Hurricane history · North Carolina
Hurricanes near Sunset Beach, NC
Hurricanes
17
5 major (Category 3+)
Tropical storms
25
within 60 miles since 1950
Close calls
9
hurricanes within 30 miles
Since 1950, 17 hurricanes and 25 tropical storms have passed within 60 miles of Sunset Beach. That's a hurricane about once every 4 years. The most recent hurricane was Ian in 2022. The strongest was Helene in 1958, with winds near 138 mph as it went by. Most came in September.
Check your address for the next storm
Every storm since 1950
| Year | Storm | Strength nearby | Winds, mph | Closest, mi |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Chantal Jul | Tropical storm | 58 | 33 |
| 2023 | Idalia Aug | Tropical storm | 63 | 25 |
| 2022 | Ian Sep | Category 1 | 81 | 43 |
| 2022 | Colin Jul | Tropical storm | 40 | 24 |
| 2020 | Isaias Aug | Category 1 | 92 | 0 |
| 2019 | Dorian Sep | Category 2 | 109 | 49 |
| 2018 | Florence Sep | Category 1 | 92 | 5 |
| 2016 | Matthew Oct | Category 1 | 81 | 19 |
| 2016 | Hermine Sep | Tropical storm | 63 | 10 |
| 2015 | Ana May | Tropical storm | 52 | 17 |
| 2014 | Arthur Jul | Category 2 | 98 | 51 |
| 2012 | Beryl May | Tropical storm | 46 | 7 |
| 2008 | Hanna Sep | Tropical storm | 69 | 13 |
| 2006 | Ernesto Sep | Tropical storm | 69 | 22 |
| 2005 | Ophelia Sep | Category 1 | 86 | 55 |
| 2004 | Charley Aug | Category 1 | 81 | 6 |
| 2004 | Gaston Aug | Tropical storm | 46 | 55 |
| 2002 | Kyle Oct | Tropical storm | 40 | 6 |
| 1999 | Floyd Sep | Category 2 | 104 | 30 |
| 1998 | Bonnie Aug | Category 3 | 115 | 45 |
| 1996 | Fran Sep | Category 3 | 115 | 27 |
| 1996 | Bertha Jul | Category 2 | 104 | 29 |
| 1996 | Arthur Jun | Tropical storm | 46 | 50 |
| 1985 | Kate Nov | Tropical storm | 52 | 11 |
| 1984 | Diana Sep | Category 4 | 132 | 14 |
| 1982 | Unnamed Jun | Tropical storm | 69 | 31 |
| 1981 | Dennis Aug | Tropical storm | 63 | 18 |
| 1975 | Hallie Oct | Tropical storm | 52 | 59 |
| 1975 | Amy Jun | Tropical storm | 40 | 51 |
| 1972 | Unnamed Jul | Tropical storm | 40 | 17 |
| 1972 | Agnes Jun | Tropical storm | 40 | 45 |
| 1970 | Unnamed Aug | Tropical storm | 52 | 49 |
| 1967 | Unnamed Jun | Tropical storm | 40 | 11 |
| 1966 | Alma Jun | Tropical storm | 63 | 60 |
| 1961 | Unnamed Sep | Tropical storm | 46 | 40 |
| 1960 | Donna Sep | Category 2 | 104 | 40 |
| 1960 | Brenda Jul | Tropical storm | 69 | 13 |
| 1958 | Helene Sep | Category 4 | 138 | 38 |
| 1956 | Unnamed Oct | Tropical storm | 58 | 37 |
| 1955 | Diane Aug | Category 1 | 75 | 35 |
| 1954 | Hazel Oct | Category 4 | 132 | 5 |
| 1952 | Unnamed Aug | Tropical storm | 52 | 18 |
By decade
| Decade | Hurricanes | Tropical storms |
|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 3 | 2 |
| 1960s | 1 | 4 |
| 1970s | 0 | 5 |
| 1980s | 1 | 3 |
| 1990s | 4 | 1 |
| 2000s | 2 | 4 |
| 2010s | 4 | 3 |
| 2020s | 2 | 3 |
From the National Hurricane Center's best-track archive (HURDAT2), Atlantic and eastern Pacific, through 2025. A storm counts when its center came within 60 miles of the middle of Sunset Beach at tropical-storm strength or more. "Winds" is the strongest it was while that close, over open water; inland it is usually less.
Nearby
- Calabash, NC 17 hurricanes
- Carolina Shores, NC 17 hurricanes
- Little River, SC 15 hurricanes
- Shallotte, NC 18 hurricanes
- North Myrtle Beach, SC 15 hurricanes
- Oak Island, NC 18 hurricanes
- St. James, NC 18 hurricanes
- Loris, SC 10 hurricanes