NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Ariton, 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
39 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Ariton, Alabama since 1851, 7 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Fred in 2021. Since 1950, 135 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 9 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 7
- Tropical storms
- 32
- Tornadoes
- 135
- EF3 or stronger
- 9
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
14 deaths in all
What the records show for Ariton
The strongest storm to pass near Ariton was Michael in 2018, a Category 3 hurricane with 110 mph winds when its centre passed 63 miles away. The closest pass by a hurricane was an unnamed storm in 1882, whose centre came within 8 miles. The record near Ariton begins with an unnamed storm in 1851; the most recent system was Fred in 2021, a tropical storm 17 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1880s, with 5 systems, one of them at hurricane strength. Of the 39 systems, 5 have come since 2000. Ariton has more hurricanes within 75 miles than 80% of the 323 Alabama cities on this site. The strongest of the 135 tornadoes within 25 miles was an EF4 on March 1, 2007; its path came within 16 miles, and it killed 9 people. Of the 135, 5 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 76 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 21. The most recent tornado was on April 6, 2025. Ariton has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 52% of the 323 Alabama cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 28 times since 1958, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Of the 323 Alabama cities, 85% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Ariton.
Compare Ariton's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Ariton
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | FredAug 17 | 17 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2020 | SallySep 17 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 2018 | MichaelOct 10 | 63 mi | Category 3 (110 mph) | Category 5 |
| 2008 | FayAug 23 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2001 | BarryAug 6 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1995 | OpalOct 5 | 54 mi | Category 1 (81 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1994 | AlbertoJul 3 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1975 | EloiseSep 23 | 19 mi | Category 2 (99 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1972 | AgnesJun 20 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1965 | Unnamed 1965 stormJun 15 | 17 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1964 | HildaOct 5 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1964 | DoraSep 12 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1956 | FlossySep 25 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1953 | FlorenceSep 27 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1950 | KingOct 19 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1937 | Unnamed 1937 stormAug 31 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1928 | Unnamed 1928 stormAug 15 | 13 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1917 | Unnamed 1917 stormSep 29 | 24 mi | Tropical storm (70 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormSep 4 | 22 mi | Tropical storm (61 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1914 | Unnamed 1914 stormSep 18 | 38 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1906 | Unnamed 1906 stormJun 13 | overhead | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1903 | Unnamed 1903 stormSep 14 | 18 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormOct 11 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1901 | Unnamed 1901 stormSep 17 | 16 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1899 | Unnamed 1899 stormAug 2 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1898 | Unnamed 1898 stormAug 3 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1896 | Unnamed 1896 stormJul 7 | 17 mi | Category 1 (74 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 3 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (61 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1889 | Unnamed 1889 stormSep 23 | 2 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1887 | Unnamed 1887 stormOct 20 | 3 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1887 | Unnamed 1887 stormJul 27 | 9 mi | Tropical storm (59 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1882 | Unnamed 1882 stormSep 10 | 8 mi | Category 1 (81 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1881 | Unnamed 1881 stormAug 28 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1877 | Unnamed 1877 stormSep 20 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (66 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1860 | Unnamed 1860 stormAug 12 | 14 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1859 | Unnamed 1859 stormSep 16 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1856 | Unnamed 1856 stormAug 31 | 61 mi | Category 1 (84 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1852 | Unnamed 1852 stormAug 27 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1851 | Unnamed 1851 stormAug 24 | 67 mi | Category 2 (98 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Ariton: 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 Ariton
