United States Hurricane Return Periods

How often, on average, a hurricane can be expected to strike each U.S. coastal county — based on every recorded storm in the HURDAT2 database. Click any county for its full strike history; hover for a quick read.

MICHAEL FERRAGAMO

1851–2026

What is a Return Period?

It is the average length of time a location goes between storm strikes. In this case, a U.S. coastal county. A 30 nautical mile radius is implemented around each county to account for strikes — all of which is calculated from the full HURDAT2 record (1851–2025). A shorter return period means a county has historically been struck more often.

Source: Storm positions, wind, and pressure from HURDAT2 (1851–2025). County boundaries from the US Census Bureau. Click a county on the map for its full recorded strike history.

— coastal counties shaded by Tropical Storms & Hurricanes return period

State outlines

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