Washington County, Texas Hurricane History

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

Since 1854, 34 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of Washington County, Texas — about one every 5.1 years. Of those, 4 were at hurricane strength at their closest approach. The most recent was Beryl (2024), which passed 39 miles away on 8 July 2024.

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 2 · 1Cat 1 · 3TS / TD · 30

The 34 storms by the strongest category each reached while within 50 miles. 1 of them reached Cat 2.

Key facts

Most recentBeryl (2024) — 39 mi away, 8 July 2024
Strongest stormUnnamed Storm (1900) — 90 kt (104 mph) at its strongest within 50 miles
Closest pass on recordGerda (1958) — 4.7 miles
Closest major hurricane (Cat 3+)None on record
Passes within 25 miles18 of 34
Peak monthSeptember — 11 storms (32% of all)
Most active year1888 — 2 storms
Most active decade1940s and 1970s — 4 storms
Major hurricanes (Cat 3+) within 50 mi0
Record span1854–2024

When storms arrive

JFMAMJJASOND

Storms by month of closest approach; the peak is highlighted and labelled. In Washington County, Texas, September is the most active month, with 11 of the 34 recorded storms (32%). Activity concentrates in June, August and September, together 79% of all storms. The 1940s and 1970s are tied as the most active decades on record, with 4 storms. 0 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	8	6	8	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: 8 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	3	2	1	1	1	3	4	1	2	4	2	2	3	1	1

Every tropical or subtropical cyclone within 50 miles

Storm	Closest approach	Distance	Status	Wind
Beryl (2024)	8 Jul 2024	39.4 mi	TS / TD	60 kt
Bill (2015)	17 Jun 2015	40.0 mi	TS / TD	32 kt
Edouard (2008)	6 Aug 2008	46.3 mi	TS / TD	29 kt
Grace (2003)	31 Aug 2003	31.4 mi	TS / TD	28 kt
Allison (2001)	8 Jun 2001	16.6 mi	TS / TD	20 kt
Frances (1998)	12 Sep 1998	23.3 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Dean (1995)	31 Jul 1995	9.4 mi	TS / TD	22 kt
Chantal (1989)	1 Aug 1989	43.3 mi	TS / TD	38 kt
Alicia (1983)	18 Aug 1983	31.3 mi	TS / TD	47 kt
Unnamed Storm (1977)	14 Jun 1977	14.9 mi	TD	—
Delia (1973)	6 Sep 1973	25.6 mi	TS / TD	34 kt
Unnamed Storm (1971)	8 Jul 1971	31.4 mi	TD	—
Felice (1970)	16 Sep 1970	20.9 mi	TS / TD	32 kt
Cindy (1963)	19 Sep 1963	43.2 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Unnamed Storm (1960)	26 Jun 1960	42.5 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Gerda (1958)	21 Sep 1958	4.7 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Unnamed Storm (1947)	25 Aug 1947	5.8 mi	TS / TD	32 kt
Unnamed Storm (1945)	28 Aug 1945	12.1 mi	TS / TD	43 kt
Unnamed Storm (1943)	28 Jul 1943	15.4 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1941)	16 Sep 1941	29.4 mi	TS / TD	20 kt
Unnamed Storm (1938)	17 Oct 1938	28.6 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1933)	23 Jul 1933	12.6 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1932)	14 Aug 1932	19.1 mi	TS / TD	52 kt
Unnamed Storm (1921)	23 Jun 1921	21.6 mi	TS / TD	45 kt
Unnamed Storm (1915)	17 Aug 1915	5.5 mi	TS / TD	50 kt
Unnamed Storm (1900)	9 Sep 1900	10.6 mi	Cat 1	82 kt
Unnamed Storm (1899)	27 Jun 1899	13.8 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Unnamed Storm (1897)	13 Sep 1897	27.4 mi	TS / TD	47 kt
Unnamed Storm (1888)	6 Jul 1888	49.6 mi	TS / TD	39 kt
Unnamed Storm (1888)	18 Jun 1888	12.2 mi	TS / TD	32 kt
Unnamed Storm (1886)	24 Sep 1886	38.2 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Unnamed Storm (1875)	17 Sep 1875	19.5 mi	TS / TD	50 kt
Unnamed Storm (1871)	4 Jun 1871	25.2 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1854)	20 Sep 1854	11.7 mi	TS / TD	47 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	42.5 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 Washington County, Texas compares

Among the 2,208 U.S. counties and county-equivalents that have recorded at least one tropical cyclone within 50 miles, Washington County, Texas ranks #438 — more exposed than 80.2% of them. Within Texas it ranks #25 of 223, against a state average of 15.7 storms per county.

Notable storms

Cat 2 Unnamed Storm (1900) passed 11 miles away on 9 September 1900 as a hurricane, reaching 90 kt (104 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 1 Unnamed Storm (1932) passed 19 miles away on 14 August 1932 as a hurricane, reaching 70 kt (81 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 1 Unnamed Storm (1915) passed 5 miles away on 17 August 1915 as a tropical storm, reaching 70 kt (81 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 1 Alicia (1983) passed 31 miles away on 18 August 1983 as a hurricane, reaching 66 kt (76 mph) while within 50 miles.

29 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 172 years from 1854 to 2025. 1 separate year 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 32 gaps in this record were longer than that.

Common questions

How many hurricanes have hit Washington County, Texas?

4 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of Washington County, Texas at hurricane strength since 1854. Counting all tropical cyclones — including tropical storms and depressions — the total is 34.

When was the last hurricane in Washington County, Texas?

Beryl (2024), on 8 July 2024, passing 39 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 Washington County, Texas?

Unnamed Storm (1900), which reached 90 kt (104 mph) while within 50 miles; its closest approach was 11 miles.

How often do hurricanes hit Washington County, Texas?

On average, one tropical cyclone passes within 50 miles every 5.1 years — 34 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

Washington County, Texas borders or sits close to 7 other counties with a published storm record. Waller County, Texas has 42 on record.

Waller County, Texas42 storms within 50 mi Austin County, Texas39 storms within 50 mi Grimes County, Texas36 storms within 50 mi Brazos County, Texas32 storms within 50 mi Burleson County, Texas31 storms within 50 mi Fayette County, Texas29 storms within 50 mi Lee County, Texas26 storms within 50 mi