Bee County, Texas Hurricane History

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

Since 1851, 31 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of Bee County, Texas — about one every 5.6 years. Of those, 9 were at hurricane strength at their closest approach. The most recent was Harvey (2017), which passed 32 miles away on 26 August 2017.

Storms within 50 mi

At hurricane strength

5.6

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 4 · 1Cat 3 · 2Cat 2 · 2Cat 1 · 8TS / TD · 18

The 31 storms by the strongest category each reached while within 50 miles. 1 of them reached Cat 4.

Key facts

Most recentHarvey (2017) — 32 mi away, 26 August 2017
Strongest stormUnnamed Storm (1886) — 121 kt (139 mph) at its strongest within 50 miles
Closest pass on recordUnnamed Storm (1936) — 1.9 miles
Closest major hurricane (Cat 3+)Unnamed Storm (1886) — 20.5 miles
Passes within 25 miles18 of 31
Peak monthAugust and September — 10 storms (32% of all)
Most active year1886 — 2 storms
Most active decade1960s — 4 storms
Major hurricanes (Cat 3+) within 50 mi3
Record span1851–2017

When storms arrive

JFMAMJJASOND

Storms by month of closest approach; the peak is highlighted and labelled. In Bee County, Texas, August and September are tied as the most active months, with 10 of the 31 recorded storms (32%). Activity concentrates in June, August and September, together 84% of all storms. The 1960s was the most active decade on record, with 4 storms. 3 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	6	4	10	10	1	0	0

Activity by decade

19002000

Tropical cyclones passing within 50 miles, by decade, 1850s to 2010s. 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 7 in 1988–2025.

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

Every tropical or subtropical cyclone within 50 miles

Storm	Closest approach	Distance	Status	Wind
Harvey (2017)	26 Aug 2017	32.0 mi	Cat 1	78 kt
Hermine (2010)	7 Sep 2010	33.5 mi	TS / TD	43 kt
Erin (2007)	16 Aug 2007	14.9 mi	TS / TD	27 kt
Claudette (2003)	15 Jul 2003	8.2 mi	TS / TD	57 kt
Fay (2002)	7 Sep 2002	40.4 mi	TS / TD	27 kt
Frances (1998)	11 Sep 1998	8.7 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Charley (1998)	22 Aug 1998	18.8 mi	TS / TD	32 kt
Unnamed Storm (1986)	5 Aug 1986	29.0 mi	TD	—
Danielle (1980)	6 Sep 1980	40.5 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Amelia (1978)	31 Jul 1978	39.5 mi	TS / TD	34 kt
Unnamed Storm (1970)	2 Sep 1970	17.7 mi	TS / TD	24 kt
Celia (1970)	4 Aug 1970	22.1 mi	Cat 2	95 kt
Candy (1968)	24 Jun 1968	31.1 mi	TS / TD	57 kt
Abby (1964)	8 Aug 1964	33.5 mi	TS / TD	28 kt
Cindy (1963)	19 Sep 1963	13.5 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Unnamed Storm (1960)	24 Jun 1960	13.8 mi	TS / TD	34 kt
Gerda (1958)	21 Sep 1958	14.8 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1942)	30 Aug 1942	38.3 mi	Cat 1	82 kt
Unnamed Storm (1936)	27 Jun 1936	1.9 mi	TS / TD	50 kt
Unnamed Storm (1934)	25 Jul 1934	18.6 mi	Cat 1	65 kt
Unnamed Storm (1929)	29 Jun 1929	40.5 mi	TS / TD	63 kt
Unnamed Storm (1912)	17 Oct 1912	2.8 mi	TS / TD	38 kt
Unnamed Storm (1902)	27 Jun 1902	31.0 mi	TS / TD	48 kt
Unnamed Storm (1886)	24 Sep 1886	19.9 mi	Cat 1	66 kt
Unnamed Storm (1886)	20 Aug 1886	20.5 mi	Cat 3	103 kt
Unnamed Storm (1881)	14 Aug 1881	21.8 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1875)	17 Sep 1875	26.9 mi	Cat 1	80 kt
Unnamed Storm (1874)	6 Sep 1874	40.8 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1869)	17 Aug 1869	14.2 mi	TS / TD	57 kt
Unnamed Storm (1866)	16 Jul 1866	13.0 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1851)	26 Jun 1851	7.0 mi	TS / TD	60 kt

Post-tropical and extratropical passes

A further 1 system 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
Don (2011)	Remnant low	30 Jul 2011	47.8 mi	25 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 Bee County, Texas compares

Among the 2,208 U.S. counties and county-equivalents that have recorded at least one tropical cyclone within 50 miles, Bee County, Texas ranks #507 — more exposed than 77.0% of them. Within Texas it ranks #34 of 223, against a state average of 15.7 storms per county.

Notable storms

Cat 4 Unnamed Storm (1886) passed 21 miles away on 20 August 1886 as a hurricane, reaching 121 kt (139 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 3 Celia (1970) passed 22 miles away on 4 August 1970 as a hurricane, reaching 111 kt (128 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 3 Harvey (2017) passed 32 miles away on 26 August 2017 as a hurricane, reaching 108 kt (124 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 2 Unnamed Storm (1875) passed 27 miles away on 17 September 1875 as a hurricane, reaching 93 kt (107 mph) while within 50 miles.

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

How often to expect a storm

A return interval of 5.6 years does not mean storms arrive on a schedule. It is simply 31 storms spread over the 175 years from 1851 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 1912 and 1929. It has been 8 years since the last one; 6 of the 27 gaps in this record were longer than that.

Common questions

How many hurricanes have hit Bee County, Texas?

9 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of Bee County, Texas at hurricane strength since 1851. Counting all tropical cyclones — including tropical storms and depressions — the total is 31.

When was the last hurricane in Bee County, Texas?

Harvey (2017), on 26 August 2017, passing 32 miles away — 9 years ago. The most recent tropical cyclone of any strength was Harvey (2017) in 2017.

What was the strongest storm to affect Bee County, Texas?

Unnamed Storm (1886), which reached 121 kt (139 mph) while within 50 miles; its closest approach was 21 miles.

How often do hurricanes hit Bee County, Texas?

On average, one tropical cyclone passes within 50 miles every 5.6 years — 31 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

Bee County, Texas borders or sits close to 5 other counties with a published storm record. Refugio County, Texas has 33 on record.

Refugio County, Texas33 storms within 50 mi San Patricio County, Texas33 storms within 50 mi Goliad County, Texas31 storms within 50 mi Karnes County, Texas28 storms within 50 mi Live Oak County, Texas26 storms within 50 mi