NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Ardmore, 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 Ardmore, Alabama since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Opal in 1995. Since 1950, 190 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 23 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 8
- Tornadoes
- 190
- EF3 or stronger
- 23
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
169 deaths in all
What the records show for Ardmore
None of the 8 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Ardmore; the strongest was Frederic in 1979, a tropical storm with 46 mph winds when its centre passed 18 miles away. The record near Ardmore begins with an unnamed storm in 1892; the most recent system was Opal in 1995, a tropical storm 57 miles away. The 1910s and the 1930s were the busiest decades, with 2 systems each. None of the 8 systems has come since 2000. Of the 323 Alabama cities on this site, 85% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Ardmore. The highest rating among the 190 tornadoes within 25 miles is F5 or EF5, reached 3 times; the most recent, on April 27, 2011, came within 13 miles. Of the 190, 11 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 125 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 56. The most recent tornado was on May 27, 2025. Ardmore has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 95% of the 323 Alabama cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 87 times since 1973, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Ardmore has more hail reports within 10 miles than 73% of the 323 Alabama cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Ardmore
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | OpalOct 5 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 13 | 18 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 18 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormOct 17 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormOct 19 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormSep 30 | overhead | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 24 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 Ardmore: 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 Ardmore
By decade
- 2020s33(2 EF3+)
- 2010s51(4 EF3+)
- 2000s41(1 EF3+)
- 1990s12(2 EF3+)
- 1980s14(3 EF3+)
- 1970s18(6 EF3+)
- 1960s8(1 EF3+)
- 1950s13(4 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF5 | 13 mi | 132 mi | 72 / 145 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F5 | 12 mi | 52 mi | 28 / 267 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F5 | 5 mi | 83.3 mi | 16 / 190 |
| Nov 15, 1989 | F4 | 24 mi | 18.5 mi | 21 / 463 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 18 mi | 27.5 mi | 11 / 121 |
| Mar 22, 1952 | F4 | 22 mi | 21.6 mi | 4 / 50 |
| Feb 29, 1952 | F4 | 18 mi | 2 mi | 2 / 150 |
| May 18, 1995 | F4 | 10 mi | 39 mi | 1 / 55 |
| Apr 28, 2014 | EF3 | 15 mi | 26.76 mi | 2 / 0 |
| Apr 28, 2014 | EF3 | 14 mi | 15.56 mi | 2 / 30 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 25 mi | 46.5 mi | 2 / 7 |
| Apr 1, 2023 | EF3 | 14 mi | 12.03 mi | 1 / 5 |
The strongest 12 of 190, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Ardmore
The Storm Prediction Center has 87 hail reports within 10 miles of Ardmore since 1973, made on 51 separate days. Of these, 56 were 1 inch across or larger, and 5 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on March 29, 2011. The most recent report is from May 18, 2023. April has the most reports, 28.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Ardmore
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Athens, AL, 16 miles southwest of Ardmore at 689 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 90°F and low of 72°F; January is the coolest, at 51°F and 34°F. December is the wettest at 6.3 inches of precipitation on average and September the driest at 3.8 inches; the year adds up to 59.1 inches over 85 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 63 nights a year. Snowfall averages 1.3 inches a year, most of it in January and February. That 59.1 inches is more than at 71 of the 107 Alabama stations used on this site (66%). Ardmore, TN, 5 miles north, has its own station (Pulaski Wwtp, TN): 58.7 inches a year, 0.4 less than here, and a July average high of 88°F against 90°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 51 | 34 | 5.5 | 7 | 0.5 |
| Feb | 56 | 37 | 5.4 | 8 | 0.5 |
| Mar | 65 | 44 | 5.6 | 8 | 0.3 |
| Apr | 73 | 51 | 5.4 | 7 | 0.0 |
| May | 80 | 60 | 4.9 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 87 | 68 | 4.8 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 90 | 72 | 4.9 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 90 | 71 | 3.9 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 85 | 65 | 3.8 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 75 | 53 | 4.0 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 63 | 42 | 4.6 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 54 | 37 | 6.3 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Year | 72 | 53 | 59.1 | 85 | 1.3 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Athens, AL (689 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 Ardmore
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 256 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Ardmore: 202 thunderstorm wind reports, 34 flash floods, 10 floods, 8 lightning strikes and 2 heavy rain events. They killed 0 people and injured 2, and the NWS estimated $2.2 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on May 8, 2024. June has had the most flash floods, 10 of 34. Of the 321 Alabama cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 257 have had fewer than Ardmore.
May 7, 1998: thunderstorm wind 3 miles from the centre of Ardmore — 1 injured, $50,000 damage.
NWS: “A person was injured when his mobile home was overturned and destroyed during a thunderstorm.”
June 15, 2011: lightning strike 10 miles from the centre of Ardmore — 1 injured.
October 18, 2007: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Ardmore — $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
Limestone County, which includes Ardmore, has been named in 22 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 13 of them major disasters (by incident: 9 severe storms, 6 hurricanes, 2 biological emergencies, 2 tornadoes). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms and Flooding, on May 21, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Limestone County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, inland flooding and strong wind; Relatively Low for hurricanes, lightning and heat waves; Very Low for hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $47.6 million a year, the 14th highest of 67 Alabama counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $19.5 million (41%), 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 Ardmore
- Ardmore, TN5 mi
- Toney, AL7 mi
- Elkmont, AL10 mi
- Prospect, TN11 mi
- Harvest, AL11 mi
- Hazel Green, AL13 mi
- Athens, AL15 mi
- Meridianville, AL16 mi
- Fayetteville, TN18 mi
- Madison, AL19 mi
- Pulaski, TN20 mi
- Huntsville, AL21 mi
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