NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Arley, 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
11 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Arley, Alabama since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Zeta in 2020. Since 1950, 162 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 25 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 11
- Tornadoes
- 162
- EF3 or stronger
- 25
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
86 deaths in all
What the records show for Arley
None of the 11 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Arley; the strongest was Zeta in 2020, a tropical storm with 64 mph winds when its centre passed 58 miles away. The record near Arley 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 11 systems, one has come since 2000. Of the 323 Alabama cities on this site, 76% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Arley. The strongest of the 162 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F5 on April 3, 1974; its path came within 19 miles, and it killed 28 people. Of the 162, 8 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 87 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 42. The most recent tornado was on March 15, 2025. Arley has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 75% of the 323 Alabama cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 62 times since 1975, with stones up to 2.5 inches (tennis ball size). Arley has more hail reports within 10 miles than 55% of the 323 Alabama cities.
Compare Arley's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Arley
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (64 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1995 | OpalOct 5 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1985 | JuanNov 1 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 13 | 36 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1950 | BakerAug 31 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormOct 17 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormOct 19 | 26 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormJul 8 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormSep 30 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 15 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1881 | Unnamed 1881 stormAug 29 | 62 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 Arley: 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 Arley
By decade
- 2020s11
- 2010s31(6 EF3+)
- 2000s45(4 EF3+)
- 1990s17
- 1980s23(4 EF3+)
- 1970s12(2 EF3+)
- 1960s12(4 EF3+)
- 1950s11(5 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 3, 1974 | F5 | 19 mi | 79.5 mi | 28 / 272 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF4 | 14 mi | 127.8 mi | 13 / 54 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF4 | 10 mi | 46.88 mi | 6 / 48 |
| Apr 24, 1955 | F4 | 21 mi | 8.6 mi | 5 / 20 |
| Feb 6, 2008 | EF4 | 24 mi | 16.7 mi | 4 / 23 |
| Nov 17, 1957 | F4 | 11 mi | 7.2 mi | 4 / 15 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 6 mi | 110.6 mi | 3 / 178 |
| Mar 6, 1967 | F4 | 24 mi | 20.9 mi | 2 / 25 |
| Mar 11, 1963 | F4 | 20 mi | 28 mi | 2 / 6 |
| Nov 10, 2002 | F3 | 6 mi | 72.6 mi | 7 / 53 |
| Nov 10, 2002 | F3 | in town | 44.3 mi | 4 / 38 |
| Nov 24, 2001 | F3 | 24 mi | 38.9 mi | 2 / 1 |
The strongest 12 of 162, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Arley
The Storm Prediction Center has 62 hail reports within 10 miles of Arley since 1975, made on 43 separate days. Of these, 35 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.5 inches (tennis ball size), fell on May 24, 2001. The most recent report is from April 9, 2021. March has the most reports, 23.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Arley
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Jasper, AL, 13 miles southwest of Arley at 486 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 90°F and low of 70°F; January is the coolest, at 52°F and 31°F. January is the wettest at 6.1 inches of precipitation on average and October the driest at 3.8 inches; the year adds up to 61.8 inches over 88 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 43% of the year's precipitation (26.6 of 61.8 inches); the other six months are wetter. October has brought the most of the 11 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (4); a normal October there has highs of 74°F and 3.8 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 58 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 73 nights a year. Snowfall averages 0.6 inches a year, most of it in March. That 61.8 inches is more than at 93 of the 107 Alabama stations used on this site (87%). Crane Hill, 7 miles east, has its own station (Hanceville, AL): 59.1 inches a year, 2.7 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 | 52 | 31 | 6.1 | 8 | 0.1 |
| Feb | 56 | 34 | 6.0 | 7 | 0.2 |
| Mar | 65 | 41 | 5.8 | 9 | 0.3 |
| Apr | 73 | 48 | 6.0 | 7 | 0.0 |
| May | 80 | 58 | 5.3 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 86 | 66 | 4.7 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 90 | 70 | 4.9 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 90 | 69 | 4.0 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 84 | 62 | 4.2 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 74 | 49 | 3.8 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 64 | 39 | 5.0 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 55 | 33 | 6.0 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Year | 72 | 50 | 61.8 | 88 | 0.6 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Jasper, AL (486 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 Arley
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 100 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Arley: 96 thunderstorm wind reports, 2 flash floods and 2 lightning strikes. They killed 0 people and injured 11, and the NWS estimated $728,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 100 mph, on March 18, 2013.
October 24, 2001: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Arley — 9 injured, $2,000 damage.
June 16, 2011: lightning strike 2 miles from the centre of Arley — 1 injured, $5,000 damage.
NWS: “An 11 year old male was injured when lightning struck near his home in Arley. In addition, the home sustained minor damage.”
August 3, 2023: lightning strike 7 miles from the centre of Arley — 1 injured.
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 Arley, 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 Arley
- Crane Hill, AL7 mi
- Addison, AL11 mi
- Bremen, AL12 mi
- Double Springs, AL13 mi
- Jasper, AL14 mi
- Nauvoo, AL17 mi
- Vinemont, AL20 mi
- Empire, AL20 mi
- Cullman, AL21 mi
- Cordova, AL21 mi
- Hanceville, AL22 mi
- Sumiton, AL23 mi
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