Matagorda County, Texas Hurricane History

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

Since 1854, 40 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of Matagorda County, Texas — about one every 4.3 years. Of those, 18 were at hurricane strength at their closest approach. The most recent was Beryl (2024), which passed 4 miles away on 8 July 2024.

Storms within 50 mi

At hurricane strength

4.3

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 · 3Cat 1 · 10TS / TD · 21

The 40 storms by the strongest category each reached while within 50 miles. 2 of them reached Cat 4.

Key facts

Most recentBeryl (2024) — 4 mi away, 8 July 2024
Strongest stormCarla (1961) — 125 kt (144 mph) at its strongest within 50 miles
Closest pass on recordUnnamed Storm (1981) — 1.1 miles
Closest major hurricane (Cat 3+)Unnamed Storm (1945) — 9.5 miles
Passes within 25 miles26 of 40
Peak monthSeptember — 13 storms (32% of all)
Most active year1888 — 2 storms
Most active decade1970s — 5 storms
Major hurricanes (Cat 3+) within 50 mi6
Record span1854–2024

When storms arrive

JFMAMJJASOND

Storms by month of closest approach; the peak is highlighted and labelled. In Matagorda County, Texas, September is the most active month, with 13 of the 40 recorded storms (32%). Activity concentrates in June, July and September, together 82% of all storms. The 1970s was the most active decade on record, with 5 storms. 6 of the 40 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	9	11	6	13	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: 11 storms in 1950–1987 against 10 in 1988–2025.

1850s	1860s	1870s	1880s	1890s	1900s	1910s	1920s	1930s	1940s	1950s	1960s	1970s	1980s	1990s	2000s	2010s	2020s
1	2	1	3	1	2	0	2	3	4	1	2	5	4	0	3	3	3

Every tropical or subtropical cyclone within 50 miles

Storm	Closest approach	Distance	Status	Wind
Beryl (2024)	8 Jul 2024	4.0 mi	Cat 1	77 kt
Nicholas (2021)	14 Sep 2021	18.3 mi	Cat 1	65 kt
Beta (2020)	22 Sep 2020	13.4 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Imelda (2019)	17 Sep 2019	32.5 mi	TS / TD	33 kt
Harvey (2017)	28 Aug 2017	22.1 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Bill (2015)	16 Jun 2015	49.1 mi	TS / TD	45 kt
Claudette (2003)	15 Jul 2003	32.8 mi	Cat 1	79 kt
Fay (2002)	7 Sep 2002	26.2 mi	TS / TD	50 kt
Allison (2001)	9 Jun 2001	25.8 mi	TS / TD	20 kt
Allison (1989)	26 Jun 1989	18.3 mi	TS / TD	41 kt
Unnamed Storm (1981)	5 Jun 1981	1.1 mi	TS / TD	26 kt
Danielle (1980)	6 Sep 1980	37.6 mi	TS / TD	36 kt
Unnamed Storm (1980)	20 Jul 1980	24.0 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Elena (1979)	1 Sep 1979	12.3 mi	TS / TD	32 kt
Unnamed Storm (1977)	14 Jun 1977	5.8 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Unnamed Storm (1973)	11 Sep 1973	23.5 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Delia (1973)	5 Sep 1973	10.2 mi	TS / TD	49 kt
Fern (1971)	10 Sep 1971	19.0 mi	TS / TD	60 kt
Abby (1964)	7 Aug 1964	2.4 mi	TS / TD	52 kt
Carla (1961)	11 Sep 1961	38.3 mi	Cat 3	112 kt
Debra (1959)	25 Jul 1959	48.5 mi	Cat 1	71 kt
Unnamed Storm (1949)	4 Oct 1949	24.4 mi	Cat 2	95 kt
Unnamed Storm (1945)	27 Aug 1945	9.5 mi	Cat 1	78 kt
Unnamed Storm (1942)	30 Aug 1942	48.9 mi	Cat 3	100 kt
Unnamed Storm (1941)	23 Sep 1941	24.4 mi	Cat 3	110 kt
Unnamed Storm (1934)	28 Aug 1934	42.3 mi	Cat 1	70 kt
Unnamed Storm (1933)	23 Jul 1933	2.9 mi	TS / TD	38 kt
Unnamed Storm (1932)	14 Aug 1932	36.9 mi	Cat 2	94 kt
Unnamed Storm (1929)	28 Jun 1929	40.8 mi	Cat 1	80 kt
Unnamed Storm (1921)	22 Jun 1921	7.6 mi	Cat 1	70 kt
Unnamed Storm (1909)	21 Jul 1909	24.7 mi	Cat 1	82 kt
Unnamed Storm (1901)	10 Jul 1901	12.1 mi	TS / TD	45 kt
Unnamed Storm (1891)	5 Jul 1891	30.4 mi	Cat 1	80 kt
Unnamed Storm (1888)	5 Jul 1888	24.4 mi	TS / TD	50 kt
Unnamed Storm (1888)	17 Jun 1888	10.5 mi	TS / TD	60 kt
Unnamed Storm (1880)	24 Jun 1880	5.6 mi	TS / TD	38 kt
Unnamed Storm (1874)	4 Jul 1874	22.5 mi	TS / TD	50 kt
Unnamed Storm (1866)	15 Jul 1866	19.0 mi	Cat 2	90 kt
Unnamed Storm (1863)	29 Sep 1863	26.4 mi	TS / TD	60 kt
Unnamed Storm (1854)	19 Sep 1854	24.3 mi	Cat 1	75 kt

