.8 mi	TS / TD	43 kt
Unnamed Storm (1887)	14 Jun 1887	40.7 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1881)	4 Aug 1881	40.7 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1879)	7 Oct 1879	42.2 mi	TS / TD	37 kt
Unnamed Storm (1879)	2 Sep 1879	32.1 mi	TS / TD	52 kt
Unnamed Storm (1875)	18 Sep 1875	46.5 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1872)	12 Jul 1872	1.4 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1855)	16 Sep 1855	39.9 mi	TS / TD	53 kt

Post-tropical and extratropical passes

A further 2 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
Olga (2019)	Post-tropical	26 Oct 2019	36.9 mi	45 kt
Unnamed Storm (1905)	Post-tropical	10 Oct 1905	17.5 mi	29 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 Smith County, Mississippi compares

Among the 2,208 U.S. counties and county-equivalents that have recorded at least one tropical cyclone within 50 miles, Smith County, Mississippi ranks #384 — more exposed than 82.6% of them. Within Mississippi it ranks #26 of 82, against a state average of 32.3 storms per county.

Notable storms

Cat 2 Camille (1969) passed 24 miles away on 18 August 1969 as a hurricane, reaching 95 kt (109 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 1 Katrina (2005) passed 14 miles away on 29 August 2005 as a hurricane, reaching 75 kt (86 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 1 Frederic (1979) passed 48 miles away on 13 September 1979 as a hurricane, reaching 70 kt (81 mph) while within 50 miles.
TS / TD Unnamed Storm (1916) passed 9 miles away on 6 July 1916 as a tropical storm, reaching 63 kt (72 mph) while within 50 miles.

33 of the 37 storms made a documented landfall somewhere along their track.

How often to expect a storm

A return interval of 4.6 years does not mean storms arrive on a schedule. It is simply 37 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 1855 and 1872. It has been 1 year since the last one; 27 of the 33 gaps in this record were longer than that.

Common questions

How many hurricanes have hit Smith County, Mississippi?

5 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of Smith County, Mississippi at hurricane strength since 1855. Counting all tropical cyclones — including tropical storms and depressions — the total is 37.

When was the last hurricane in Smith County, Mississippi?

Katrina (2005), on 29 August 2005, passing 14 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 Smith County, Mississippi?

Camille (1969), which reached 95 kt (109 mph) while within 50 miles; its closest approach was 24 miles.

How often do hurricanes hit Smith County, Mississippi?

On average, one tropical cyclone passes within 50 miles every 4.6 years — 37 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

Smith County, Mississippi borders or sits close to 7 other counties with a published storm record. Jones County, Mississippi has 42 on record.

Jones County, Mississippi42 storms within 50 mi Covington County, Mississippi39 storms within 50 mi Newton County, Mississippi38 storms within 50 mi Jasper County, Mississippi35 storms within 50 mi Simpson County, Mississippi34 storms within 50 mi Scott County, Mississippi31 storms within 50 mi Rankin County, Mississippi30 storms within 50 mi