Nassau County, New York Hurricane History

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

Since 1861, 27 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of Nassau County, New York — about one every 6.1 years. Of those, 7 were at hurricane strength at their closest approach. The most recent was Elsa (2021), which passed 39 miles away on 9 July 2021.

Storms within 50 mi

At hurricane strength

6.1

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 3 · 1Cat 2 · 1Cat 1 · 5TS / TD · 20

The 27 storms by the strongest category each reached while within 50 miles. 1 of them reached Cat 3.

Key facts

Most recentElsa (2021) — 39 mi away, 9 July 2021
Strongest stormUnnamed Storm (1938) — 105 kt (121 mph) at its strongest within 50 miles
Closest pass on recordUnnamed Storm (1872) — 1.1 miles
Closest major hurricane (Cat 3+)Unnamed Storm (1938) — 36.2 miles
Passes within 25 miles16 of 27
Peak monthSeptember — 14 storms (52% of all)
Most active year1960 — 2 storms
Most active decade1960s — 4 storms
Major hurricanes (Cat 3+) within 50 mi1
Record span1861–2021

When storms arrive

JFMAMJJASOND

Storms by month of closest approach; the peak is highlighted and labelled. In Nassau County, New York, September is the most active month, with 14 of the 27 recorded storms (52%). The primary season runs July to September, accounting for 89% of all activity. The 1960s was the most active decade on record, with 4 storms. 1 of the 27 storms was major hurricane (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	1	4	6	14	2	0	0

Activity by decade

19002000

Tropical cyclones passing within 50 miles, by decade, 1860s to 2020s. Decades with no storms are shown as empty columns. Comparing two equal 38-year windows inside the aircraft-reconnaissance era: 10 storms in 1950–1987 against 6 in 1988–2025.

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

Every tropical or subtropical cyclone within 50 miles

Storm	Closest approach	Distance	Status	Wind
Elsa (2021)	9 Jul 2021	39.3 mi	TS / TD	50 kt
Fay (2020)	11 Jul 2020	35.5 mi	TS / TD	32 kt
Irene (2011)	28 Aug 2011	21.1 mi	TS / TD	54 kt
Hanna (2008)	7 Sep 2008	6.8 mi	TS / TD	45 kt
Floyd (1999)	17 Sep 1999	10.1 mi	TS / TD	50 kt
Bertha (1996)	13 Jul 1996	7.5 mi	TS / TD	60 kt
Gloria (1985)	27 Sep 1985	17.6 mi	Cat 1	75 kt
Henri (1985)	24 Sep 1985	42.9 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Belle (1976)	10 Aug 1976	16.6 mi	TS / TD	63 kt
Agnes (1972)	22 Jun 1972	9.5 mi	TS / TD	52 kt
Doria (1971)	28 Aug 1971	19.8 mi	TS / TD	46 kt
Unnamed Storm (1968)	11 Sep 1968	17.6 mi	TS / TD	55 kt
Unnamed Storm (1961)	15 Sep 1961	20.5 mi	TS / TD	55 kt
Donna (1960)	12 Sep 1960	36.2 mi	Cat 2	85 kt
Brenda (1960)	30 Jul 1960	15.8 mi	TS / TD	48 kt
Diane (1955)	19 Aug 1955	8.1 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1938)	21 Sep 1938	36.2 mi	Cat 3	105 kt
Unnamed Storm (1934)	9 Sep 1934	29.6 mi	Cat 1	65 kt
Unnamed Storm (1897)	24 Sep 1897	37.8 mi	TS / TD	55 kt
Unnamed Storm (1894)	10 Oct 1894	36.2 mi	Cat 1	75 kt
Unnamed Storm (1893)	24 Aug 1893	16.4 mi	Cat 1	75 kt
Unnamed Storm (1888)	22 Aug 1888	46.3 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1882)	24 Sep 1882	30.9 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1874)	30 Sep 1874	11.8 mi	TS / TD	60 kt
Unnamed Storm (1872)	26 Oct 1872	1.1 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1863)	19 Sep 1863	32.7 mi	TS / TD	43 kt
Unnamed Storm (1861)	28 Sep 1861	20.4 mi	TS / TD	53 kt

Post-tropical and extratropical passes

A further 15 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. Showing the 9 most recent.

