Waller County, Texas Hurricane History

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

Since 1854, 42 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of Waller County, Texas — about one every 4.1 years. Of those, 8 were at hurricane strength at their closest approach. The most recent was Beryl (2024), which passed 11 miles away on 8 July 2024.

Storms within 50 mi

At hurricane strength

4.1

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 3 · 1Cat 2 · 2Cat 1 · 7TS / TD · 32

The 42 storms by the strongest category each reached while within 50 miles. 1 of them reached Cat 3.

Key facts

Most recentBeryl (2024) — 11 mi away, 8 July 2024
Strongest stormUnnamed Storm (1900) — 105 kt (121 mph) at its strongest within 50 miles
Closest pass on recordAllison (2001) — 1.3 miles
Closest major hurricane (Cat 3+)Unnamed Storm (1900) — 5.1 miles
Passes within 25 miles25 of 42
Peak monthSeptember — 14 storms (33% of all)
Most active year1888 — 2 storms
Most active decade1940s and 1970s — 7 storms
Major hurricanes (Cat 3+) within 50 mi1
Record span1854–2024

When storms arrive

JFMAMJJASOND

Storms by month of closest approach; the peak is highlighted and labelled. In Waller County, Texas, September is the most active month, with 14 of the 42 recorded storms (33%). The primary season runs July to September, accounting for 79% of all activity. The 1940s and 1970s are tied as the most active decades on record, with 7 storms. 1 of the 42 storms was major hurricane (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	9	10	14	2	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: 13 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	2	3	1	1	1	3	7	1	1	7	5	2	3	1	1

Every tropical or subtropical cyclone within 50 miles

Storm	Closest approach	Distance	Status	Wind
Beryl (2024)	8 Jul 2024	10.9 mi	TS / TD	60 kt
Imelda (2019)	18 Sep 2019	24.0 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Edouard (2008)	5 Aug 2008	42.4 mi	TS / TD	32 kt
Grace (2003)	31 Aug 2003	21.2 mi	TS / TD	29 kt
Allison (2001)	8 Jun 2001	1.3 mi	TS / TD	20 kt
Frances (1998)	12 Sep 1998	50.0 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Dean (1995)	31 Jul 1995	1.4 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Chantal (1989)	1 Aug 1989	39.0 mi	TS / TD	42 kt
Alicia (1983)	18 Aug 1983	15.1 mi	TS / TD	60 kt
Unnamed Storm (1981)	5 Jun 1981	28.7 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Danielle (1980)	6 Sep 1980	47.8 mi	TS / TD	37 kt
Unnamed Storm (1980)	21 Jul 1980	27.7 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Elena (1979)	2 Sep 1979	30.6 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Claudette (1979)	26 Jul 1979	42.8 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1977)	14 Jun 1977	24.4 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Unnamed Storm (1974)	26 Aug 1974	45.8 mi	TD	—
Delia (1973)	6 Sep 1973	24.1 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Unnamed Storm (1971)	8 Jul 1971	31.4 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Felice (1970)	16 Sep 1970	13.7 mi	TS / TD	37 kt
Cindy (1963)	18 Sep 1963	18.4 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Gerda (1958)	21 Sep 1958	24.6 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Unnamed Storm (1949)	4 Oct 1949	42.5 mi	Cat 1	68 kt
Unnamed Storm (1947)	25 Aug 1947	1.4 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Unnamed Storm (1945)	28 Aug 1945	9.1 mi	TS / TD	48 kt
Unnamed Storm (1943)	28 Jul 1943	9.1 mi	TS / TD	43 kt
Unnamed Storm (1942)	21 Aug 1942	41.8 mi	TS / TD	45 kt
Unnamed Storm (1941)	24 Sep 1941	27.2 mi	Cat 1	65 kt
Unnamed Storm (1941)	16 Sep 1941	14.9 mi	TS / TD	22 kt
Unnamed Storm (1938)	17 Oct 1938	10.6 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1933)	23 Jul 1933	13.3 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1932)	14 Aug 1932	28.9 mi	Cat 1	65 kt
Unnamed Storm (1921)	23 Jun 1921	3.4 mi	TS / TD	47 kt
Unnamed Storm (1915)	17 Aug 1915	15.2 mi	TS / TD	62 kt
Unnamed Storm (1900)	9 Sep 1900	5.1 mi	Cat 2	86 kt
Unnamed Storm (1899)	27 Jun 1899	1.6 mi	TS / TD	27 kt
Unnamed Storm (1897)	13 Sep 1897	26.0 mi	TS / TD	50 kt
Unnamed Storm (1891)	6 Jul 1891	47.1 mi	TS / TD	63 kt
Unnamed Storm (1888)	6 Jul 1888	22.9 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1888)	18 Jun 1888	32.0 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Unnamed Storm (1875)	17 Sep 1875	2.7 mi	TS / TD	48 kt
Unnamed Storm (1871)	4 Jun 1871	9.1 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1854)	20 Sep 1854	15.7 mi	TS / TD	43 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	17.1 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 Waller County, Texas compares

Among the 2,208 U.S. counties and county-equivalents that have recorded at least one tropical cyclone within 50 miles, Waller County, Texas ranks #293 — more exposed than 86.7% of them. Within Texas it ranks #10 of 223, against a state average of 15.7 storms per county.

Notable storms

Cat 3 Unnamed Storm (1900) passed 5 miles away on 9 September 1900 as a hurricane, reaching 105 kt (121 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 2 Unnamed Storm (1915) passed 15 miles away on 17 August 1915 as a hurricane, reaching 91 kt (105 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 2 Alicia (1983) passed 15 miles away on 18 August 1983 as a hurricane, reaching 84 kt (97 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 1 Unnamed Storm (1932) passed 29 miles away on 14 August 1932 as a hurricane, reaching 82 kt (94 mph) while within 50 miles.

32 of the 42 storms made a documented landfall somewhere along their track.

How often to expect a storm

A return interval of 4.1 years does not mean storms arrive on a schedule. It is simply 42 storms spread over the 172 years from 1854 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 17 years, between 1854 and 1871. It has been 1 year since the last one; 29 of the 37 gaps in this record were longer than that.

Common questions

How many hurricanes have hit Waller County, Texas?

8 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of Waller County, Texas at hurricane strength since 1854. Counting all tropical cyclones — including tropical storms and depressions — the total is 42.

When was the last hurricane in Waller County, Texas?

Beryl (2024), on 8 July 2024, passing 11 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 Waller County, Texas?

Unnamed Storm (1900), which reached 105 kt (121 mph) while within 50 miles; its closest approach was 5 miles.

How often do hurricanes hit Waller County, Texas?

On average, one tropical cyclone passes within 50 miles every 4.1 years — 42 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

Waller County, Texas borders or sits close to 6 other counties with a published storm record. Harris County, Texas has 48 on record.

Harris County, Texas48 storms within 50 mi Montgomery County, Texas43 storms within 50 mi Fort Bend County, Texas42 storms within 50 mi Austin County, Texas39 storms within 50 mi Grimes County, Texas36 storms within 50 mi Washington County, Texas34 storms within 50 mi