Hurricanes that hit Madison County, Florida: hurricane history

68 storms have passed within 50 km of Madison County from 1852 to 2024, coloured by intensity on the map.

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Years1842 to 2026
Ocean basin

Choosing a minimum category hides storms with no wind speed in the record. To see which storms have passed near you, search a town or ZIP code, or tap the map.

Key
  • Tropical depression Winds below 34 knots (39 mph)
  • Tropical storm 34 to 63 knots (39 to 73 mph)
  • Category 1 64 to 82 knots (74 to 95 mph)
  • Category 2 83 to 95 knots (96 to 110 mph)
  • Category 3 96 to 112 knots (111 to 129 mph), major
  • Category 4 113 to 136 knots (130 to 156 mph), major
  • Category 5 137 knots (157 mph) or more, major
  • Unknown intensity No wind speed in the record
  • Post-tropical Storm has become post-tropical (dashed line)

How to read the lines. Each line is the track of one storm, drawn through its six-hourly positions and coloured by its intensity at each point (the Saffir-Simpson scale), so a line changes colour as the storm strengthens or weakens. Tap a line for its details, or tap anywhere else to see which storms have passed nearby. Weaker storms appear as you zoom in. Hurricanes, typhoons and cyclones are the same kind of storm with different names in different oceans.

Storms near Madison County

The record holds 68 tropical cyclones whose tracks passed within 50 km of Madison County, Florida between 1852 and 2024. The busiest month is September, with 22 of them. The strongest, measured where each came closest to the place, reached category 4 strength. 2 of the storms have no wind speed in the record.

  • 68storms within 50 km
  • 2major (category 3 to 5) near here
  • 16at category 1 strength or more

A storm counts once, however many times it came close. The category is the storm's strongest point within 50 km, which can be weaker than its peak elsewhere.

How strong were the storms near Madison County?

Category near hereStormsShare
Tropical depression812%
Tropical storm4262%
Category 11015%
Category 246%
Category 311%
Category 411%
Category 500%
Unknown intensity23%

The agency behind most of the intensity figures here is the NOAA National Hurricane Center (HURDAT2, Atlantic).

Madison County storms over time

Storms by decade
Bar chart of storms by period. The most is 8 in 1880s.1850s1870s1890s1920s1940s1960s1980s2000s2020s

The 2020s only run to 2024, so that bar is for a shorter period. This place's record starts in 1852, and records before the satellite era (about the 1960s) are far less complete.

Show the numbers
PeriodCount
1850s1
1860s3
1870s7
1880s8
1890s2
1900s3
1920s3
1930s6
1940s2
1950s3
1960s4
1970s3
1980s2
1990s5
2000s5
2010s5
2020s6

Earlier decades hold fewer storms partly because they were harder to see. Before weather satellites (about the 1960s) many storms that stayed at sea went unrecorded, so compare decades with care.

Storms by month
Bar chart of storms by period. The most is 22 in Sep.Jan0Feb0Mar0Apr0May3Jun11Jul5Aug13Sep22Oct13Nov1Dec0
Show the numbers
PeriodCount
Jan0
Feb0
Mar0
Apr0
May3
Jun11
Jul5
Aug13
Sep22
Oct13
Nov1
Dec0

Strongest storms near Madison County

  • Helene (2024)23 September 2024 to 28 September 2024, peak Category 4 (120 kt), 941 hPa
  • Idalia (2023)26 August 2023 to 8 September 2023, peak Category 3 (105 kt), 945 hPa
  • Unnamed storm of October 1852 (North Atlantic)3 October 1852 to 12 October 1852, peak Category 2 (90 kt)
  • Unnamed storm of June 1886 (North Atlantic)17 June 1886 to 24 June 1886, peak Category 2 (85 kt)
  • Unnamed storm of September 1894 (North Atlantic)26 September 1894 to 12 October 1894, Category 2 (85 kt) near here, peak Category 3 (105 kt)

Most recent storms near Madison County

  • Helene (2024)23 September 2024 to 28 September 2024, peak Category 4 (120 kt), 941 hPa
  • Debby (2024)2 August 2024 to 10 August 2024, peak Category 1 (70 kt), 980 hPa
  • Idalia (2023)26 August 2023 to 8 September 2023, peak Category 3 (105 kt), 945 hPa

Many of these storms killed people and destroyed homes. The figures are the official record's, and this page says nothing about their human cost.

A storm that came near several counties counts in each one, so county counts add up to more than the state's.

Notable storms near Madison County

  • Frances (2004)25 August 2004 to 10 September 2004, peak Category 4 (125 kt), 937 hPa
  • Helene (2024)23 September 2024 to 28 September 2024, peak Category 4 (120 kt), 941 hPa
  • Dora (1964)28 August 1964 to 16 September 1964, peak Category 4 (115 kt), 942 hPa
  • Idalia (2023)26 August 2023 to 8 September 2023, peak Category 3 (105 kt), 945 hPa
  • Alma (1966)5 June 1966 to 14 June 1966, peak Category 3 (100 kt), 970 hPa

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