Storm	Status	Closest approach	Distance	Wind
Ida (2021)	Post-tropical	2 Sep 2021	24.8 mi	39 kt
Andrea (2013)	Post-tropical	8 Jun 2013	39.6 mi	40 kt
Gordon (2000)	Post-tropical	20 Sep 2000	20.8 mi	25 kt
Chris (1988)	Post-tropical	30 Aug 1988	32.5 mi	20 kt
Unnamed Storm (1945)	Post-tropical	19 Sep 1945	32.8 mi	28 kt
Unnamed Storm (1934)	Post-tropical	19 Jun 1934	15.0 mi	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1924)	Post-tropical	30 Sep 1924	22.6 mi	58 kt
Unnamed Storm (1916)	Post-tropical	17 May 1916	35.2 mi	48 kt
Unnamed Storm (1904)	Post-tropical	15 Sep 1904	46.5 mi	68 kt

About this data. Computed from NOAA's HURDAT2 Atlantic and Northeast Pacific hurricane databases (hurdat2-1851-2025-02272026.txt), covering 1861–2025. 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 Nassau County, New York compares

Among the 2,208 U.S. counties and county-equivalents that have recorded at least one tropical cyclone within 50 miles, Nassau County, New York ranks #592 — more exposed than 73.2% of them. Within New York it ranks #2 of 61, against a state average of 8.0 storms per county.

Notable storms

Cat 3 Unnamed Storm (1938) passed 36 miles away on 21 September 1938 as a hurricane, reaching 105 kt (121 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 2 Donna (1960) passed 36 miles away on 12 September 1960 as a hurricane, reaching 85 kt (98 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 1 Gloria (1985) passed 18 miles away on 27 September 1985 as a hurricane, reaching 77 kt (89 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 1 Unnamed Storm (1894) passed 36 miles away on 10 October 1894 as a hurricane, reaching 75 kt (86 mph) while within 50 miles.

24 of the 27 storms made a documented landfall somewhere along their track.

How often to expect a storm

A return interval of 6.1 years does not mean storms arrive on a schedule. It is simply 27 storms spread over the 165 years from 1861 to 2025. 2 separate years saw more than one storm pass within 50 miles while decades have gone by with none. The longest recorded quiet stretch was 37 years, between 1897 and 1934. It has been 4 years since the last one; 12 of the 24 gaps in this record were longer than that.

Common questions

How many hurricanes have hit Nassau County, New York?

7 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of Nassau County, New York at hurricane strength since 1861. Counting all tropical cyclones — including tropical storms and depressions — the total is 27.

When was the last hurricane in Nassau County, New York?

Gloria (1985), on 27 September 1985, passing 18 miles away — 41 years ago. The most recent tropical cyclone of any strength was Elsa (2021) in 2021.

What was the strongest storm to affect Nassau County, New York?

Unnamed Storm (1938), which reached 105 kt (121 mph) while within 50 miles; its closest approach was 36 miles.

How often do hurricanes hit Nassau County, New York?

On average, one tropical cyclone passes within 50 miles every 6.1 years — 27 storms over the 165 years from 1861 to 2025, the end of the HURDAT2 record. That is a historical average, not a schedule or a forecast.

Nearby counties

Nassau County, New York borders or sits close to 4 other counties with a published storm record. Suffolk County, New York has 28 on record.

Suffolk County, New York28 storms within 50 mi Queens County, New York27 storms within 50 mi Westchester County, New York24 storms within 50 mi Bronx County, New York23 storms within 50 mi