Tyler County, Texas Hurricane History

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

Since 1871, 31 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of Tyler County, Texas — about one every 5.0 years. Of those, 6 were at hurricane strength at their closest approach. The most recent was Imelda (2019), which passed 31 miles away on 18 September 2019.

Storms within 50 mi

At hurricane strength

5.0

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 · 4TS / TD · 27

The 31 storms by the strongest category each reached while within 50 miles. 4 of them reached Cat 1.

Key facts

Most recentImelda (2019) — 31 mi away, 18 September 2019
Strongest stormUnnamed Storm (1879) — 80 kt (92 mph) at its strongest within 50 miles
Closest pass on recordUnnamed Storm (1987) — 0.6 miles
Closest major hurricane (Cat 3+)None on record
Passes within 25 miles13 of 31
Peak monthSeptember — 9 storms (29% of all)
Most active year1989 — 2 storms
Most active decade1950s and 1980s — 5 storms
Major hurricanes (Cat 3+) within 50 mi0
Record span1871–2019

When storms arrive

JFMAMJJASOND

Storms by month of closest approach; the peak is highlighted and labelled. In Tyler County, Texas, September is the most active month, with 9 of the 31 recorded storms (29%). Activity concentrates in June, August and September, together 71% of all storms. The 1950s and 1980s are tied as the most active decades on record, with 5 storms. 0 of the 31 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	5	5	8	9	4	0	0

Activity by decade

19002000

Tropical cyclones passing within 50 miles, by decade, 1870s to 2010s. 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 7 in 1988–2025.

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

Every tropical or subtropical cyclone within 50 miles

Storm	Closest approach	Distance	Status	Wind
Imelda (2019)	18 Sep 2019	31.2 mi	TS / TD	27 kt
Cindy (2017)	22 Jun 2017	34.7 mi	TS / TD	39 kt
Rita (2005)	24 Sep 2005	17.4 mi	TS / TD	62 kt
Ivan (2004)	24 Sep 2004	47.4 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Allison (2001)	7 Jun 2001	43.5 mi	TS / TD	15 kt
Jerry (1989)	16 Oct 1989	25.8 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Allison (1989)	27 Jun 1989	14.7 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1987)	10 Aug 1987	0.6 mi	TS / TD	37 kt
Bonnie (1986)	26 Jun 1986	15.5 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1980)	21 Jul 1980	41.5 mi	TD	—
Claudette (1979)	25 Jul 1979	27.5 mi	TS / TD	32 kt
Carmen (1974)	9 Sep 1974	9.2 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Debra (1959)	26 Jul 1959	44.1 mi	TS / TD	38 kt
Gerda (1958)	21 Sep 1958	25.3 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Bertha (1957)	10 Aug 1957	35.8 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Unnamed Storm (1955)	28 Aug 1955	2.9 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Barbara (1954)	29 Jul 1954	9.3 mi	TS / TD	32 kt
Unnamed Storm (1949)	4 Oct 1949	39.4 mi	TS / TD	42 kt
Unnamed Storm (1941)	24 Sep 1941	46.4 mi	TS / TD	48 kt
Unnamed Storm (1940)	8 Aug 1940	7.4 mi	TS / TD	45 kt
Unnamed Storm (1938)	15 Aug 1938	48.4 mi	TS / TD	41 kt
Unnamed Storm (1926)	27 Aug 1926	22.9 mi	TS / TD	29 kt
Unnamed Storm (1918)	7 Aug 1918	27.4 mi	TS / TD	60 kt
Unnamed Storm (1898)	28 Sep 1898	2.8 mi	TS / TD	32 kt
Unnamed Storm (1895)	7 Oct 1895	34.3 mi	TS / TD	28 kt
Unnamed Storm (1891)	6 Jul 1891	28.6 mi	TS / TD	57 kt
Unnamed Storm (1886)	13 Oct 1886	42.1 mi	Cat 1	68 kt
Unnamed Storm (1882)	15 Sep 1882	22.2 mi	TS / TD	38 kt
Unnamed Storm (1879)	23 Aug 1879	10.6 mi	Cat 1	70 kt
Unnamed Storm (1875)	18 Sep 1875	23.3 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1871)	10 Jun 1871	43.0 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
Beta (2020)	Post-tropical	23 Sep 2020	43.4 mi	25 kt

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 Tyler County, Texas more than once.

Allison — 2 passes (1989, 2001)

How Tyler County, Texas compares

Among the 2,208 U.S. counties and county-equivalents that have recorded at least one tropical cyclone within 50 miles, Tyler County, Texas ranks #510 — more exposed than 76.9% of them. Within Texas it ranks #37 of 223, against a state average of 15.7 storms per county.

Notable storms

Cat 1 Unnamed Storm (1879) passed 11 miles away on 23 August 1879 as a hurricane, reaching 80 kt (92 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 1 Unnamed Storm (1918) passed 27 miles away on 7 August 1918 as a tropical storm, reaching 75 kt (86 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 1 Rita (2005) passed 17 miles away on 24 September 2005 as a hurricane, reaching 73 kt (84 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 1 Unnamed Storm (1886) passed 42 miles away on 13 October 1886 as a hurricane, reaching 71 kt (82 mph) while within 50 miles.

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

How often to expect a storm

A return interval of 5.0 years does not mean storms arrive on a schedule. It is simply 31 storms spread over the 155 years from 1871 to 2025. 1 separate year saw more than one storm pass within 50 miles while decades have gone by with none. The longest recorded quiet stretch was 20 years, between 1898 and 1918. It has been 6 years since the last one; 7 of the 29 gaps in this record were longer than that.

Common questions

How many hurricanes have hit Tyler County, Texas?

6 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of Tyler County, Texas at hurricane strength since 1871. Counting all tropical cyclones — including tropical storms and depressions — the total is 31.

When was the last hurricane in Tyler County, Texas?

Rita (2005), on 24 September 2005, passing 17 miles away — 21 years ago. The most recent tropical cyclone of any strength was Imelda (2019) in 2019.

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

Unnamed Storm (1879), which reached 80 kt (92 mph) while within 50 miles; its closest approach was 11 miles.

How often do hurricanes hit Tyler County, Texas?

On average, one tropical cyclone passes within 50 miles every 5.0 years — 31 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

Tyler County, Texas borders or sits close to 4 other counties with a published storm record. Hardin County, Texas has 44 on record.

Hardin County, Texas44 storms within 50 mi Polk County, Texas36 storms within 50 mi Jasper County, Texas30 storms within 50 mi Angelina County, Texas26 storms within 50 mi