Post-tropical and extratropical passes

No system on record passed within 50 miles of Matagorda 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.

Storms that came back

1 named storm in this record passed Matagorda County, Texas more than once.

Allison — 2 passes (1989, 2001)

How Matagorda County, Texas compares

Among the 2,208 U.S. counties and county-equivalents that have recorded at least one tropical cyclone within 50 miles, Matagorda County, Texas ranks #328 — more exposed than 85.1% of them. Within Texas it ranks #13 of 223, against a state average of 15.7 storms per county.

Notable storms

Cat 4 Carla (1961) passed 38 miles away on 11 September 1961 as a hurricane, reaching 125 kt (144 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 4 Unnamed Storm (1932) passed 37 miles away on 14 August 1932 as a hurricane, reaching 115 kt (132 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 3 Unnamed Storm (1941) passed 24 miles away on 23 September 1941 as a hurricane, reaching 110 kt (127 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 3 Unnamed Storm (1942) passed 49 miles away on 30 August 1942 as a hurricane, reaching 100 kt (115 mph) while within 50 miles.

31 of the 40 storms made a documented landfall somewhere along their track.

How often to expect a storm

A return interval of 4.3 years does not mean storms arrive on a schedule. It is simply 40 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 12 years, between 1909 and 1921. It has been 1 year since the last one; 27 of the 36 gaps in this record were longer than that.

Common questions

How many hurricanes have hit Matagorda County, Texas?

18 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of Matagorda County, Texas at hurricane strength since 1854. Counting all tropical cyclones — including tropical storms and depressions — the total is 40.

When was the last hurricane in Matagorda County, Texas?

Beryl (2024), on 8 July 2024, passing 4 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 Matagorda County, Texas?

Carla (1961), which reached 125 kt (144 mph) while within 50 miles; its closest approach was 38 miles.

How often do hurricanes hit Matagorda County, Texas?

On average, one tropical cyclone passes within 50 miles every 4.3 years — 40 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

Matagorda County, Texas borders or sits close to 4 other counties with a published storm record. Brazoria County, Texas has 51 on record.

Brazoria County, Texas51 storms within 50 mi Wharton County, Texas44 storms within 50 mi Calhoun County, Texas37 storms within 50 mi Jackson County, Texas33 storms within 50 mi