Wayne County, North Carolina Hurricane History

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

Since 1851, 54 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of Wayne County, North Carolina — about one every 3.2 years. Of those, 7 were at hurricane strength at their closest approach. The most recent was Chantal (2025), which passed 49 miles away on 7 July 2025.

Storms within 50 mi

At hurricane strength

3.2

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 1 · 7TS / TD · 46

The 54 storms by the strongest category each reached while within 50 miles. 1 of them reached Cat 3.

Key facts

Most recentChantal (2025) — 49 mi away, 7 July 2025
Strongest stormHazel (1954) — 97 kt (112 mph) at its strongest within 50 miles
Closest pass on recordHelene (2000) — 3.2 miles
Closest major hurricane (Cat 3+)Hazel (1954) — 37.4 miles
Passes within 25 miles25 of 54
Peak monthSeptember — 21 storms (39% of all)
Most active year1893 — 3 storms
Most active decade2000s — 6 storms
Major hurricanes (Cat 3+) within 50 mi1
Record span1851–2025

When storms arrive

JFMAMJJASOND

Storms by month of closest approach; the peak is highlighted and labelled. In Wayne County, North Carolina, September is the most active month, with 21 of the 54 recorded storms (39%). Activity concentrates in July, September and October, together 72% of all storms. The 2000s was the most active decade on record, with 6 storms. 1 of the 54 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	3	6	9	6	21	9	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: 12 storms in 1950–1987 against 17 in 1988–2025.

1850s	1860s	1870s	1880s	1890s	1900s	1910s	1920s	1930s	1940s	1950s	1960s	1970s	1980s	1990s	2000s	2010s	2020s
4	1	3	4	5	1	3	1	1	2	3	3	4	2	5	6	1	5

Every tropical or subtropical cyclone within 50 miles

Storm	Closest approach	Distance	Status	Wind
Chantal (2025)	7 Jul 2025	49.4 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Ophelia (2023)	23 Sep 2023	44.8 mi	TS / TD	47 kt
Elsa (2021)	8 Jul 2021	47.6 mi	TS / TD	45 kt
Claudette (2021)	21 Jun 2021	12.7 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Isaias (2020)	4 Aug 2020	9.7 mi	TS / TD	60 kt
Ana (2015)	11 May 2015	4.3 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Hanna (2008)	6 Sep 2008	12.1 mi	TS / TD	48 kt
Ernesto (2006)	1 Sep 2006	15.5 mi	TS / TD	37 kt
Gaston (2004)	30 Aug 2004	40.1 mi	TS / TD	26 kt
Charley (2004)	14 Aug 2004	35.0 mi	TS / TD	57 kt
Allison (2001)	14 Jun 2001	48.5 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Helene (2000)	23 Sep 2000	3.2 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Floyd (1999)	16 Sep 1999	49.8 mi	Cat 1	77 kt
Dennis (1999)	5 Sep 1999	18.4 mi	TS / TD	34 kt
Danny (1997)	24 Jul 1997	26.4 mi	TS / TD	33 kt
Fran (1996)	6 Sep 1996	40.4 mi	Cat 1	65 kt
Bertha (1996)	13 Jul 1996	29.1 mi	Cat 1	64 kt
Unnamed Storm (1987)	8 Sep 1987	27.9 mi	TD	—
Diana (1984)	14 Sep 1984	22.9 mi	TS / TD	41 kt
Unnamed Storm (1972)	12 Jul 1972	47.9 mi	TD	—
Agnes (1972)	21 Jun 1972	22.2 mi	TS / TD	38 kt
Ginger (1971)	1 Oct 1971	12.7 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Alma (1970)	26 May 1970	40.3 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Unnamed Storm (1967)	18 Jun 1967	8.8 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1964)	23 Jul 1964	6.1 mi	TS / TD	20 kt
Brenda (1960)	30 Jul 1960	31.2 mi	TS / TD	54 kt
Cindy (1959)	10 Jul 1959	26.6 mi	TS / TD	33 kt
Diane (1955)	17 Aug 1955	24.9 mi	TS / TD	54 kt
Hazel (1954)	15 Oct 1954	37.4 mi	Cat 3	98 kt
Unnamed Storm (1949)	14 Sep 1949	23.1 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Unnamed Storm (1944)	2 Aug 1944	12.1 mi	TS / TD	48 kt
Unnamed Storm (1935)	6 Sep 1935	38.8 mi	TS / TD	49 kt
Unnamed Storm (1928)	19 Sep 1928	7.2 mi	Cat 1	65 kt
Unnamed Storm (1916)	6 Sep 1916	4.4 mi	TS / TD	33 kt
Unnamed Storm (1916)	16 May 1916	11.8 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Unnamed Storm (1913)	3 Sep 1913	17.6 mi	TS / TD	45 kt
Unnamed Storm (1904)	14 Sep 1904	33.3 mi	TS / TD	58 kt
Unnamed Storm (1899)	31 Oct 1899	35.3 mi	TS / TD	62 kt
Unnamed Storm (1894)	10 Oct 1894	30.6 mi	TS / TD	60 kt
Unnamed Storm (1893)	13 Oct 1893	33.9 mi	Cat 1	78 kt
Unnamed Storm (1893)	4 Oct 1893	17.6 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Unnamed Storm (1893)	16 Jun 1893	32.1 mi	TS / TD	50 kt
Unnamed Storm (1887)	20 Oct 1887	6.2 mi	TS / TD	33 kt
Unnamed Storm (1886)	2 Jul 1886	31.2 mi	TS / TD	37 kt
Unnamed Storm (1883)	12 Sep 1883	11.2 mi	TS / TD	50 kt
Unnamed Storm (1881)	10 Sep 1881	30.6 mi	TS / TD	60 kt
Unnamed Storm (1876)	17 Sep 1876	33.3 mi	Cat 1	75 kt
Unnamed Storm (1874)	29 Sep 1874	10.7 mi	TS / TD	60 kt
Unnamed Storm (1872)	25 Oct 1872	35.3 mi	TS / TD	47 kt
Unnamed Storm (1867)	23 Jun 1867	45.7 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1856)	1 Sep 1856	45.6 mi	TS / TD	50 kt
Unnamed Storm (1854)	10 Sep 1854	11.3 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1852)	10 Oct 1852	48.5 mi	TS / TD	50 kt
Unnamed Storm (1851)	25 Aug 1851	12.3 mi	TS / TD	40 kt

