NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Gautier, MS
Every tropical system within 75 miles since 1851 and every tornado within 25 miles since 1950.
Data: NOAA NHC HURDAT2 and NOAA SPC tornado and hail reports, through 2025 · Updated
70 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Gautier, Mississippi since 1851, 24 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Zeta in 2020. Since 1950, 131 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 4 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 24
- Tropical storms
- 46
- Tornadoes
- 131
- EF3 or stronger
- 4
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
3 deaths in all
What the records show for Gautier
The strongest storm to pass near Gautier was Camille in 1969, a Category 5 hurricane with 171 mph winds when its centre passed 44 miles away. The closest pass by a hurricane was an unnamed storm in 1906, whose centre came within 3 miles. The record near Gautier begins with an unnamed storm in 1852; the most recent system was Zeta in 2020, a Category 1 hurricane 50 miles away. The busiest decade was the 2000s, with 8 systems, 2 of them at hurricane strength. Of the 70 systems, 13 have come since 2000. Gautier has more hurricanes within 75 miles than 96% of the 232 Mississippi cities on this site. The highest rating among the 131 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3, reached 4 times; the most recent, on May 19, 1980, came within 24 miles. The deadliest, an F2 on April 12, 1994, killed 2 people. Of the 131, 9 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 74 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 22. The most recent tornado was on October 26, 2025. Gautier has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 54% of the 232 Mississippi cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 38 times since 1969, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Of the 232 Mississippi cities, 78% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Gautier.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Gautier
Of the 70 tracks on the map, 25 were moving northeast as they passed Gautier, 22 north and 10 northwest. Camille (1969), the strongest pass, was heading north and came ashore 45 miles west of Gautier. Within 75 miles of Gautier, 43 of the 70 came ashore, 22 of them as hurricanes. In the last 30 seasons (1996–2025), 15 came near Gautier: 5.0 a decade, against 3.8 a decade from 1851 to 1995.
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 50 mi | Category 1 (91 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2020 | SallySep 16 | 55 mi | Category 2 (109 mph) | Category 2 |
| 2018 | GordonSep 5 | 7 mi | Tropical storm (67 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2017 | NateOct 8 | 16 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2011 | LeeSep 5 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2009 | IdaNov 10 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 2 |
| 2005 | KatrinaAug 29 | 57 mi | Category 3 (114 mph) | Category 5 |
| 2005 | CindyJul 6 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2005 | ArleneJun 11 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2004 | IvanSep 16 | 46 mi | Category 3 (117 mph) | Category 5 |
| 2002 | IsidoreSep 26 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2002 | HannaSep 14 | 11 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2001 | AllisonJun 11 | 34 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1998 | GeorgesSep 29 | 14 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1997 | DannyJul 19 | 36 mi | Category 1 (81 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1995 | ErinAug 3 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1988 | BerylAug 8 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1985 | JuanOct 31 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (66 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1985 | ElenaSep 2 | 16 mi | Category 3 (115 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 13 | 18 mi | Category 3 (115 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1969 | CamilleAug 18 | 44 mi | Category 5 (171 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1965 | Unnamed 1965 stormJun 15 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1964 | HildaOct 4 | 15 mi | Tropical storm (61 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1960 | EthelSep 15 | 18 mi | Category 1 (81 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1959 | IreneOct 8 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1956 | FlossySep 24 | 57 mi | Category 1 (89 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1955 | Unnamed 1955 stormAug 27 | 38 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1955 | BrendaAug 1 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1950 | BakerAug 31 | 41 mi | Category 1 (86 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1948 | Unnamed 1948 stormSep 4 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1948 | Unnamed 1948 stormJul 9 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1947 | Unnamed 1947 stormSep 19 | 71 mi | Category 2 (109 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1947 | Unnamed 1947 stormSep 8 | 13 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1944 | Unnamed 1944 stormSep 10 | 20 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1939 | Unnamed 1939 stormSep 26 | 32 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1939 | Unnamed 1939 stormJun 16 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormOct 5 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormOct 16 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormSep 1 | 