NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Addison, AL
Every tropical system within 75 miles since 1851 and every tornado within 25 miles since 1950.
Data: NOAA NHC HURDAT2 and NOAA SPC tornado and hail reports, through 2025 · Updated
12 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Addison, Alabama since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Zeta in 2020. Since 1950, 163 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 23 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 12
- Tornadoes
- 163
- EF3 or stronger
- 23
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
180 deaths in all
What the records show for Addison
None of the 12 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Addison; the strongest was Zeta in 2020, a tropical storm with 64 mph winds when its centre passed 66 miles away. The record near Addison begins with an unnamed storm in 1881; the most recent system was Zeta in 2020. The busiest decade was the 1910s, with 3 systems. Of the 12 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Of the 323 Alabama cities on this site, 73% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Addison. The highest rating among the 163 tornadoes within 25 miles is F5 or EF5, reached 3 times; the most recent, on April 27, 2011, came within 21 miles. Of the 163, 8 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 94 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 48. The most recent tornado was on May 20, 2025. Addison has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 76% of the 323 Alabama cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 54 times since 1975, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Of the 323 Alabama cities, 52% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Addison.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Addison
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (64 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2005 | KatrinaAug 30 | 75 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1995 | OpalOct 5 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1985 | JuanNov 1 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 13 | 30 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1950 | BakerAug 31 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormOct 17 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormOct 19 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormJul 8 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormSep 30 | 21 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 20 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1881 | Unnamed 1881 stormAug 29 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Addison: a hurricane's worst winds sit within a few dozen miles of its centre, and inland cities are usually past that.
Tornadoes within 25 miles of Addison
By decade
- 2020s17
- 2010s36(6 EF3+)
- 2000s41(3 EF3+)
- 1990s15
- 1980s21(5 EF3+)
- 1970s14(4 EF3+)
- 1960s9(1 EF3+)
- 1950s10(4 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF5 | 21 mi | 132 mi | 72 / 145 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F5 | 10 mi | 79.5 mi | 28 / 272 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F5 | 23 mi | 52 mi | 28 / 267 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF4 | 23 mi | 127.8 mi | 13 / 54 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF4 | 14 mi | 46.88 mi | 6 / 48 |
| Apr 24, 1955 | F4 | 11 mi | 8.6 mi | 5 / 20 |
| Feb 6, 2008 | EF4 | 14 mi | 16.7 mi | 4 / 23 |
| Nov 17, 1957 | F4 | 22 mi | 7.2 mi | 4 / 15 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 14 mi | 110.6 mi | 3 / 178 |
| Nov 10, 2002 | F3 | 16 mi | 72.6 mi | 7 / 53 |
| Nov 10, 2002 | F3 | 12 mi | 44.3 mi | 4 / 38 |
| Apr 8, 1957 | F3 | 13 mi | 38.8 mi | 2 / 90 |
The strongest 12 of 163, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Addison
The Storm Prediction Center has 54 hail reports within 10 miles of Addison since 1975, made on 39 separate days. Of these, 26 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2 inches (hen egg size), fell on January 24, 1997. The most recent report is from April 10, 2025. March has the most reports, 17.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Addison
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Addison, AL, 2 miles north of Addison at 818 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 88°F and low of 68°F; January is the coolest, at 50°F and 29°F. December is the wettest at 6.3 inches of precipitation on average and October the driest at 3.9 inches; the year adds up to 61.0 inches over 83 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 45% of the year's precipitation (27.3 of 61.0 inches); the other six months are wetter. October has brought the most of the 12 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (4); a normal October there has highs of 73°F and 3.9 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 34 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 73 nights a year. That 61.0 inches is more than at 87 of the 107 Alabama stations used on this site (81%). Arley, 11 miles south, has its own station (Jasper, AL): 61.8 inches a year, 0.8 more than here, and a July average high of 90°F against 88°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 50 | 29 | 5.4 | 8 |
| Feb | 55 | 32 | 5.6 | 8 |
| Mar | 64 | 40 | 5.4 | 8 |
| Apr | 72 | 47 | 5.9 | 7 |
| May | 79 | 56 | 5.1 | 7 |
| Jun | 85 | 64 | 4.8 | 8 |
| Jul | 88 | 68 | 4.8 | 8 |
| Aug | 88 | 66 | 4.4 | 6 |
| Sep | 83 | 60 | 4.5 | 5 |
| Oct | 73 | 48 | 3.9 | 5 |
| Nov | 62 | 39 | 4.9 | 6 |
| Dec | 53 | 33 | 6.3 | 7 |
| Year | 71 | 48 | 61.0 | 83 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Addison, AL (818 ft), from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals. Normals describe the station; the farther a place is from it, and the bigger the difference in height, the more its weather can differ.
Floods, thunderstorm wind and lightning near Addison
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 76 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Addison: 67 thunderstorm wind reports, 6 flash floods, 1 flood, 1 heavy rain event and 1 lightning strike. They killed 0 people and injured 4, and the NWS estimated $304,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 105 mph, on April 22, 2017. July has had the most flash floods, 4 of 6. Of the 321 Alabama cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 64 have had fewer than Addison.
April 2, 2009: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Addison — 2 injured.
NWS: “Widespread trees were reported blown down and power outages occurred countywide. Time was estimated by radar as winds affected the western portion of Cullman county.”
August 2, 2012: thunderstorm wind 4 miles from the centre of Addison — 1 injured, $10,000 damage.
NWS: “Strong thunderstorm winds estimated at 40 mph knocked down a few small tree limbs and produced slight damage to an awning at a Texaco gas station near Addison, Alabama. The awning fell onto a vehicle at the Texaco gas station and slightly injured a person.”
July 16, 2010: lightning strike 8 miles from the centre of Addison — 1 injured.
NWS: “A woman was struck by lightning in her home off highway 939.”
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, events whose starting point is on record, 1996 to June 30, 2026. Damage is the NWS estimate in the dollars of the year, not insured losses, and NWS notes that some reports are unverified.
Flood insurance claims, disaster declarations and FEMA risk ratings
Winston County, which includes Addison, has been named in 25 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 16 of them major disasters (by incident: 10 severe storms, 7 hurricanes, 2 biological emergencies, 2 floods). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 29, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Winston County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, strong wind and lightning; Relatively Low for hurricanes, inland flooding and heat waves; Very Low for hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $12.4 million a year, the 40th highest of 67 Alabama counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $6.4 million (51%), is from inland flooding.
Claims: FEMA, OpenFEMA Dataset FIMA NFIP Redacted Claims – v3, summed over ZIP codes; payments in the dollars of each year, not adjusted for inflation. Declarations: Disaster Declarations Summaries – v2, by county. Retrieved October 25, 2026. This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).
Risk ratings: FEMA, National Risk Index county table, December 2025 (v1.20), retrieved October 26, 2026; ratings compare counties nationwide, are meant for planning and are no substitute for a local risk assessment. This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's National Risk Index dataset API or downloadable datasets but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).
What counts as a pass, the distances and the sources: how this storm history is built.
Cities near Addison
- Arley, AL11 mi
- Danville, AL13 mi
- Double Springs, AL14 mi
- Crane Hill, AL14 mi
- Vinemont, AL15 mi
- Falkville, AL18 mi
- Cullman, AL19 mi
- Moulton, AL20 mi
- Hartselle, AL20 mi
- Bremen, AL20 mi
- Nauvoo, AL24 mi
- Hanceville, AL24 mi
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