Hurricanes in September

Q: How many hurricanes happen in September?

Across the 1851 to 2025 HURDAT2 record, 714 named storms have been active in September in the Atlantic basin, 430 of them at hurricane strength during the month. Counting only the modern record (1944 on, when aircraft reconnaissance began), September averages about 5.1 named storms active per year.

Q: Has a hurricane ever hit the US in September?

Yes: NOAA's landfall list records 112 September hurricane landfall events on the continental US, 42 of them major (Category 3 or higher). The most recent is Francine in 2024. The full list, with states and categories, is on this page.

Q: Is September early or late in hurricane season?

The season runs June 1 to November 30 and peaks on September 10, per NHC. September is the peak, and it is not close.

Q: Is there a storm right now?

The panel near the top of this page republishes the latest NHC public advisories and outlook, verbatim and timestamped. The National Hurricane Center at nhc.noaa.gov publishes every active system, forecast, watch and warning, and decisions belong with it and with your local emergency management agency.

What 175 years of NOAA records show about September in the Atlantic: how much forms, what has hit the US, and where the month sits in the season.

September is the peak of the official Atlantic season, June 1 to November 30. Anything live belongs to the National Hurricane Center.

Named storms active in September

714

At hurricane strength

430

US hurricane landfalls

112

Is there a storm anywhere right now? Go to the National Hurricane Center.

The panel just below republishes the National Hurricane Center’s own latest advisories and outlook, verbatim and timestamped. Tracks, cones and forecasts are the National Hurricane Center’s. If a storm is active or approaching, NHC is the source of official forecasts and warnings, and your emergency management agency is the source of evacuation and shelter decisions.

National Hurricane Center for current storms, forecasts, watches, and warnings
Your state emergency management agency for evacuation orders and shelter information
Ready.gov hurricane preparedness for how to prepare, in FEMA’s own words

“It only takes one hurricane (or tropical storm) to cause a disaster.” NOAA Climate Prediction Center

What NHC is saying right now

Republished verbatim from the National Hurricane Center via the National Weather Service API, with NHC’s own issuance times. For anything that matters, read it at nhc.noaa.gov where it is always current.

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September in the Atlantic record

1851 to 2025, NOAA HURDAT2

714

named storms active in September

whole record, storm months

421

since aircraft recon began

1944 on, about 5.1 per year

430

months with hurricane strength

whole record

112

US hurricane landfall events

every September strike in NOAA's list

September is the peak, and it is not close. The National Hurricane Center puts the single climatological peak day at September 10, and more named storms have been active in September than in any other month of the record. Every kind of Atlantic storm happens in September: Cape Verde giants, Gulf storms, and everything between.

The numbers

How busy September actually is

The chart shows every month for comparison, from the same HURDAT2 record; September’s column is the one to read. Because ship reports missed storms in the early record, the comparison to use is the modern one: since 1944, September has averaged about 5.1 named storms active per year.

NHC's September origin map shows genesis across virtually the whole tropical and subtropical Atlantic, the widest spread of any month. See NHC’s monthly origin and track maps.

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

117

Jun

147

Jul

448

Aug

714

Sep

426

Oct

121

Nov

Dec

Named storms active by calendar month, Atlantic basin, 1851 to 2025. Derived from NOAA HURDAT2; a storm active in two months counts once in each.

The eye of Hurricane Katrina photographed from inside by a NOAA hurricane hunter aircraft, a stadium of cloud around clear blue sky — Inside the eye of Hurricane Katrina from a NOAA WP-3D hurricane hunter, August 2005. Aircraft reconnaissance began in 1944, which is why the modern per year averages on this page start there rather than 1851. “Hurricane Katrina Eye viewed from Hurricane Hunter” — NOAA — Public domain

The receipts

Every September hurricane to hit the United States

From NOAA AOML’s continental US landfall list: every hurricane whose September landfall brought hurricane conditions to at least one state. The strongest are highlighted; the list scrolls.

