Grimes County, Texas Hurricane History

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

Since 1854, 36 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of Grimes County, Texas — about one every 4.8 years. Of those, 4 were at hurricane strength at their closest approach. The most recent was Beryl (2024), which passed 20 miles away on 8 July 2024.

Storms within 50 mi

At hurricane strength

4.8

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 2 · 2Cat 1 · 1TS / TD · 33

The 36 storms by the strongest category each reached while within 50 miles. 2 of them reached Cat 2.

Key facts

Most recentBeryl (2024) — 20 mi away, 8 July 2024
Strongest stormIke (2008) — 85 kt (98 mph) at its strongest within 50 miles
Closest pass on recordGrace (2003) — 3.1 miles
Closest major hurricane (Cat 3+)None on record
Passes within 25 miles18 of 36
Peak monthSeptember — 11 storms (31% of all)
Most active year1888 — 2 storms
Most active decade1940s and 1970s — 5 storms
Major hurricanes (Cat 3+) within 50 mi0
Record span1854–2024

When storms arrive

JFMAMJJASOND

Storms by month of closest approach; the peak is highlighted and labelled. In Grimes County, Texas, September is the most active month, with 11 of the 36 recorded storms (31%). The primary season runs July to September, accounting for 78% of all activity. The 1940s and 1970s are tied as the most active decades on record, with 5 storms. 0 of the 36 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	7	9	8	11	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: 10 storms in 1950–1987 against 9 in 1988–2025.

1850s	1860s	1870s	1880s	1890s	1900s	1910s	1920s	1930s	1940s	1950s	1960s	1970s	1980s	1990s	2000s	2010s	2020s
1	0	2	2	2	1	1	1	2	5	2	0	5	4	2	4	1	1

Every tropical or subtropical cyclone within 50 miles

Storm	Closest approach	Distance	Status	Wind
Beryl (2024)	8 Jul 2024	19.9 mi	TS / TD	53 kt
Imelda (2019)	18 Sep 2019	30.7 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Ike (2008)	13 Sep 2008	45.9 mi	Cat 1	79 kt
Edouard (2008)	6 Aug 2008	13.8 mi	TS / TD	29 kt
Grace (2003)	31 Aug 2003	3.1 mi	TS / TD	28 kt
Allison (2001)	8 Jun 2001	9.5 mi	TS / TD	20 kt
Frances (1998)	12 Sep 1998	48.5 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Dean (1995)	31 Jul 1995	25.2 mi	TS / TD	22 kt
Chantal (1989)	1 Aug 1989	11.1 mi	TS / TD	38 kt
Alicia (1983)	18 Aug 1983	3.1 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1981)	5 Jun 1981	44.3 mi	TD	—
Unnamed Storm (1980)	21 Jul 1980	46.6 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Claudette (1979)	26 Jul 1979	33.9 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Unnamed Storm (1977)	14 Jun 1977	44.9 mi	TD	—
Carmen (1974)	9 Sep 1974	41.8 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Unnamed Storm (1971)	8 Jul 1971	3.1 mi	TD	—
Felice (1970)	16 Sep 1970	13.9 mi	TS / TD	33 kt
Gerda (1958)	21 Sep 1958	3.1 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Barbara (1954)	30 Jul 1954	39.1 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Unnamed Storm (1947)	25 Aug 1947	28.1 mi	TS / TD	32 kt
Unnamed Storm (1945)	28 Aug 1945	18.8 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1943)	28 Jul 1943	18.4 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1942)	22 Aug 1942	20.3 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Unnamed Storm (1941)	24 Sep 1941	39.0 mi	TS / TD	57 kt
Unnamed Storm (1938)	17 Oct 1938	44.9 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1933)	23 Jul 1933	9.2 mi	TS / TD	28 kt
Unnamed Storm (1921)	23 Jun 1921	7.1 mi	TS / TD	43 kt
Unnamed Storm (1915)	17 Aug 1915	37.4 mi	TS / TD	47 kt
Unnamed Storm (1900)	9 Sep 1900	26.4 mi	Cat 1	78 kt
Unnamed Storm (1899)	27 Jun 1899	21.0 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Unnamed Storm (1897)	13 Sep 1897	6.5 mi	TS / TD	48 kt
Unnamed Storm (1888)	6 Jul 1888	26.9 mi	TS / TD	38 kt
Unnamed Storm (1888)	18 Jun 1888	43.4 mi	TS / TD	31 kt
Unnamed Storm (1875)	17 Sep 1875	32.6 mi	TS / TD	47 kt
Unnamed Storm (1871)	4 Jun 1871	3.1 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1854)	20 Sep 1854	16.8 mi	TS / TD	40 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
Allison (1989)	Post-tropical	30 Jun 1989	19.2 mi	20 kt

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 Grimes County, Texas compares

Among the 2,208 U.S. counties and county-equivalents that have recorded at least one tropical cyclone within 50 miles, Grimes County, Texas ranks #400 — more exposed than 81.9% of them. Within Texas it ranks #18 of 223, against a state average of 15.7 storms per county.

Notable storms

Cat 2 Ike (2008) passed 46 miles away on 13 September 2008 as a hurricane, reaching 85 kt (98 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 2 Unnamed Storm (1900) passed 26 miles away on 9 September 1900 as a hurricane, reaching 85 kt (98 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 1 Alicia (1983) passed 3 miles away on 18 August 1983 as a tropical storm, reaching 66 kt (76 mph) while within 50 miles.
TS / TD Unnamed Storm (1915) passed 37 miles away on 17 August 1915 as a tropical storm, reaching 62 kt (71 mph) while within 50 miles.

30 of the 36 storms made a documented landfall somewhere along their track.

How often to expect a storm

A return interval of 4.8 years does not mean storms arrive on a schedule. It is simply 36 storms spread over the 172 years from 1854 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 1854 and 1871. It has been 1 year since the last one; 27 of the 33 gaps in this record were longer than that.

Common questions

How many hurricanes have hit Grimes County, Texas?

4 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of Grimes County, Texas at hurricane strength since 1854. Counting all tropical cyclones — including tropical storms and depressions — the total is 36.

When was the last hurricane in Grimes County, Texas?

Beryl (2024), on 8 July 2024, passing 20 miles away — 2 years ago. The most recent tropical cyclone of any strength was Beryl (2024) in 2024.

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

Ike (2008), which reached 85 kt (98 mph) while within 50 miles; its closest approach was 46 miles.

How often do hurricanes hit Grimes County, Texas?

On average, one tropical cyclone passes within 50 miles every 4.8 years — 36 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

Grimes County, Texas borders or sits close to 6 other counties with a published storm record. Montgomery County, Texas has 43 on record.

Montgomery County, Texas43 storms within 50 mi Waller County, Texas42 storms within 50 mi Walker County, Texas37 storms within 50 mi Washington County, Texas34 storms within 50 mi Madison County, Texas34 storms within 50 mi Brazos County, Texas32 storms within 50 mi