No active hurricanes threatening Myrtle Beach right now

Could the next one hit soon? 253 hurricanes have impacted the Myrtle Beach area since 1851 — set up free alerts so you'll have time to prepare when one's on the way.

253
Hurricanes affecting Myrtle Beach area
2025
Most recent
160 kt
Strongest peak winds
3 mi
Closest approach
Local note: Myrtle Beach's low-lying, gently sloping coastline and extensive beachfront development make storm surge the primary hazard, with recent major surge and wind impacts from storms like Category 4 Idalia (2023) and close approaches such as Ana (2015) underscoring its vulnerability.

Coverage on this page applies broadly to the Myrtle Beach area — including North Myrtle Beach, Longs, Little River, Conway, Murrells Inlet, Loris, Aynor, Pawleys Island. Tropical storms rarely respect city limits.

When do hurricanes typically threaten the Myrtle Beach area?

Distribution of 253 hurricanes that have come within 150 mi of Myrtle Beach, by month of closest approach.

J
F
M
A
11 M
33 J
28 J
46 A
79 S
50 O
5 N
1 D

Recent notable storms affecting the Myrtle Beach area

Year Name Peak Cat Peak Winds Closest Approach
2025 DEXTER Cat 1 70 kt 189 mi
2024 DEBBY Cat 1 70 kt 69 mi
2023 IDALIA Cat 4 115 kt 19 mi
2022 IAN Cat 5 140 kt 39 mi
2021 ELSA Cat 1 75 kt 102 mi
2020 ISAIAS Cat 1 80 kt 20 mi
2020 ETA Cat 4 130 kt 87 mi
2020 SALLY Cat 2 95 kt 117 mi
2019 DORIAN Cat 5 160 kt 58 mi
2018 FLORENCE Cat 4 130 kt 10 mi
2018 MICHAEL Cat 5 140 kt 144 mi
2016 MATTHEW Cat 5 145 kt 21 mi
2016 HERMINE Cat 1 70 kt 25 mi
2014 ARTHUR Cat 2 85 kt 66 mi
2011 IRENE Cat 3 105 kt 118 mi
Hurricane-strength storms (Cat 1+) since 2006 that came within 200 miles of Myrtle Beach. Includes storms whose center stayed offshore or hit nearby cities — wind, surge, and rainfall impacts extend far beyond the storm's path.

All-time closest approaches to Myrtle Beach

Year Name Peak Cat Peak Winds Closest Approach Date of Closest
2015 ANA TS 50 kt 3 mi May 10, 2015
1885 UNNAMED Cat 2 90 kt 6 mi Aug 25, 1885
2022 COLIN TS 35 kt 6 mi Jul 02, 2022
2004 CHARLEY Cat 4 130 kt 7 mi Aug 14, 2004
2008 HANNA Cat 1 75 kt 7 mi Sep 06, 2008
2012 BERYL TS 60 kt 7 mi May 30, 2012
1952 UNNAMED TS 45 kt 7 mi Aug 28, 1952
2018 FLORENCE Cat 4 130 kt 10 mi Sep 15, 2018
1954 HAZEL Cat 4 115 kt 15 mi Oct 15, 1954
1899 UNNAMED Cat 2 95 kt 16 mi Oct 31, 1899
Showing the 10 closest of 253 total storms within 150 mi of Myrtle Beach since 1851.

If a hurricane threatens Myrtle Beach

  1. Know your evacuation zone. Look up yours by address via your state or county emergency management office (Horry County and surrounding areas).
  2. Set up alerts ahead of time. During an active storm, watches and warnings change every six hours. Email or text alerts from TropicalInfo give you the official NHC update the moment it's posted, with a plain-language summary.
  3. Prep your supplies before the storm is named. Stores empty out within hours of a watch. The 72-hour rule: water, food, batteries, fuel, medications, important documents. Our alerts can notify you of a storm long before it makes the news — giving you more time to get what you need before the panic-buying starts.
  4. Follow the cone, not the line. The forecast track is a best estimate — the cone shows where the center is likely to go. Impacts extend hundreds of miles from the center.

Set up free location-based alerts for Myrtle Beach

Historical data: NOAA HURDAT2 Atlantic and Eastern North Pacific hurricane databases. Closest-approach calculated using great-circle distance between Myrtle Beach (33.7587°N, 78.8044°W) and each 6-hourly observation. Storms are included if their center passed within 150 mi of Myrtle Beach — impacts (wind, surge, rainfall) routinely extend much further.