Year	Name	Highest US category	States affected	Pressure
2024	Francine	Cat 2	Louisiana	972 mb
2024	Helene	Cat 4	Florida, Georgia	939 mb
2022	Ian	Cat 4	Florida, South Carolina	941 mb
2021	Nicholas	Cat 1	Texas	991 mb
2020	Sally	Cat 2	Alabama, Florida	965 mb
2019	Dorian	Cat 2	North Carolina	956 mb
2018	Florence	Cat 1	North Carolina	956 mb
2017	Irma	Cat 4	Florida	931 mb
2016	Hermine	Cat 1	Florida	981 mb
2008	Ike	Cat 2	Texas, Louisiana	950 mb
2008	Gustav	Cat 2	Louisiana	954 mb
2007	Humberto	Cat 1	Texas, Louisiana	985 mb
2005	Rita	Cat 3	Texas, Louisiana, Florida	937 mb
2005	Ophelia	Cat 1	North Carolina	982 mb
2004	Ivan	Cat 3	Alabama, Florida	946 mb
2004	Frances	Cat 2	Florida	960 mb
2004	Jeanne	Cat 3	Florida	950 mb
2003	Isabel	Cat 2	North Carolina, Virginia	957 mb
1999	Floyd	Cat 2	North Carolina	956 mb
1998	Georges	Cat 2	Mississippi, Florida	964 mb
1998	Earl	Cat 1	Florida	987 mb
1996	Fran	Cat 3	North Carolina	954 mb
1989	Hugo	Cat 4	South Carolina, North Carolina	934 mb
1988	Florence	Cat 1	Louisiana	984 mb
1985	Elena	Cat 3	Mississippi, Alabama, Florida	959 mb
1985	Gloria	Cat 3	North Carolina, New York, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Maine	942 mb
1984	Diana	Cat 2	North Carolina	949 mb
1979	Frederic	Cat 3	Mississippi, Alabama	946 mb
1979	David	Cat 2	Florida, Georgia, South Carolina	970 mb
1977	Babe	Cat 1	Louisiana	995 mb
1975	Eloise	Cat 3	Alabama, Florida	955 mb
1974	Carmen	Cat 3	Louisiana	952 mb
1971	Fern	Cat 1	Texas	979 mb
1971	Edith	Cat 2	Louisiana	978 mb
1971	Ginger	Cat 1	North Carolina	995 mb
1967	Beulah	Cat 3	Texas	940 mb
1965	Betsy	Cat 4	Louisiana, Florida	946 mb
1964	Dora	Cat 2	Florida	966 mb
1961	Carla	Cat 4	Texas	931 mb
1960	Ethel	Cat 1	Louisiana, Mississippi	980 mb
1960	Donna	Cat 4	Florida, North Carolina, Virginia, New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts	930 mb
1959	Gracie	Cat 4	South Carolina	951 mb
1958	Helene	Cat 3	North Carolina	938 mb
1956	Flossy	Cat 1	Louisiana, Florida	974 mb
1955	Ione	Cat 2	North Carolina	955 mb
1954	Edna	Cat 2	North Carolina, New York, Rhode Island, Massachusetts	950 mb
1953	Florence	Cat 1	Florida	975 mb
1950	Easy	Cat 3	Florida	960 mb
1948	Unnamed	Cat 1	Louisiana	983 mb
1948	Unnamed	Cat 4	Florida	940 mb
1947	Unnamed	Cat 4	Louisiana, Mississippi, Florida	943 mb
1945	Unnamed	Cat 4	Florida	949 mb
1944	Great Atlantic	Cat 2	North Carolina, Virginia, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts	954 mb
1941	Unnamed	Cat 3	Texas	942 mb
1938	Great New England	Cat 3	New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts	941 mb
1936	Unnamed	Cat 1	North Carolina, Virginia	964 mb
1935	Labor Day	Cat 5	Florida, Georgia	892 mb
1934	Unnamed	Cat 1	North Carolina, New Jersey, New York	975 mb
1933	Unnamed	Cat 3	Texas	940 mb
1933	Unnamed	Cat 3	Florida	948 mb
1933	Unnamed	Cat 2	North Carolina, Virginia	952 mb
1932	Unnamed	Cat 1	Alabama, Florida	979 mb
1928	Lake Okeechobee	Cat 4	Florida, Georgia, South Carolina	929 mb
1926	Great Miami	Cat 4	Mississippi, Alabama, Florida	930 mb
1924	Unnamed	Cat 1	Florida	980 mb
1920	Unnamed	Cat 2	Louisiana	975 mb
1919	Unnamed	Cat 4	Texas, Florida	927 mb
1917	Unnamed	Cat 3	Louisiana, Alabama, Florida	949 mb
1915	New Orleans	Cat 3	Louisiana, Mississippi	944 mb
1915	Unnamed	Cat 1	Florida	982 mb
1913	Unnamed	Cat 1	North Carolina	976 mb
1912	Unnamed	Cat 1	Alabama, Florida	986 mb
1910	Unnamed	Cat 2	Texas	965 mb
1909	Grand Isle	Cat 3	Louisiana, Mississippi	952 mb
1906	Unnamed	Cat 2	Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida	958 mb
1906	Unnamed	Cat 1	South Carolina, North Carolina	977 mb
1904	Unnamed	Cat 1	South Carolina	985 mb
1903	Unnamed	Cat 1	Florida	974 mb
1903	Unnamed	Cat 1	Delaware, New Jersey	990 mb
1900	Galveston	Cat 4	Texas	936 mb
1897	Unnamed	Cat 1	Texas, Louisiana	978 mb
1896	Unnamed	Cat 3	Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia	960 mb
1896	Unnamed	Cat 1	Rhode Island, Massachusetts	985 mb
1894	Unnamed	Cat 2	Florida, South Carolina, Virginia	975 mb
1893	Unnamed	Cat 2	Louisiana	970 mb
1889	Unnamed	Cat 1	Louisiana	982 mb
1887	Unnamed	Cat 1	Texas	973 mb
1886	Unnamed	Cat 1	Texas	973 mb
1883	Unnamed	Cat 2	South Carolina, North Carolina	965 mb
1882	Unnamed	Cat 3	Alabama, Florida	949 mb
1881	Unnamed	Cat 2	North Carolina	975 mb
1880	Unnamed	Cat 1	North Carolina	987 mb
1879	Unnamed	Cat 3	Louisiana	945 mb
1878	Unnamed	Cat 2	Florida, Georgia, South Carolina	970 mb
1877	Unnamed	Cat 1	Louisiana, Florida	982 mb
1876	Unnamed	Cat 1	North Carolina, Virginia	980 mb
1875	Unnamed	Cat 3	Texas	955 mb
1874	Unnamed	Cat 1	Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina	981 mb
1873	Unnamed	Cat 1	Florida	982 mb
1871	Unnamed	Cat 1	Florida	982 mb
1869	Unnamed	Cat 1	Louisiana	982 mb
1869	Eastern New England	Cat 3	New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts	963 mb
1865	Sabine River	Cat 2	Texas, Louisiana	965 mb
1861	Equinoctial	Cat 1	North Carolina	985 mb
1860	Unnamed	Cat 2	Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama	965 mb
1859	Unnamed	Cat 1	Alabama, Florida	982 mb
1858	New England	Cat 1	New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts	976 mb
1857	Unnamed	Cat 2	North Carolina	961 mb
1855	Middle Gulf Shore	Cat 3	Louisiana, Mississippi	945 mb
1854	Matagorda	Cat 2	Texas	965 mb
1854	Great Carolina	Cat 3	Florida, Georgia, South Carolina	950 mb
1852	Unnamed	Cat 1	Florida	982 mb