By decade
- 2020s19
- 2010s19
- 2000s38(1 EF3+)
- 1990s15
- 1980s14(2 EF3+)
- 1970s15(6 EF3+)
- 1960s7
- 1950s8
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 1, 2007 | EF4 | 16 mi | 10.33 mi | 9 / 50 |
| Nov 25, 1986 | F3 | 2 mi | 44 mi | 0 / 4 |
| May 16, 1983 | F3 | 20 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Dec 19, 1974 | F3 | 14 mi | 11.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Dec 30, 1973 | F3 | 10 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 14 |
| Dec 29, 1973 | F3 | 18 mi | 11.6 mi | 0 / 11 |
| Jan 13, 1972 | F3 | 17 mi | 16.8 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Mar 3, 1971 | F3 | 12 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 2, 1971 | F3 | 9 mi | 23.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jan 13, 1972 | F2 | 15 mi | 6.3 mi | 4 / 88 |
| Nov 5, 2002 | F2 | 23 mi | 6 mi | 1 / 20 |
| Mar 15, 2025 | EF2 | 19 mi | 21.31 mi | 0 / 3 |
The strongest 12 of 135, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Ariton
The Storm Prediction Center has 28 hail reports within 10 miles of Ariton since 1958, made on 22 separate days. Of these, 19 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on May 6, 2012. The most recent report is from May 8, 2025. April has the most reports, 10.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Ariton
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Troy, AL, 22 miles northwest of Ariton at 542 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 91°F and low of 71°F; January is the coolest, at 58°F and 37°F. July is the wettest at 5.3 inches of precipitation on average and October the driest at 3.3 inches; the year adds up to 52.6 inches over 70 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 50% of the year's precipitation (26.3 of 52.6 inches). September has brought the most of the 39 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (14); a normal September there has highs of 87°F and 3.9 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 68 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 33 nights a year. That 52.6 inches is more than at 7 of the 107 Alabama stations used on this site (7%). Ozark, 10 miles south, has its own station (Dothan Regional Airport, AL): 54.0 inches a year, 1.4 more than here, and a July average high of 93°F against 91°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 58 | 37 | 4.5 | 6 |
| Feb | 63 | 41 | 3.9 | 6 |
| Mar | 70 | 46 | 4.8 | 6 |
| Apr | 77 | 53 | 4.6 | 5 |
| May | 84 | 61 | 3.5 | 5 |
| Jun | 89 | 69 | 5.1 | 7 |
| Jul | 91 | 71 | 5.3 | 8 |
| Aug | 90 | 71 | 4.9 | 7 |
| Sep | 87 | 66 | 3.9 | 5 |
| Oct | 78 | 56 | 3.3 | 4 |
| Nov | 68 | 45 | 3.8 | 5 |
| Dec | 61 | 40 | 5.0 | 6 |
| Year | 76 | 55 | 52.6 | 70 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Troy, AL (542 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 Ariton
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 178 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Ariton: 163 thunderstorm wind reports, 10 flash floods, 4 floods and 1 heavy rain event. They killed 2 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $2.7 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 75 mph, on June 17, 2016. April has had the most flash floods, 4 of 10. Of the 321 Alabama cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 123 have had fewer than Ariton.
December 24, 2015: flood 6 miles from the centre of Ariton — 2 killed, $1.7 million damage.
April 22, 1997: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Ariton — 1 injured, $10,000 damage.
December 24, 2015: flood 6 miles from the centre of Ariton — $178,000 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
Dale County, which includes Ariton, has been named in 33 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1975, 21 of them major disasters (by incident: 15 severe storms, 11 hurricanes, 2 biological emergencies, 2 floods). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, and Tornadoes, on July 10, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Dale County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for hurricanes, tornadoes and lightning; Relatively Low for inland flooding, strong wind and heat waves; Very Low for hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $18.5 million a year, the 32nd highest of 67 Alabama counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $6.5 million (35%), 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 Ariton
- Brundidge, AL10 mi
- Ozark, AL10 mi
- Clio, AL11 mi
- Fort Rucker, AL16 mi
- New Brockton, AL18 mi
- Enterprise, AL20 mi
- Daleville, AL21 mi
- Midland City, AL22 mi
- Troy, AL22 mi
- Newton, AL23 mi
- Clayton, AL23 mi
- Elba, AL25 mi
All Alabama cities →All hurricanes since 1851 →Compare Ariton with another place →