22 mi | Category 1 (82 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1926 | Unnamed 1926 stormSep 21 | 6 mi | Tropical storm (68 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 18 | 21 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormJun 26 | 3 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormOct 18 | 74 mi | Category 2 (109 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormJul 5 | 14 mi | Category 3 (115 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1914 | Unnamed 1914 stormSep 18 | 12 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1912 | Unnamed 1912 stormSep 14 | 14 mi | Tropical storm (70 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1911 | Unnamed 1911 stormAug 12 | 20 mi | Tropical storm (59 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1907 | Unnamed 1907 stormSep 21 | 15 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1906 | Unnamed 1906 stormSep 27 | 3 mi | Category 2 (109 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1901 | Unnamed 1901 stormAug 15 | 7 mi | Category 1 (83 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 13 | 2 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1895 | Unnamed 1895 stormAug 16 | 4 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1894 | Unnamed 1894 stormAug 8 | 40 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 2 | 7 mi | Category 2 (100 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 12 | 34 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1889 | Unnamed 1889 stormSep 23 | 39 mi | Tropical storm (70 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1887 | Unnamed 1887 stormOct 19 | 5 mi | Tropical storm (59 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1887 | Unnamed 1887 stormJun 14 | 4 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1885 | Unnamed 1885 stormSep 27 | 4 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1885 | Unnamed 1885 stormAug 30 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1881 | Unnamed 1881 stormAug 3 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1879 | Unnamed 1879 stormOct 7 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1877 | Unnamed 1877 stormSep 19 | 39 mi | Category 1 (81 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1872 | Unnamed 1872 stormJul 11 | 21 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1863 | Unnamed 1863 stormOct 1 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1860 | Unnamed 1860 stormSep 15 | 35 mi | Category 1 (87 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1860 | Unnamed 1860 stormAug 12 | 14 mi | Category 3 (110 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1859 | Unnamed 1859 stormSep 15 | 32 mi | Category 1 (81 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1855 | Unnamed 1855 stormSep 16 | 38 mi | Category 2 (99 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1852 | Unnamed 1852 stormAug 26 | 6 mi | Category 2 (109 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Gautier: a hurricane's worst winds sit within a few dozen miles of its centre, and inland cities are usually past that.
Check hail and hurricane history for any address
Tornadoes within 25 miles of Gautier
By decade
- 2020s39
- 2010s23
- 2000s12
- 1990s13
- 1980s13(3 EF3+)
- 1970s23
- 1960s7(1 EF3+)
- 1950s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 19, 1980 | F3 | 24 mi | 10.6 mi | 0 / 4 |
| May 16, 1980 | F3 | 20 mi | 11.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 13, 1980 | F3 | 15 mi | 15.9 mi | 0 / 25 |
| Apr 18, 1966 | F3 | 1 mi | 23.8 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Apr 12, 1994 | F2 | 24 mi | 2 mi | 2 / 16 |
| Jun 19, 2023 | EF2 | 5 mi | 2.35 mi | 0 / 6 |
| Aug 30, 2012 | EF2 | 7 mi | 0.77 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 3, 1988 | F2 | 15 mi | 1.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 21, 1985 | F2 | 6 mi | 3.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 25, 1982 | F2 | 7 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Feb 10, 1981 | F2 | 10 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 2 |
| May 19, 1980 | F2 | 15 mi | 7.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 131, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Gautier
The Storm Prediction Center has 38 hail reports within 10 miles of Gautier since 1969, made on 29 separate days. Of these, 22 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), was reported on 9 days, most recently June 18, 2022. The most recent report is from April 1, 2023. April has the most reports, 13.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Gautier
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Pascagoula Lott International Airport, MS, 8 miles northeast of Gautier at 18 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 91°F and low of 73°F; January is the coolest, at 63°F and 41°F. August is the wettest at 7.9 inches of precipitation on average and October the driest at 3.7 inches; the year adds up to 61.8 inches over 75 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 55% of the year's precipitation (33.8 of 61.8 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 70 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (30); a normal September there has highs of 88°F and 4.8 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 80 days a year, almost all from May to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 27 nights a year. That 61.8 inches is more than at 67 of the 87 Mississippi stations used on this site (77%). Pascagoula, 7 miles east, has its own station (Pascagoula 3 NE, MS): 70.5 inches a year, 8.7 more than here, and a July average high of 88°F against 91°F.
