Historical record — not a forecast

Myrtle Beach

Myrtle Beach, SC has had 55 storms pass within 75 km since 1851, the strongest being Hazel (1954, Category 4 Hurricane).

SC55 storms since 185116 at hurricane strength or higher1 major (Cat 3+)
Noir atlas

Location 01

Myrtle Beach

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The historical record

Storm history

55 tropical storms and hurricanes have passed within 75 km of Myrtle Beach 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
8
Tropical Storm
31
Category 1 Hurricane
11
Category 2 Hurricane
4
Category 4 Hurricane
1

By decade

1850s
4
1860s
1
1870s
1
1880s
2
1890s
2
1900s
3
1910s
3
1920s
2
1940s
1
1950s
3
1960s
4
1970s
1
1980s
4
1990s
3
2000s
8
2010s
7
2020s
6

Strongest & most recent

Strongest on record
Hazel (1954, Category 4 Hurricane, 115 kt) passed within 33.8 km in 1954
Most recent
Chantal (2025, Tropical Storm, 50 kt) passed within 16.2 km in 2025
Coordinates
33.71039, -78.88602
Basin
atlantic

Notable storms on record

  • Hazel (1954) Category 4 Hurricane, 115 kt, passed within 33.8 km on 1954-10-15
  • Unnamed storm (1899) Category 2 Hurricane, 95 kt, passed within 16.2 km on 1899-10-31
  • Bertha (1996) Category 2 Hurricane, 90 kt, passed within 73.8 km on 1996-07-12
  • Unnamed storm (1883) Category 2 Hurricane, 90 kt, passed within 37.1 km on 1883-09-11
  • Unnamed storm (1857) Category 2 Hurricane, 90 kt, passed within 71.0 km on 1857-09-12
  • Isaias (2020) Category 1 Hurricane, 80 kt, passed within 41.4 km on 2020-08-04
  • Unnamed storm (1906) Category 1 Hurricane, 80 kt, passed within 54.1 km on 1906-09-17
  • Unnamed storm (1885) Category 1 Hurricane, 80 kt, passed within 10.0 km on 1885-08-25

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 3.7 years, historically
Hurricane strength
on average every 10.9 years, historically
Major hurricane (Cat 3+)
on average every 175.0 years, historically
How many hurricanes and storms have hit near Myrtle Beach?

Since 1851, 55 tropical storms and hurricanes have passed within 75 km of Myrtle Beach, SC, based on NOAA HURDAT2 best-track data.

What was the strongest storm to affect Myrtle Beach?

Hazel (1954, Category 4 Hurricane, 115 kt) passed within 33.8 km in 1954, reaching Category 4 Hurricane strength.

Is this a hurricane forecast for Myrtle Beach?

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.