Winston County, Mississippi Tropical Cyclone History

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

Since 1855, 34 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of Winston County, Mississippi — about one every 5.0 years. Of those, 1 were at hurricane strength at their closest approach. The most recent was Francine (2024), which passed 42 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.

Key facts

Most recentFrancine (2024) — 42 mi away, 12 September 2024
Strongest stormFrederic (1979) — 61 kt (70 mph) at its strongest within 50 miles
Closest pass on recordUnnamed Storm (1880) — 1.2 miles
Closest major hurricane (Cat 3+)None on record
Passes within 25 miles14 of 34
Peak monthSeptember — 16 storms (47% of all)
Most active year1979 — 2 storms
Most active decade2000s — 7 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 Winston County, Mississippi, September is the most active month, with 16 of the 34 recorded storms (47%). The primary season runs July to September, accounting for 91% of all activity. The 2000s was the most active decade on record, with 7 storms. 0 of the 34 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	7	8	16	1	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: 6 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
1	0	2	1	1	2	3	2	3	2	1	1	4	0	2	7	0	2

Every tropical or subtropical cyclone within 50 miles

Storm	Closest approach	Distance	Status	Wind
Francine (2024)	12 Sep 2024	42.4 mi	TS / TD	26 kt
Ida (2021)	31 Aug 2021	44.3 mi	TS / TD	28 kt
Claudette (2009)	17 Aug 2009	46.9 mi	TS / TD	20 kt
Fay (2008)	26 Aug 2008	36.5 mi	TS / TD	20 kt
Katrina (2005)	30 Aug 2005	6.2 mi	TS / TD	47 kt
Dennis (2005)	11 Jul 2005	25.3 mi	TS / TD	28 kt
Bill (2003)	1 Jul 2003	45.3 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Isidore (2002)	27 Sep 2002	5.8 mi	TS / TD	20 kt
Barry (2001)	7 Aug 2001	34.4 mi	TS / TD	15 kt
Erin (1995)	4 Aug 1995	29.5 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Andrew (1992)	27 Aug 1992	8.7 mi	TS / TD	28 kt
Frederic (1979)	13 Sep 1979	38.3 mi	TS / TD	58 kt
Bob (1979)	12 Jul 1979	45.7 mi	TS / TD	28 kt
Babe (1977)	7 Sep 1977	40.8 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Edith (1971)	17 Sep 1971	47.4 mi	TS / TD	28 kt
Ethel (1960)	16 Sep 1960	22.4 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Arlene (1959)	1 Jun 1959	32.2 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Unnamed Storm (1949)	5 Sep 1949	29.3 mi	TS / TD	26 kt
Unnamed Storm (1948)	5 Sep 1948	3.9 mi	TS / TD	32 kt
Unnamed Storm (1939)	17 Jun 1939	4.9 mi	TS / TD	26 kt
Unnamed Storm (1937)	1 Sep 1937	33.6 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Unnamed Storm (1932)	2 Sep 1932	33.4 mi	TS / TD	38 kt
Unnamed Storm (1926)	30 Jul 1926	1.9 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Unnamed Storm (1923)	18 Oct 1923	12.9 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1919)	5 Jul 1919	32.2 mi	TS / TD	20 kt
Unnamed Storm (1916)	7 Jul 1916	46.6 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1912)	15 Sep 1912	31.6 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Unnamed Storm (1906)	28 Sep 1906	24.5 mi	TS / TD	45 kt
Unnamed Storm (1901)	16 Aug 1901	13.3 mi	TS / TD	34 kt
Unnamed Storm (1893)	8 Sep 1893	9.1 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Unnamed Storm (1880)	1 Sep 1880	1.2 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1879)	2 Sep 1879	5.6 mi	TS / TD	43 kt
Unnamed Storm (1872)	13 Jul 1872	14.6 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1855)	17 Sep 1855	41.5 mi	TS / TD	42 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
Beta (2020)	Post-tropical	24 Sep 2020	6.5 mi	20 kt
Olga (2019)	Post-tropical	26 Oct 2019	43.0 mi	43 kt
Unnamed Storm (1915)	Post-tropical	30 Sep 1915	14.0 mi	45 kt
Unnamed Storm (1905)	Post-tropical	10 Oct 1905	5.7 mi	27 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 Winston County, Mississippi compares

Among the 2,208 U.S. counties and county-equivalents that have recorded at least one tropical cyclone within 50 miles, Winston County, Mississippi ranks #432 — more exposed than 80.4% of them. Within Mississippi it ranks #31 of 82, against a state average of 32.3 storms per county.

Notable storms

TS / TD Frederic (1979) passed 38 miles away on 13 September 1979 as a hurricane, reaching 61 kt (70 mph) while within 50 miles.
TS / TD Katrina (2005) passed 6 miles away on 30 August 2005 as a tropical storm, reaching 50 kt (58 mph) while within 50 miles.
TS / TD Unnamed Storm (1906) passed 25 miles away on 28 September 1906 as a tropical storm, reaching 50 kt (58 mph) while within 50 miles.
TS / TD Unnamed Storm (1879) passed 6 miles away on 2 September 1879 as a tropical storm, reaching 46 kt (53 mph) while within 50 miles.

30 of the 34 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 34 storms spread over the 171 years from 1855 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 17 years, between 1855 and 1872. It has been 1 year since the last one; 25 of the 31 gaps in this record were longer than that.

Common questions

How many hurricanes have hit Winston County, Mississippi?

1 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of Winston County, Mississippi at hurricane strength since 1855. Counting all tropical cyclones — including tropical storms and depressions — the total is 34.

When was the last hurricane in Winston County, Mississippi?

Frederic (1979), on 13 September 1979, passing 38 miles away — 47 years ago. The most recent tropical cyclone of any strength was Francine (2024) in 2024.

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

Frederic (1979), which reached 61 kt (70 mph) while within 50 miles; its closest approach was 38 miles.

How often do hurricanes hit Winston County, Mississippi?

On average, one tropical cyclone passes within 50 miles every 5.0 years — 34 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

Winston County, Mississippi borders or sits close to 7 other counties with a published storm record. Kemper County, Mississippi has 38 on record.

Kemper County, Mississippi38 storms within 50 mi Noxubee County, Mississippi33 storms within 50 mi Neshoba County, Mississippi31 storms within 50 mi Choctaw County, Mississippi30 storms within 50 mi Leake County, Mississippi29 storms within 50 mi Oktibbeha County, Mississippi29 storms within 50 mi Attala County, Mississippi27 storms within 50 mi