Polk County, Texas Hurricane History

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

Since 1871, 36 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of Polk County, Texas — about one every 4.3 years. Of those, 5 were at hurricane strength at their closest approach. The most recent was Beryl (2024), which passed 40 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 2 · 1Cat 1 · 2TS / TD · 33

The 36 storms by the strongest category each reached while within 50 miles. 1 of them reached Cat 2.

Key facts

Most recentBeryl (2024) — 40 mi away, 8 July 2024
Strongest stormIke (2008) — 87 kt (100 mph) at its strongest within 50 miles
Closest pass on recordUnnamed Storm (1882) — 3.5 miles
Closest major hurricane (Cat 3+)None on record
Passes within 25 miles20 of 36
Peak monthSeptember — 11 storms (31% of all)
Most active year1989 — 3 storms
Most active decade1980s — 7 storms
Major hurricanes (Cat 3+) within 50 mi0
Record span1871–2024

When storms arrive

JFMAMJJASOND

Storms by month of closest approach; the peak is highlighted and labelled. In Polk 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 1980s was the most active decade on record, with 7 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	6	8	9	11	2	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: 13 storms in 1950–1987 against 9 in 1988–2025.

1870s	1880s	1890s	1900s	1910s	1920s	1930s	1940s	1950s	1960s	1970s	1980s	1990s	2000s	2010s	2020s
3	2	3	0	0	1	0	5	5	1	3	7	0	4	1	1

Every tropical or subtropical cyclone within 50 miles

Storm	Closest approach	Distance	Status	Wind
Beryl (2024)	8 Jul 2024	39.7 mi	TS / TD	47 kt
Imelda (2019)	18 Sep 2019	5.8 mi	TS / TD	28 kt
Ike (2008)	13 Sep 2008	23.5 mi	Cat 1	73 kt
Edouard (2008)	5 Aug 2008	41.5 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Rita (2005)	24 Sep 2005	44.1 mi	TS / TD	58 kt
Allison (2001)	6 Jun 2001	22.0 mi	TS / TD	22 kt
Jerry (1989)	16 Oct 1989	8.2 mi	TS / TD	32 kt
Chantal (1989)	1 Aug 1989	45.3 mi	TS / TD	48 kt
Allison (1989)	27 Jun 1989	5.7 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1987)	10 Aug 1987	26.2 mi	TS / TD	38 kt
Bonnie (1986)	26 Jun 1986	11.4 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Unnamed Storm (1981)	5 Jun 1981	43.4 mi	TD	—
Unnamed Storm (1980)	21 Jul 1980	21.9 mi	TD	—
Claudette (1979)	25 Jul 1979	19.7 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Carmen (1974)	9 Sep 1974	12.6 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Unnamed Storm (1971)	8 Jul 1971	41.5 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Cindy (1963)	18 Sep 1963	47.5 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Debra (1959)	26 Jul 1959	17.2 mi	TS / TD	38 kt
Gerda (1958)	21 Sep 1958	14.9 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Bertha (1957)	10 Aug 1957	12.7 mi	TS / TD	32 kt
Unnamed Storm (1955)	28 Aug 1955	13.1 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Barbara (1954)	30 Jul 1954	4.8 mi	TS / TD	29 kt
Unnamed Storm (1949)	4 Oct 1949	12.5 mi	TS / TD	42 kt
Unnamed Storm (1946)	16 Jun 1946	47.4 mi	TS / TD	20 kt
Unnamed Storm (1942)	21 Aug 1942	45.0 mi	TS / TD	45 kt
Unnamed Storm (1941)	24 Sep 1941	20.3 mi	TS / TD	48 kt
Unnamed Storm (1940)	8 Aug 1940	20.1 mi	TS / TD	45 kt
Unnamed Storm (1926)	27 Aug 1926	32.6 mi	TS / TD	28 kt
Unnamed Storm (1898)	28 Sep 1898	25.1 mi	TS / TD	32 kt
Unnamed Storm (1897)	13 Sep 1897	49.1 mi	TS / TD	58 kt
Unnamed Storm (1891)	6 Jul 1891	4.4 mi	TS / TD	58 kt
Unnamed Storm (1888)	6 Jul 1888	40.1 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Unnamed Storm (1882)	15 Sep 1882	3.5 mi	TS / TD	37 kt
Unnamed Storm (1879)	23 Aug 1879	37.8 mi	Cat 1	70 kt
Unnamed Storm (1875)	18 Sep 1875	30.5 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1871)	10 Jun 1871	15.6 mi	TS / TD	40 kt

Post-tropical and extratropical passes

No system on record passed within 50 miles of Polk 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 1871–2025. 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 Polk County, Texas more than once.

Allison — 2 passes (1989, 2001)

How Polk County, Texas compares

Among the 2,208 U.S. counties and county-equivalents that have recorded at least one tropical cyclone within 50 miles, Polk County, Texas ranks #401 — more exposed than 81.8% of them. Within Texas it ranks #19 of 223, against a state average of 15.7 storms per county.

Notable storms

Cat 2 Ike (2008) passed 24 miles away on 13 September 2008 as a hurricane, reaching 87 kt (100 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 1 Unnamed Storm (1879) passed 38 miles away on 23 August 1879 as a hurricane, reaching 75 kt (86 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 1 Rita (2005) passed 44 miles away on 24 September 2005 as a hurricane, reaching 65 kt (75 mph) while within 50 miles.
TS / TD Unnamed Storm (1891) passed 4 miles away on 6 July 1891 as a tropical storm, reaching 61 kt (70 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 4.3 years does not mean storms arrive on a schedule. It is simply 36 storms spread over the 155 years from 1871 to 2025. 2 separate years saw more than one storm pass within 50 miles while decades have gone by with none. The longest recorded quiet stretch was 28 years, between 1898 and 1926. It has been 1 year since the last one; 23 of the 32 gaps in this record were longer than that.

Common questions

How many hurricanes have hit Polk County, Texas?

5 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of Polk County, Texas at hurricane strength since 1871. Counting all tropical cyclones — including tropical storms and depressions — the total is 36.

When was the last hurricane in Polk County, Texas?

Ike (2008), on 13 September 2008, passing 24 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 Polk County, Texas?

Ike (2008), which reached 87 kt (100 mph) while within 50 miles; its closest approach was 24 miles.

How often do hurricanes hit Polk County, Texas?

On average, one tropical cyclone passes within 50 miles every 4.3 years — 36 storms over the 155 years from 1871 to 2025, the end of the HURDAT2 record. That is a historical average, not a schedule or a forecast.

Nearby counties

Polk County, Texas borders or sits close to 6 other counties with a published storm record. Hardin County, Texas has 44 on record.

Hardin County, Texas44 storms within 50 mi Liberty County, Texas40 storms within 50 mi San Jacinto County, Texas38 storms within 50 mi Tyler County, Texas31 storms within 50 mi Angelina County, Texas26 storms within 50 mi Trinity County, Texas26 storms within 50 mi