NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Arab, 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
8 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Arab, Alabama since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Zeta in 2020. Since 1950, 182 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 28 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 8
- Tornadoes
- 182
- EF3 or stronger
- 28
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
76 deaths in all
What the records show for Arab
None of the 8 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Arab; the strongest was Zeta in 2020, a tropical storm with 62 mph winds when its centre passed 48 miles away. The record near Arab begins with an unnamed storm in 1892; the most recent system was Zeta in 2020. The busiest decade was the 1910s, with 2 systems. Of the 8 systems, one has come since 2000. Of the 323 Alabama cities on this site, 85% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Arab. The highest rating among the 182 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4 or EF4, reached 8 times; the most recent, on April 27, 2011, came within 5 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on November 15, 1989, killed 21 people. Of the 182, 15 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 101 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 69. The most recent tornado was on May 27, 2025. Arab has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 91% of the 323 Alabama cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 88 times since 1986, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Arab has more hail reports within 10 miles than 74% of the 323 Alabama cities.
Compare Arab's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Arab
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (62 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1995 | OpalOct 5 | 31 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1985 | JuanNov 1 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 13 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormOct 17 | 32 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormOct 19 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormSep 30 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 12 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Arab: 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 Arab
By decade
- 2020s25
- 2010s47(5 EF3+)
- 2000s29(3 EF3+)
- 1990s14(1 EF3+)
- 1980s22(7 EF3+)
- 1970s19(5 EF3+)
- 1960s13(2 EF3+)
- 1950s13(5 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 15, 1989 | F4 | 24 mi | 18.5 mi | 21 / 463 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF4 | 7 mi | 127.8 mi | 13 / 54 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF4 | 5 mi | 46.88 mi | 6 / 48 |
| Apr 24, 1955 | F4 | 23 mi | 8.6 mi | 5 / 20 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 12 mi | 110.6 mi | 3 / 178 |
| Nov 18, 1957 | F4 | 14 mi | 26.1 mi | 3 / 12 |
| Mar 11, 1963 | F4 | 10 mi | 28 mi | 2 / 6 |
| Nov 24, 2001 | F4 | 23 mi | 10.1 mi | 0 / 22 |
| Nov 10, 2002 | F3 | 14 mi | 72.6 mi | 7 / 53 |
| Feb 16, 1995 | F3 | 5 mi | 14 mi | 6 / 130 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 24 mi | 46.5 mi | 2 / 7 |
| Apr 8, 1957 | F3 | 7 mi | 38.8 mi | 2 / 90 |
The strongest 12 of 182, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Arab
The Storm Prediction Center has 88 hail reports within 10 miles of Arab since 1986, made on 48 separate days. Of these, 55 were 1 inch across or larger, and 5 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2.75 inches (baseball size), was reported on 2 days, most recently April 8, 1998. The most recent report is from May 2, 2025. April has the most reports, 33.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Arab
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Guntersville, AL, 9 miles east of Arab at 578 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 89°F and low of 72°F; January is the coolest, at 50°F and 33°F. December is the wettest at 6.0 inches of precipitation on average and October the driest at 3.5 inches; the year adds up to 56.9 inches over 82 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 49 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 52 nights a year. Snowfall averages 0.7 inches a year, most of it in February. That 56.9 inches is more than at 46 of the 107 Alabama stations used on this site (43%). Joppa, 5 miles west, has its own station (Cullman 3 ENE, AL): 58.6 inches a year, 1.7 more than here, and a July average high of 88°F against 89°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 50 | 33 | 5.3 | 8 | 0.1 |
| Feb | 55 | 36 | 5.4 | 8 | 0.5 |
| Mar | 63 | 43 | 5.7 | 8 | 0.1 |
| Apr | 72 | 50 | 5.0 | 7 | 0.0 |
| May | 80 | 60 | 4.6 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 86 | 68 | 4.7 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 89 | 72 | 4.3 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 89 | 71 | 4.0 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 84 | 65 | 4.2 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 74 | 54 | 3.5 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 62 | 42 | 4.2 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 53 | 36 | 6.0 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Year | 71 | 53 | 56.9 | 82 | 0.7 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Guntersville, AL (578 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 Arab
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 283 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Arab: 235 thunderstorm wind reports, 36 flash floods, 5 floods, 4 heavy rain events and 3 lightning strikes. They killed 2 people and injured 0, and the NWS estimated $2.7 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on March 9, 2006. Of the 321 Alabama cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 261 have had fewer than Arab.
October 6, 2021: flash flood 2 miles from the centre of Arab — 1 killed.
NWS: “Flash flood fatality occurred on Haynes Road in Arab. Vehicle swept away with child inside.”
October 6, 2021: flash flood 3 miles from the centre of Arab — 1 killed.
NWS: “Flash flood fatality occurred on Friendship Road. A woman's vehicle was swept away in the flood waters and her body was found the next morning.”
August 17, 2007: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Arab — $1.0 million damage.
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
Flood insurance policyholders in Arab's ZIP code 35016 have filed 13 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 2001, and were paid $406,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 15% of the claims carry the name of a storm or flood event; the rest have no event name. Of the 118 Alabama cities on this site with 10 or more claims, 10 have fewer than Arab.
Marshall County, which includes Arab, has been named in 29 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 20 of them major disasters (by incident: 14 severe storms, 6 hurricanes, 4 floods, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Thunderstorms, on July 10, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Marshall County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for tornadoes, strong wind and lightning; Relatively Moderate for inland flooding and heat waves; Relatively Low for hurricanes and hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $50.2 million a year, the 13th highest of 67 Alabama counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $20.0 million (40%), 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.