Cameron County, Texas Hurricane History

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

Since 1854, 33 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of Cameron County, Texas — about one every 5.2 years. Of those, 15 were at hurricane strength at their closest approach. The most recent was Nicholas (2021), which passed 49 miles away on 13 September 2021.

Storms within 50 mi

At hurricane strength

5.2

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 4 · 2Cat 3 · 2Cat 2 · 5Cat 1 · 6TS / TD · 18

The 33 storms by the strongest category each reached while within 50 miles. 2 of them reached Cat 4.

Key facts

Most recentNicholas (2021) — 49 mi away, 13 September 2021
Strongest stormUnnamed Storm (1880) — 130 kt (150 mph) at its strongest within 50 miles
Closest pass on recordUnnamed Storm (1933) — 1.3 miles
Closest major hurricane (Cat 3+)Unnamed Storm (1933) — 1.3 miles
Passes within 25 miles16 of 33
Peak monthSeptember — 12 storms (36% of all)
Most active year1909 — 2 storms
Most active decade1930s — 4 storms
Major hurricanes (Cat 3+) within 50 mi4
Record span1854–2021

When storms arrive

JFMAMJJASOND

Storms by month of closest approach; the peak is highlighted and labelled. In Cameron County, Texas, September is the most active month, with 12 of the 33 recorded storms (36%). Activity concentrates in June, August and September, together 82% of all storms. The 1930s was the most active decade on record, with 4 storms. 4 of the 33 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	8	4	7	12	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: 7 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	2020s
2	2	1	3	0	3	2	1	4	1	1	2	2	3	1	1	2	2

Every tropical or subtropical cyclone within 50 miles

Storm	Closest approach	Distance	Status	Wind
Nicholas (2021)	13 Sep 2021	49.4 mi	TS / TD	51 kt
Hanna (2020)	25 Jul 2020	41.3 mi	Cat 1	80 kt
Hermine (2010)	7 Sep 2010	12.7 mi	TS / TD	56 kt
Two (2010)	8 Jul 2010	1.8 mi	TS / TD	28 kt
Dolly (2008)	23 Jul 2008	21.1 mi	Cat 1	70 kt
Arlene (1993)	20 Jun 1993	48.2 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Cosme (1989)	23 Jun 1989	35.3 mi	TS / TD	20 kt
Barry (1983)	28 Aug 1983	48.6 mi	Cat 1	70 kt
Allen (1980)	10 Aug 1980	10.4 mi	Cat 3	98 kt
Amelia (1978)	30 Jul 1978	13.9 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1970)	1 Sep 1970	37.3 mi	TS / TD	28 kt
Beulah (1967)	20 Sep 1967	4.9 mi	Cat 3	102 kt
Unnamed Storm (1960)	24 Jun 1960	27.1 mi	TS / TD	50 kt
Gerda (1958)	20 Sep 1958	21.2 mi	TS / TD	33 kt
Unnamed Storm (1947)	2 Aug 1947	25.0 mi	TS / TD	42 kt
Unnamed Storm (1936)	13 Sep 1936	8.3 mi	TS / TD	45 kt
Unnamed Storm (1933)	5 Sep 1933	1.3 mi	Cat 2	90 kt
Unnamed Storm (1933)	5 Aug 1933	27.9 mi	Cat 1	72 kt
Unnamed Storm (1931)	27 Jun 1931	36.1 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1925)	7 Sep 1925	44.4 mi	TS / TD	42 kt
Unnamed Storm (1912)	16 Oct 1912	40.4 mi	Cat 2	85 kt
Unnamed Storm (1910)	30 Aug 1910	32.7 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1909)	24 Aug 1909	39.5 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1909)	29 Jun 1909	4.1 mi	Cat 1	79 kt
Unnamed Storm (1902)	26 Jun 1902	31.8 mi	Cat 1	67 kt
Unnamed Storm (1887)	21 Sep 1887	2.8 mi	Cat 1	70 kt
Unnamed Storm (1886)	23 Sep 1886	13.0 mi	Cat 1	82 kt
Unnamed Storm (1880)	13 Aug 1880	4.3 mi	Cat 4	114 kt
Unnamed Storm (1874)	4 Sep 1874	31.1 mi	TS / TD	42 kt
Unnamed Storm (1867)	2 Oct 1867	27.1 mi	Cat 2	90 kt
Unnamed Storm (1865)	30 Jun 1865	7.2 mi	TS / TD	50 kt
Unnamed Storm (1857)	30 Sep 1857	7.2 mi	TS / TD	50 kt
Unnamed Storm (1854)	26 Jun 1854	11.4 mi	TS / TD	63 kt

Post-tropical and extratropical passes

No system on record passed within 50 miles of Cameron County, Texas after losing tropical characteristics, so every storm listed above was still a tropical or subtropical cyclone at its closest approach.

About this data. Computed from NOAA's HURDAT2 Atlantic and Northeast Pacific hurricane databases (hurdat2-1851-2025-02272026.txt), covering 1854–2025. 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 Cameron County, Texas compares

Among the 2,208 U.S. counties and county-equivalents that have recorded at least one tropical cyclone within 50 miles, Cameron County, Texas ranks #457 — more exposed than 79.3% of them. Within Texas it ranks #27 of 223, against a state average of 15.7 storms per county.

Notable storms

Cat 4 Unnamed Storm (1880) passed 4 miles away on 13 August 1880 as a hurricane, reaching 130 kt (150 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 4 Beulah (1967) passed 5 miles away on 20 September 1967 as a hurricane, reaching 115 kt (132 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 3 Allen (1980) passed 10 miles away on 10 August 1980 as a hurricane, reaching 110 kt (127 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 3 Unnamed Storm (1933) passed 1 miles away on 5 September 1933 as a hurricane, reaching 110 kt (127 mph) while within 50 miles.

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

How often to expect a storm

A return interval of 5.2 years does not mean storms arrive on a schedule. It is simply 33 storms spread over the 172 years from 1854 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 15 years, between 1887 and 1902. It has been 4 years since the last one; 15 of the 29 gaps in this record were longer than that.

Common questions

How many hurricanes have hit Cameron County, Texas?

15 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of Cameron County, Texas at hurricane strength since 1854. Counting all tropical cyclones — including tropical storms and depressions — the total is 33.

When was the last hurricane in Cameron County, Texas?

Hanna (2020), on 25 July 2020, passing 41 miles away — 6 years ago. The most recent tropical cyclone of any strength was Nicholas (2021) in 2021.

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

Unnamed Storm (1880), which reached 130 kt (150 mph) while within 50 miles; its closest approach was 4 miles.

How often do hurricanes hit Cameron County, Texas?

On average, one tropical cyclone passes within 50 miles every 5.2 years — 33 storms over the 172 years from 1854 to 2025, the end of the HURDAT2 record. That is a historical average, not a schedule or a forecast.

Nearby counties

Cameron County, Texas borders or sits close to 4 other counties with a published storm record. Kenedy County, Texas has 34 on record.

Kenedy County, Texas34 storms within 50 mi Willacy County, Texas33 storms within 50 mi Brooks County, Texas29 storms within 50 mi Hidalgo County, Texas27 storms within 50 mi