Nueces County, Texas Hurricane History

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

Since 1851, 34 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of Nueces County, Texas — about one every 5.1 years. Of those, 12 were at hurricane strength at their closest approach. The most recent was Harold (2023), which passed 41 miles away on 22 August 2023.

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 4 · 3Cat 3 · 4Cat 2 · 2Cat 1 · 5TS / TD · 20

The 34 storms by the strongest category each reached while within 50 miles. 3 of them reached Cat 4.

Key facts

Most recentHarold (2023) — 41 mi away, 22 August 2023
Strongest stormUnnamed Storm (1886) — 121 kt (139 mph) at its strongest within 50 miles
Closest pass on recordUnnamed Storm (1986) — 1.1 miles
Closest major hurricane (Cat 3+)Celia (1970) — 15.7 miles
Passes within 25 miles15 of 34
Peak monthAugust — 12 storms (35% of all)
Most active year1886 — 2 storms
Most active decade1910s and 1970s — 4 storms
Major hurricanes (Cat 3+) within 50 mi7
Record span1851–2023

When storms arrive

JFMAMJJASOND

Storms by month of closest approach; the peak is highlighted and labelled. In Nueces County, Texas, August is the most active month, with 12 of the 34 recorded storms (35%). Activity concentrates in June, August and September, together 88% of all storms. The 1910s and 1970s are tied as the most active decades on record, with 4 storms. 7 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	3	12	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	1	2	3	0	1	4	0	2	1	2	3	4	1	3	2	3	1

Every tropical or subtropical cyclone within 50 miles

Storm	Closest approach	Distance	Status	Wind
Harold (2023)	22 Aug 2023	41.2 mi	TS / TD	47 kt
Harvey (2017)	26 Aug 2017	40.1 mi	Cat 3	108 kt
Don (2011)	30 Jul 2011	19.4 mi	TS / TD	28 kt
Hermine (2010)	7 Sep 2010	35.8 mi	TS / TD	45 kt
Erin (2007)	16 Aug 2007	35.6 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Bertha (2002)	9 Aug 2002	20.0 mi	TS / TD	20 kt
Frances (1998)	11 Sep 1998	42.0 mi	TS / TD	42 kt
Charley (1998)	22 Aug 1998	13.1 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Arlene (1993)	20 Jun 1993	40.7 mi	TS / TD	32 kt
Unnamed Storm (1986)	5 Aug 1986	1.1 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Amelia (1978)	31 Jul 1978	31.1 mi	TS / TD	38 kt
Fern (1971)	11 Sep 1971	10.2 mi	TS / TD	52 kt
Unnamed Storm (1970)	1 Sep 1970	5.8 mi	TS / TD	26 kt
Celia (1970)	3 Aug 1970	15.7 mi	Cat 3	112 kt
Candy (1968)	23 Jun 1968	25.8 mi	TS / TD	60 kt
Cindy (1963)	19 Sep 1963	25.0 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Unnamed Storm (1960)	24 Jun 1960	11.6 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Gerda (1958)	20 Sep 1958	8.6 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Ella (1958)	6 Sep 1958	17.4 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1945)	27 Aug 1945	31.6 mi	Cat 3	100 kt
Unnamed Storm (1936)	27 Jun 1936	28.2 mi	TS / TD	60 kt
Unnamed Storm (1934)	25 Jul 1934	27.3 mi	Cat 1	68 kt
Unnamed Storm (1919)	14 Sep 1919	32.0 mi	Cat 2	83 kt
Unnamed Storm (1916)	19 Aug 1916	41.2 mi	Cat 2	90 kt
Unnamed Storm (1913)	28 Jun 1913	32.6 mi	TS / TD	57 kt
Unnamed Storm (1912)	17 Oct 1912	5.8 mi	TS / TD	50 kt
Unnamed Storm (1902)	26 Jun 1902	19.5 mi	TS / TD	60 kt
Unnamed Storm (1886)	23 Sep 1886	4.0 mi	Cat 1	71 kt
Unnamed Storm (1886)	20 Aug 1886	47.3 mi	Cat 4	121 kt
Unnamed Storm (1881)	13 Aug 1881	40.1 mi	TS / TD	37 kt
Unnamed Storm (1875)	16 Sep 1875	17.8 mi	Cat 3	97 kt
Unnamed Storm (1874)	5 Sep 1874	46.5 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1869)	17 Aug 1869	30.8 mi	Cat 1	66 kt
Unnamed Storm (1851)	26 Jun 1851	37.1 mi	TS / TD	63 kt

Post-tropical and extratropical passes

No system on record passed within 50 miles of Nueces 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 1851–2025. 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 Nueces County, Texas compares

Among the 2,208 U.S. counties and county-equivalents that have recorded at least one tropical cyclone within 50 miles, Nueces County, Texas ranks #437 — more exposed than 80.2% of them. Within Texas it ranks #24 of 223, against a state average of 15.7 storms per county.

Notable storms

Cat 4 Unnamed Storm (1886) passed 47 miles away on 20 August 1886 as a hurricane, reaching 121 kt (139 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 4 Celia (1970) passed 16 miles away on 3 August 1970 as a hurricane, reaching 120 kt (138 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 4 Harvey (2017) passed 40 miles away on 26 August 2017 as a hurricane, reaching 115 kt (132 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 3 Unnamed Storm (1916) passed 41 miles away on 19 August 1916 as a hurricane, reaching 102 kt (117 mph) while within 50 miles.

28 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 175 years from 1851 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 18 years, between 1851 and 1869. It has been 2 years since the last one; 22 of the 29 gaps in this record were longer than that.

Common questions

How many hurricanes have hit Nueces County, Texas?

12 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of Nueces County, Texas at hurricane strength since 1851. Counting all tropical cyclones — including tropical storms and depressions — the total is 34.

When was the last hurricane in Nueces County, Texas?

Harvey (2017), on 26 August 2017, passing 40 miles away — 9 years ago. The most recent tropical cyclone of any strength was Harold (2023) in 2023.

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

Unnamed Storm (1886), which reached 121 kt (139 mph) while within 50 miles; its closest approach was 47 miles.

How often do hurricanes hit Nueces County, Texas?

On average, one tropical cyclone passes within 50 miles every 5.1 years — 34 storms over the 175 years from 1851 to 2025, the end of the HURDAT2 record. That is a historical average, not a schedule or a forecast.

Nearby counties

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

Kleberg County, Texas34 storms within 50 mi Aransas County, Texas33 storms within 50 mi San Patricio County, Texas33 storms within 50 mi Jim Wells County, Texas26 storms within 50 mi