Historical record — not a forecast
Hilton Head Island
Hilton Head Island, SC has had 64 storms pass within 75 km since 1851, the strongest being Gracie (1959, Category 4 Hurricane).
Location 01
Hilton Head Island
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The historical record
Storm history
64 tropical storms and hurricanes have passed within 75 km of Hilton Head Island since 1851, based on NOAA’s HURDAT2 best-track data (1851-2025). Atlantic storm counts before the mid-20th century undercount storms that stayed at sea; aircraft reconnaissance began in the 1940s and systematic satellite coverage in 1966. Storms that struck populated coastline are the most reliably recorded part of the record.
By storm category
- Tropical Depression
- 14
- Tropical Storm
- 34
- Category 1 Hurricane
- 6
- Category 2 Hurricane
- 7
- Category 3 Hurricane
- 2
- Category 4 Hurricane
- 1
By decade
- 1850s
- 1
- 1860s
- 1
- 1870s
- 5
- 1880s
- 3
- 1890s
- 4
- 1900s
- 3
- 1910s
- 5
- 1920s
- 3
- 1940s
- 5
- 1950s
- 6
- 1960s
- 3
- 1970s
- 7
- 1980s
- 5
- 2000s
- 4
- 2010s
- 5
- 2020s
- 4
Strongest & most recent
- Strongest on record
- Gracie (1959, Category 4 Hurricane, 115 kt) passed within 36.8 km in 1959
- Most recent
- Debby (2024, Tropical Storm, 40 kt) passed within 40.1 km in 2024
- Coordinates
- 32.19031, -80.73843
- Basin
- atlantic
Notable storms on record
- Gracie (1959) — Category 4 Hurricane, 115 kt, passed within 36.8 km on 1959-09-29
- Unnamed storm (1893) — Category 3 Hurricane, 100 kt, passed within 44.6 km on 1893-08-28
- Unnamed storm (1854) — Category 3 Hurricane, 100 kt, passed within 57.0 km on 1854-09-09
- Unnamed storm (1947) — Category 2 Hurricane, 90 kt, passed within 46.0 km on 1947-10-15
- Unnamed storm (1881) — Category 2 Hurricane, 90 kt, passed within 64.3 km on 1881-08-28
- Matthew (2016) — Category 2 Hurricane, 85 kt, passed within 24.6 km on 2016-10-08
- Able (1952) — Category 2 Hurricane, 85 kt, passed within 17.8 km on 1952-08-31
- Unnamed storm (1940) — Category 2 Hurricane, 85 kt, passed within 11.6 km on 1940-08-11
Historical return intervals
These are plain historical averages — years of record divided by how many times a storm of that strength has passed within 75 km. They are not a probability or a forecast of a future storm; they describe how often storms of each strength have occurred in the past.
- Tropical storm strength or greater
- on average every 3.5 years, historically
- Hurricane strength
- on average every 10.9 years, historically
- Major hurricane (Cat 3+)
- on average every 58.3 years, historically
How many hurricanes and storms have hit near Hilton Head Island?
Since 1851, 64 tropical storms and hurricanes have passed within 75 km of Hilton Head Island, SC, based on NOAA HURDAT2 best-track data.
What was the strongest storm to affect Hilton Head Island?
Gracie (1959, Category 4 Hurricane, 115 kt) passed within 36.8 km in 1959, reaching Category 4 Hurricane strength.
Is this a hurricane forecast for Hilton Head Island?
No. This page presents only historical, already-occurred storm data. It contains no forecast, prediction, or safety or evacuation guidance. Return-interval figures above are historical averages, not a probability of a future storm. See our methodology.