Willacy County, Texas Hurricane History

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

Since 1854, 33 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of Willacy County, Texas — about one every 5.2 years. Of those, 17 were at hurricane strength at their closest approach. The most recent was Harold (2023), which passed 44 miles away on 22 August 2023.

Storms within 50 mi

At hurricane strength

5.2

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 · 3Cat 2 · 5Cat 1 · 6TS / TD · 16

The 33 storms by the strongest category each reached while within 50 miles. 3 of them reached Cat 4.

Key facts

Most recentHarold (2023) — 44 mi away, 22 August 2023
Strongest stormUnnamed Storm (1880) — 122 kt (140 mph) at its strongest within 50 miles
Closest pass on recordDolly (2008) — 2.2 miles
Closest major hurricane (Cat 3+)Allen (1980) — 6.6 miles
Passes within 25 miles14 of 33
Peak monthSeptember — 11 storms (33% of all)
Most active year2010 — 2 storms
Most active decade1910s — 4 storms
Major hurricanes (Cat 3+) within 50 mi6
Record span1854–2023

When storms arrive

JFMAMJJASOND

Storms by month of closest approach; the peak is highlighted and labelled. In Willacy County, Texas, September is the most active month, with 11 of the 33 recorded storms (33%). Activity concentrates in June, August and September, together 79% of all storms. The 1910s was the most active decade on record, with 4 storms. 6 of the 33 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	9	5	6	11	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: 7 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
2	2	1	3	0	2	4	0	3	1	1	2	3	2	2	1	2	2

Every tropical or subtropical cyclone within 50 miles

Storm	Closest approach	Distance	Status	Wind
Harold (2023)	22 Aug 2023	44.4 mi	TS / TD	50 kt
Hanna (2020)	26 Jul 2020	15.1 mi	Cat 1	75 kt
Hermine (2010)	7 Sep 2010	10.9 mi	TS / TD	53 kt
Two (2010)	8 Jul 2010	26.4 mi	TS / TD	26 kt
Dolly (2008)	23 Jul 2008	2.2 mi	Cat 1	68 kt
Bret (1999)	23 Aug 1999	30.8 mi	Cat 3	97 kt
Arlene (1993)	20 Jun 1993	39.9 mi	TS / TD	35 kt
Cosme (1989)	23 Jun 1989	47.4 mi	TS / TD	20 kt
Allen (1980)	10 Aug 1980	6.6 mi	Cat 2	92 kt
Amelia (1978)	31 Jul 1978	8.7 mi	TS / TD	44 kt
Unnamed Storm (1971)	10 Jul 1971	35.8 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Unnamed Storm (1970)	1 Sep 1970	32.0 mi	TS / TD	29 kt
Beulah (1967)	20 Sep 1967	8.6 mi	Cat 2	89 kt
Unnamed Storm (1960)	24 Jun 1960	22.8 mi	TS / TD	50 kt
Gerda (1958)	20 Sep 1958	12.8 mi	TS / TD	32 kt
Unnamed Storm (1947)	2 Aug 1947	44.4 mi	TS / TD	41 kt
Unnamed Storm (1936)	13 Sep 1936	4.1 mi	TS / TD	42 kt
Unnamed Storm (1933)	5 Sep 1933	27.0 mi	Cat 2	90 kt
Unnamed Storm (1931)	27 Jun 1931	14.7 mi	TS / TD	38 kt
Unnamed Storm (1916)	18 Aug 1916	37.8 mi	Cat 4	115 kt
Unnamed Storm (1913)	28 Jun 1913	43.3 mi	Cat 1	65 kt
Unnamed Storm (1912)	16 Oct 1912	32.2 mi	Cat 2	85 kt
Unnamed Storm (1910)	15 Sep 1910	28.9 mi	Cat 1	65 kt
Unnamed Storm (1909)	29 Jun 1909	28.9 mi	Cat 1	73 kt
Unnamed Storm (1902)	26 Jun 1902	35.9 mi	Cat 1	64 kt
Unnamed Storm (1887)	21 Sep 1887	29.3 mi	Cat 1	70 kt
Unnamed Storm (1886)	23 Sep 1886	12.1 mi	Cat 1	80 kt
Unnamed Storm (1880)	13 Aug 1880	23.8 mi	Cat 3	103 kt
Unnamed Storm (1874)	5 Sep 1874	28.7 mi	TS / TD	40 kt
Unnamed Storm (1867)	2 Oct 1867	41.8 mi	Cat 2	90 kt
Unnamed Storm (1865)	30 Jun 1865	33.8 mi	TS / TD	50 kt
Unnamed Storm (1857)	30 Sep 1857	24.2 mi	TS / TD	48 kt
Unnamed Storm (1854)	26 Jun 1854	15.8 mi	TS / TD	60 kt

Post-tropical and extratropical passes

No system on record passed within 50 miles of Willacy 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 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 Willacy County, Texas compares

Among the 2,208 U.S. counties and county-equivalents that have recorded at least one tropical cyclone within 50 miles, Willacy County, Texas ranks #461 — more exposed than 79.1% of them. Within Texas it ranks #31 of 223, against a state average of 15.7 storms per county.

Notable storms

Cat 4 Unnamed Storm (1880) passed 24 miles away on 13 August 1880 as a hurricane, reaching 122 kt (140 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 4 Bret (1999) passed 31 miles away on 23 August 1999 as a hurricane, reaching 120 kt (138 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 4 Unnamed Storm (1916) passed 38 miles away on 18 August 1916 as a hurricane, reaching 115 kt (132 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 3 Beulah (1967) passed 9 miles away on 20 September 1967 as a hurricane, reaching 110 kt (127 mph) while within 50 miles.

26 of the 33 storms made a documented landfall somewhere along their track.

How often to expect a storm

A return interval of 5.2 years does not mean storms arrive on a schedule. It is simply 33 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 15 years, between 1887 and 1902. It has been 2 years since the last one; 21 of the 31 gaps in this record were longer than that.

Common questions

How many hurricanes have hit Willacy County, Texas?

17 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of Willacy County, Texas at hurricane strength since 1854. Counting all tropical cyclones — including tropical storms and depressions — the total is 33.

When was the last hurricane in Willacy County, Texas?

Hanna (2020), on 26 July 2020, passing 15 miles away — 6 years ago. The most recent tropical cyclone of any strength was Harold (2023) in 2023.

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

Unnamed Storm (1880), which reached 122 kt (140 mph) while within 50 miles; its closest approach was 24 miles.

How often do hurricanes hit Willacy County, Texas?

On average, one tropical cyclone passes within 50 miles every 5.2 years — 33 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

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

Kenedy County, Texas34 storms within 50 mi Cameron County, Texas33 storms within 50 mi Brooks County, Texas29 storms within 50 mi Hidalgo County, Texas27 storms within 50 mi