Water temperature at the NOAA tide station Pascagoula NOAA Lab, MS, 6 miles southeast, averaged 86°F in August and 56°F in January over 2021–2025. It averaged 80°F or warmer from June to September. Sea level at the Dauphin Island tide gauge, 36 miles from Gautier, has risen 1.72 ± 0.10 inches per decade from 1966 to 2025, NOAA's linear trend; at that pace it is 17.2 inches in a hundred years. That is faster than at 109 of the 144 U.S. gauges with a NOAA trend.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Water °F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 63 | 41 | 5.0 | 5 | 56 |
| Feb | 66 | 45 | 4.0 | 6 | 59 |
| Mar | 72 | 50 | 4.7 | 5 | 66 |
| Apr | 78 | 56 | 4.4 | 5 | 71 |
| May | 84 | 63 | 5.0 | 5 | 78 |
| Jun | 90 | 71 | 6.9 | 8 | 83 |
| Jul | 91 | 73 | 6.7 | 9 | 85 |
| Aug | 91 | 73 | 7.9 | 11 | 86 |
| Sep | 88 | 69 | 4.8 | 6 | 83 |
| Oct | 81 | 58 | 3.7 | 4 | 76 |
| Nov | 71 | 47 | 3.8 | 4 | 68 |
| Dec | 65 | 43 | 4.9 | 6 | 61 |
| Year | 78 | 57 | 61.8 | 75 | 73 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Pascagoula Lott International Airport, MS (18 ft), from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals; water temperature: average of hourly readings 2021–2025 at the NOAA tide station Pascagoula NOAA Lab, MS, from NOAA Tides & Currents. Normals describe the station; the farther a place is from it, and the bigger the difference in height, the more its weather can differ.
Floods, thunderstorm wind and lightning near Gautier
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 79 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Gautier: 57 thunderstorm wind reports, 21 flash floods and 1 lightning strike. They killed 1 person and injured 2, and the NWS estimated $2.5 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 75 mph, on April 14, 2014. Of the 232 Mississippi cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 137 have had fewer than Gautier.
July 31, 2011: lightning strike 8 miles from the centre of Gautier — 1 killed.
April 14, 2014: thunderstorm wind 2 miles from the centre of Gautier — 2 injured, $100,000 damage.
NWS: “A storm survey determined that straight line winds estimated between 75 and 80 mph struck the Santa Rosa RV Resort Marina at 5800 Moss Bluff Road. Twenty RV trailers were overturned, with one rolled uphill.”
May 1, 2013: flash flood 5 miles from the centre of Gautier — $1.5 million damage.
NWS: “Heavy rainfall of 7 to 8 inches resulted in flash flooding across portions of Jackson County. The Pascagoula Airport recorded slightly more than 7 inches of rain during the day.”
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, events whose starting point is on record, 1996 to June 30, 2026. Damage is the NWS estimate in the dollars of the year, not insured losses, and NWS notes that some reports are unverified.
Flood insurance claims, disaster declarations and FEMA risk ratings
Flood insurance policyholders in Gautier's ZIP code 39553 have filed 1,264 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1979, and were paid $75.8 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Hurricane Katrina in 2005: 668 claims (53% of all) and $69.3 million, then Hurricane Georges in 1998 with 265 and Tropical Storm Isidore in 2002 with 34. 84% of the claims carry the name of a storm or flood event; the rest have no event name. Of the 133 Mississippi cities on this site with 10 or more claims, 119 have fewer than Gautier.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Hurricane Katrina2005 | 668 | $69.3 million |
| Hurricane Georges1998 | 265 | $3.2 million |
| Tropical Storm Isidore2002 | 34 | $192,000 |
| Hurricane Isaac2012 | 28 | $97,000 |
| Flooding1980 | 20 | $26,000 |
| Hurricane Zeta2020 | 15 | $176,000 |
Jackson County, which includes Gautier, has been named in 36 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 23 of them major disasters (by incident: 24 hurricanes, 6 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 winter storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storm, on February 6, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Jackson County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for hurricanes, coastal flooding and lightning; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, inland flooding, strong wind and heat waves; Relatively Low for hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $110.9 million a year, the 3rd highest of 82 Mississippi counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $62.3 million (56%), is from hurricanes.
Claims: FEMA, OpenFEMA Dataset FIMA NFIP Redacted Claims – v3, summed over ZIP codes; payments in the dollars of each year, not adjusted for inflation. Declarations: Disaster Declarations Summaries – v2, by county. Retrieved October 25, 2026. This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).
Risk ratings: FEMA, National Risk Index county table, December 2025 (v1.20), retrieved October 26, 2026; ratings compare counties nationwide, are meant for planning and are no substitute for a local risk assessment. This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's National Risk Index dataset API or downloadable datasets but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).
Gautier in the notable storm records: Hurricane Ivan (2004) · Hurricane Camille (1969)
What counts as a pass, the distances and the sources: how this storm history is built.
Cities near Gautier
- Pascagoula, MS7 mi
- Ocean Springs, MS7 mi
- Moss Point, MS10 mi
- Vancleave, MS13 mi
- Diberville, MS15 mi
- Biloxi, MS17 mi
- Grand Bay, AL20 mi
- Irvington, AL25 mi
- Gulfport, MS26 mi
- Coden, AL28 mi
- Theodore, AL30 mi
- Long Beach, MS31 mi
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