Madison County, Texas Hurricane History

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

Since 1854, 34 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of Madison County, Texas — about one every 5.1 years. Of those, 3 were at hurricane strength at their closest approach. The most recent was Beryl (2024), which passed 27 miles away on 8 July 2024.

Storms within 50 mi

At hurricane strength

5.1

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 1 · 2TS / TD · 32

The 34 storms by the strongest category each reached while within 50 miles. 2 of them reached Cat 1.

Key facts

Most recentBeryl (2024) — 27 mi away, 8 July 2024
Strongest stormUnnamed Storm (1900) — 77 kt (89 mph) at its strongest within 50 miles
Closest pass on recordUnnamed Storm (1933) — 6.2 miles
Closest major hurricane (Cat 3+)None on record
Passes within 25 miles12 of 34
Peak monthSeptember — 10 storms (29% of all)
Most active year1871 — 2 storms
Most active decade1940s, 1950s, 1970s and 2000s — 4 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 Madison County, Texas, September is the most active month, with 10 of the 34 recorded storms (29%). The primary season runs July to September, accounting for 82% of all activity. The 1940s, 1950s, 1970s and 2000s are tied as the most active decades on record, with 4 storms. 0 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	6	9	9	10	0	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: 9 storms in 1950–1987 against 8 in 1988–2025.

1850s	1860s	1870s	1880s	1890s	1900s	1910s	1920s	1930s	1940s	1950s	1960s	1970s	1980s	1990s	2000s	2010s	2020s
1	0	2	3	2	1	1	2	1	4	4	0	4	2	1	4	1	1

Every tropical or subtropical cyclone within 50 miles

Storm	Closest approach	Distance	Status	Wind
Beryl (2024)	8 Jul 2024	26.6 mi	TS / TD	47 kt
Imelda (2019)	18 Sep 2019	46.8 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Ike (2008)	13 Sep 2008	40.4 mi	Cat 1	68 kt
Edouard (2008)	6 Aug 2008	13.9 mi	TS / TD	28 kt
Grace (2003)	31 Aug 2003	24.3 mi	TS / TD	26 kt
Allison (2001)	8 Jun 2001	12.5 mi	TS / TD	18 kt
Dean (1995)	31 Jul 1995	44.0 mi	TS / TD	20 kt
Chantal (1989)	2 Aug 1989	15.3 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Alicia (1983)	18 Aug 1983	20.2 mi	TS / TD	38 kt
Claudette (1979)	26 Jul 1979	7.5 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Carmen (1974)	9 Sep 1974	12.7 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Unnamed Storm (1971)	8 Jul 1971	32.5 mi	TD	—
Felice (1970)	16 Sep 1970	37.4 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Debra (1959)	26 Jul 1959	45.7 mi	TS / TD	33 kt
Gerda (1958)	21 Sep 1958	27.1 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Bertha (1957)	10 Aug 1957	48.1 mi	TS / TD	28 kt
Barbara (1954)	30 Jul 1954	11.8 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Unnamed Storm (1945)	28 Aug 1945	34.3 mi	TS / TD	38 kt
Unnamed Storm (1943)	28 Jul 1943	42.2 mi	TS / TD	39 kt
Unnamed Storm (1942)	22 Aug 1942	9.7 mi	TS / TD	32 kt
Unnamed Storm (1941)	24 Sep 1941	45.9 mi	TS / TD	52 kt
Unnamed Storm (1933)	23 Jul 1933	6.2 mi	TS / TD	26 kt
Unnamed Storm (1926)	27 Aug 1926	43.9 mi	TS / TD	24 kt
Unnamed Storm (1921)	23 Jun 1921	11.1 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1915)	18 Aug 1915	35.6 mi	TS / TD	37 kt
Unnamed Storm (1900)	9 Sep 1900	45.5 mi	Cat 1	73 kt
Unnamed Storm (1899)	27 Jun 1899	48.8 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Unnamed Storm (1897)	13 Sep 1897	33.5 mi	TS / TD	47 kt
Unnamed Storm (1888)	6 Jul 1888	25.9 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Unnamed Storm (1888)	18 Jun 1888	45.8 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Unnamed Storm (1882)	15 Sep 1882	48.9 mi	TS / TD	32 kt
Unnamed Storm (1871)	10 Jun 1871	49.2 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1871)	4 Jun 1871	9.1 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1854)	20 Sep 1854	46.3 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	22.6 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 Madison County, Texas compares

Among the 2,208 U.S. counties and county-equivalents that have recorded at least one tropical cyclone within 50 miles, Madison County, Texas ranks #436 — more exposed than 80.2% of them. Within Texas it ranks #23 of 223, against a state average of 15.7 storms per county.

Notable storms

Cat 1 Unnamed Storm (1900) passed 45 miles away on 9 September 1900 as a hurricane, reaching 77 kt (89 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 1 Ike (2008) passed 40 miles away on 13 September 2008 as a hurricane, reaching 73 kt (84 mph) while within 50 miles.
TS / TD Beryl (2024) passed 27 miles away on 8 July 2024 as a tropical storm, reaching 53 kt (61 mph) while within 50 miles.
TS / TD Unnamed Storm (1941) passed 46 miles away on 24 September 1941 as a hurricane, reaching 52 kt (60 mph) while within 50 miles.

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

How often to expect a storm

A return interval of 5.1 years does not mean storms arrive on a schedule. It is simply 34 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 17 years, between 1854 and 1871. It has been 1 year since the last one; 24 of the 30 gaps in this record were longer than that.

Common questions

How many hurricanes have hit Madison County, Texas?

3 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of Madison County, Texas at hurricane strength since 1854. Counting all tropical cyclones — including tropical storms and depressions — the total is 34.

When was the last hurricane in Madison County, Texas?

Ike (2008), on 13 September 2008, passing 40 miles away — 18 years ago. The most recent tropical cyclone of any strength was Beryl (2024) in 2024.

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

Unnamed Storm (1900), which reached 77 kt (89 mph) while within 50 miles; its closest approach was 45 miles.

How often do hurricanes hit Madison County, Texas?

On average, one tropical cyclone passes within 50 miles every 5.1 years — 34 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

Madison County, Texas borders or sits close to 6 other counties with a published storm record. Walker County, Texas has 37 on record.

Walker County, Texas37 storms within 50 mi Grimes County, Texas36 storms within 50 mi Brazos County, Texas32 storms within 50 mi Robertson County, Texas29 storms within 50 mi Leon County, Texas28 storms within 50 mi Houston County, Texas25 storms within 50 mi