Post-tropical and extratropical passes

A further 18 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
Nestor (2019)	Post-tropical	20 Oct 2019	30.9 mi	40 kt
Julia (2016)	Post-tropical	21 Sep 2016	34.4 mi	20 kt
Andrea (2013)	Post-tropical	7 Jun 2013	18.2 mi	40 kt
Alberto (2006)	Post-tropical	14 Jun 2006	4.0 mi	35 kt
Gordon (2000)	Post-tropical	19 Sep 2000	46.1 mi	20 kt
Earl (1998)	Post-tropical	4 Sep 1998	11.8 mi	50 kt
Josephine (1996)	Post-tropical	8 Oct 1996	37.7 mi	45 kt
Allison (1995)	Post-tropical	6 Jun 1995	48.9 mi	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1924)	Post-tropical	30 Sep 1924	24.5 mi	60 kt

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

Among the 2,208 U.S. counties and county-equivalents that have recorded at least one tropical cyclone within 50 miles, Wayne County, North Carolina ranks #163 — more exposed than 92.6% of them. Within North Carolina it ranks #27 of 100, against a state average of 37.9 storms per county.

Notable storms

Cat 3 Hazel (1954) passed 37 miles away on 15 October 1954 as a hurricane, reaching 97 kt (112 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 1 Unnamed Storm (1893) passed 34 miles away on 13 October 1893 as a hurricane, reaching 80 kt (92 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 1 Unnamed Storm (1876) passed 33 miles away on 17 September 1876 as a hurricane, reaching 77 kt (89 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 1 Floyd (1999) passed 50 miles away on 16 September 1999 as a hurricane, reaching 76 kt (87 mph) while within 50 miles.

48 of the 54 storms made a documented landfall somewhere along their track.

How often to expect a storm

A return interval of 3.2 years does not mean storms arrive on a schedule. It is simply 54 storms spread over the 175 years from 1851 to 2025. 7 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 1916 and 1928. It has been 0 years since the last one; 45 of the 45 gaps in this record were longer than that.

Common questions

How many hurricanes have hit Wayne County, North Carolina?

7 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of Wayne County, North Carolina at hurricane strength since 1851. Counting all tropical cyclones — including tropical storms and depressions — the total is 54.

When was the last hurricane in Wayne County, North Carolina?

Floyd (1999), on 16 September 1999, passing 50 miles away — 27 years ago. The most recent tropical cyclone of any strength was Chantal (2025) in 2025.

What was the strongest storm to affect Wayne County, North Carolina?

Hazel (1954), which reached 97 kt (112 mph) while within 50 miles; its closest approach was 37 miles.

How often do hurricanes hit Wayne County, North Carolina?

On average, one tropical cyclone passes within 50 miles every 3.2 years — 54 storms over the 175 years from 1851 to 2025, the end of the HURDAT2 record. That is a historical average, not a schedule or a forecast.

Nearby counties

Wayne County, North Carolina borders or sits close to 6 other counties with a published storm record. Duplin County, North Carolina has 61 on record.

Duplin County, North Carolina61 storms within 50 mi Lenoir County, North Carolina59 storms within 50 mi Greene County, North Carolina57 storms within 50 mi Sampson County, North Carolina56 storms within 50 mi Wilson County, North Carolina53 storms within 50 mi Johnston County, North Carolina47 storms within 50 mi