Kleberg County, Texas Hurricane History

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

Since 1874, 34 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of Kleberg County, Texas — about one every 4.5 years. Of those, 14 were at hurricane strength at their closest approach. The most recent was Harold (2023), which passed 19 miles away on 22 August 2023.

Storms within 50 mi

At hurricane strength

4.5

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 · 4Cat 2 · 2Cat 1 · 6TS / TD · 20

The 34 storms by the strongest category each reached while within 50 miles. 2 of them reached Cat 4.

Key facts

Most recentHarold (2023) — 19 mi away, 22 August 2023
Strongest stormCelia (1970) — 120 kt (138 mph) at its strongest within 50 miles
Closest pass on recordFern (1971) — 2.0 miles
Closest major hurricane (Cat 3+)Unnamed Storm (1919) — 9.8 miles
Passes within 25 miles17 of 34
Peak monthSeptember — 13 storms (38% of all)
Most active year1936 — 2 storms
Most active decade1910s and 1970s — 5 storms
Major hurricanes (Cat 3+) within 50 mi6
Record span1874–2023

When storms arrive

JFMAMJJASOND

Storms by month of closest approach; the peak is highlighted and labelled. In Kleberg County, Texas, September is the most active month, with 13 of the 34 recorded storms (38%). Activity concentrates in June, August and September, together 82% of all storms. The 1910s and 1970s are tied as the most active decades on record, with 5 storms. 6 of the 34 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	5	8	13	1	0	0

Activity by decade

19002000

Tropical cyclones passing within 50 miles, by decade, 1870s 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 8 in 1988–2025.

1870s	1880s	1890s	1900s	1910s	1920s	1930s	1940s	1950s	1960s	1970s	1980s	1990s	2000s	2010s	2020s
2	1	0	1	5	0	4	1	2	4	5	1	3	1	2	2

Every tropical or subtropical cyclone within 50 miles

Storm	Closest approach	Distance	Status	Wind
Harold (2023)	22 Aug 2023	18.9 mi	TS / TD	47 kt
Hanna (2020)	25 Jul 2020	49.4 mi	Cat 1	80 kt
Don (2011)	30 Jul 2011	5.3 mi	TS / TD	29 kt
Hermine (2010)	7 Sep 2010	22.9 mi	TS / TD	47 kt
Bertha (2002)	9 Aug 2002	2.3 mi	TS / TD	20 kt
Bret (1999)	23 Aug 1999	32.7 mi	Cat 1	73 kt
Charley (1998)	22 Aug 1998	35.6 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Arlene (1993)	20 Jun 1993	18.6 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1986)	5 Aug 1986	19.5 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Amelia (1978)	31 Jul 1978	14.6 mi	TS / TD	39 kt
Fern (1971)	11 Sep 1971	2.0 mi	TS / TD	44 kt
Unnamed Storm (1971)	10 Jul 1971	30.3 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Unnamed Storm (1970)	1 Sep 1970	19.2 mi	TS / TD	28 kt
Celia (1970)	3 Aug 1970	37.6 mi	Cat 3	112 kt
Candy (1968)	23 Jun 1968	42.0 mi	TS / TD	58 kt
Beulah (1967)	21 Sep 1967	40.6 mi	Cat 1	75 kt
Cindy (1963)	19 Sep 1963	29.1 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Unnamed Storm (1960)	24 Jun 1960	6.8 mi	TS / TD	42 kt
Gerda (1958)	20 Sep 1958	3.1 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Ella (1958)	6 Sep 1958	5.6 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1945)	27 Aug 1945	40.7 mi	Cat 3	100 kt
Unnamed Storm (1936)	13 Sep 1936	44.9 mi	TS / TD	34 kt
Unnamed Storm (1936)	27 Jun 1936	49.8 mi	Cat 1	65 kt
Unnamed Storm (1934)	25 Jul 1934	49.2 mi	Cat 1	65 kt
Unnamed Storm (1931)	28 Jun 1931	46.5 mi	TS / TD	32 kt
Unnamed Storm (1919)	14 Sep 1919	9.8 mi	Cat 2	83 kt
Unnamed Storm (1916)	19 Aug 1916	18.6 mi	Cat 2	90 kt
Unnamed Storm (1913)	28 Jun 1913	10.9 mi	TS / TD	57 kt
Unnamed Storm (1912)	16 Oct 1912	8.9 mi	TS / TD	62 kt
Unnamed Storm (1910)	15 Sep 1910	36.2 mi	TS / TD	62 kt
Unnamed Storm (1902)	26 Jun 1902	31.0 mi	TS / TD	60 kt
Unnamed Storm (1886)	23 Sep 1886	9.9 mi	Cat 1	72 kt
Unnamed Storm (1875)	16 Sep 1875	33.5 mi	Cat 3	100 kt
Unnamed Storm (1874)	5 Sep 1874	34.3 mi	TS / TD	30 kt

Post-tropical and extratropical passes

No system on record passed within 50 miles of Kleberg 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 1874–2025. 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 Kleberg County, Texas compares

Among the 2,208 U.S. counties and county-equivalents that have recorded at least one tropical cyclone within 50 miles, Kleberg County, Texas ranks #435 — more exposed than 80.3% of them. Within Texas it ranks #22 of 223, against a state average of 15.7 storms per county.

Notable storms

Cat 4 Celia (1970) passed 38 miles away on 3 August 1970 as a hurricane, reaching 120 kt (138 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 4 Unnamed Storm (1916) passed 19 miles away on 19 August 1916 as a hurricane, reaching 115 kt (132 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 3 Bret (1999) passed 33 miles away on 23 August 1999 as a hurricane, reaching 103 kt (119 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 3 Unnamed Storm (1945) passed 41 miles away on 27 August 1945 as a hurricane, reaching 100 kt (115 mph) while within 50 miles.

26 of the 34 storms made a documented landfall somewhere along their track.

How often to expect a storm

A return interval of 4.5 years does not mean storms arrive on a schedule. It is simply 34 storms spread over the 152 years from 1874 to 2025. 4 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 16 years, between 1886 and 1902. It has been 2 years since the last one; 19 of the 29 gaps in this record were longer than that.

Common questions

How many hurricanes have hit Kleberg County, Texas?

14 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of Kleberg County, Texas at hurricane strength since 1874. Counting all tropical cyclones — including tropical storms and depressions — the total is 34.

When was the last hurricane in Kleberg County, Texas?

Hanna (2020), on 25 July 2020, passing 49 miles away — 6 years ago. The most recent tropical cyclone of any strength was Harold (2023) in 2023.

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

Celia (1970), which reached 120 kt (138 mph) while within 50 miles; its closest approach was 38 miles.

How often do hurricanes hit Kleberg County, Texas?

On average, one tropical cyclone passes within 50 miles every 4.5 years — 34 storms over the 152 years from 1874 to 2025, the end of the HURDAT2 record. That is a historical average, not a schedule or a forecast.

Nearby counties

Kleberg 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 Nueces County, Texas34 storms within 50 mi Brooks County, Texas29 storms within 50 mi Jim Wells County, Texas26 storms within 50 mi