How complete is this record?

“Because of the sparseness of towns and cities before 1900 in some coastal locations along the United States, the above list is not complete for all states. Before the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic coasts became settled, hurricanes may have been underestimated in their intensity or missed completely for small-sized systems (i.e., 2004's Hurricane Charley).”NOAA Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory, Hurricane Research Division, source

Satellite image of Hurricane Hugo, a large hurricane with a clear eye, approaching the southeastern United States — Hurricane Hugo from NOAA's polar orbiting satellite, September 21, 1989. Hugo's Category 4 South Carolina landfall is one of the September entries in the table above. “Hugo 1989-09-21 1844Z” — NOAA Satellite and Information Service — Public domain

In context

Where September sits in the season

The season’s shape is set by NOAA’s own dates and peak:

“The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30.”National Hurricane Center, source

“The peak of the Atlantic hurricane season is September 10, with most activity occurring between mid-August and mid-October.”National Hurricane Center, source

Satellite image of Hurricane Iniki, a compact hurricane with a clear eye, southwest of the Hawaiian Islands — Hurricane Iniki from NOAA’s GOES satellite, September 11, 1992, with the Hawaiian Islands visible at upper right. The central Pacific runs the same June to November season as the Atlantic, on its own climatology. “Iniki 1992-09-11 1931Z” — NOAA (GOES-7), NASA — Public domain

GOES satellite image of Hurricane Katrina filling the Gulf, its eye southeast of the Louisiana coast — Hurricane Katrina from NOAA’s GOES-12 satellite on August 28, 2005, the day before its Gulf coast landfall. The Naval Research Laboratory annotations date the frame. August and September together account for the majority of all Atlantic hurricane activity in the record. “Katrina 2005-08-28 2245Z” — U.S. Navy / Naval Research Laboratory — Public domain

Common questions

Hurricanes in September: FAQ

How many hurricanes happen in September?

Has a hurricane ever hit the US in September?

Is September early or late in hurricane season?

Where do September storms usually form?

Is there a storm right now?

Keep reading

The rest of the season

Hurricane season by state

Counts derived from NOAA HURDAT2 (hurdat2-1851-2025-02272026.txt) and NOAA AOML’s continental US hurricane landfall list (Revised in March 2026 to add in the 2025 season). For anything current: nhc.noaa.gov.