NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Ashland, 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
19 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Ashland, Alabama since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Zeta in 2020. Since 1950, 80 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 7 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 19
- Tornadoes
- 80
- EF3 or stronger
- 7
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
31 deaths in all
What the records show for Ashland
None of the 19 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Ashland; the strongest was Eloise in 1975, a tropical storm with 67 mph winds when its centre passed 15 miles away. The record near Ashland begins with an unnamed storm in 1852; the most recent system was Zeta in 2020, a tropical storm 34 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1900s, with 4 systems. Of the 19 systems, one has come since 2000. Ashland has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 50% of the 323 Alabama cities on this site. The highest rating among the 80 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 2 times; the most recent, on May 27, 1973, came within 14 miles. The deadliest, an EF3 on January 12, 2023, killed 7 people. Of the 80, 7 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 41 have come since 2000. March has had the most tornadoes, 16. The most recent tornado was on March 15, 2025. Of the 323 Alabama cities, 92% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Ashland. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 36 times since 1978, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Of the 323 Alabama cities, 74% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Ashland.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Ashland
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 34 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1995 | OpalOct 5 | 20 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1985 | JuanNov 1 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1975 | EloiseSep 23 | 15 mi | Tropical storm (67 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormOct 17 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormJul 8 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormSep 4 | 46 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1912 | Unnamed 1912 stormJun 14 | 12 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1907 | Unnamed 1907 stormSep 22 | 5 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1906 | Unnamed 1906 stormJun 13 | 1 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1903 | Unnamed 1903 stormSep 15 | 35 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormOct 11 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1898 | Unnamed 1898 stormOct 3 | 39 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1898 | Unnamed 1898 stormSep 1 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 3 | 43 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1887 | Unnamed 1887 stormJul 28 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1881 | Unnamed 1881 stormAug 28 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1859 | Unnamed 1859 stormSep 16 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1852 | Unnamed 1852 stormAug 27 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Ashland: 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 Ashland
By decade
- 2020s11(2 EF3+)
- 2010s13
- 2000s17
- 1990s7(1 EF3+)
- 1980s16(1 EF3+)
- 1970s6(2 EF3+)
- 1960s5
- 1950s5(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 27, 1973 | F4 | 14 mi | 139.1 mi | 7 / 199 |
| May 1, 1953 | F4 | in town | 12.1 mi | 7 / 12 |
| Jan 12, 2023 | EF3 | 24 mi | 82.31 mi | 7 / 16 |
| Dec 3, 1983 | F3 | 23 mi | 4 mi | 2 / 51 |
| Jan 26, 1974 | F3 | 23 mi | 21.3 mi | 1 / 7 |
| Mar 15, 2025 | EF3 | 17 mi | 20.45 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 18, 1996 | F3 | 24 mi | 24 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 15, 2025 | EF2 | 20 mi | 3.63 mi | 1 / 1 |
| Mar 2, 2012 | EF2 | 23 mi | 34.04 mi | 1 / 4 |
| Mar 25, 2021 | EF2 | 11 mi | 31.29 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 24, 2001 | F2 | 13 mi | 9.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 5, 1989 | F2 | 20 mi | 20 mi | 0 / 2 |
The strongest 12 of 80, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Ashland
The Storm Prediction Center has 36 hail reports within 10 miles of Ashland since 1978, made on 32 separate days. Of these, 13 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2 inches (hen egg size), fell on April 18, 1978. The most recent report is from June 25, 2023. April has the most reports, 9.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Ashland
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Ashland 3 ENE, AL, 5 miles northeast of Ashland at 1,022 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 90°F and low of 67°F; January is the coolest, at 55°F and 31°F. January is the wettest at 6.1 inches of precipitation on average and September the driest at 3.5 inches; the year adds up to 59.7 inches over 78 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 45% of the year's precipitation (26.7 of 59.7 inches); the other six months are wetter. Highs reach 90°F on about 40 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 65 nights a year. Snowfall averages 1.6 inches a year, most of it in March. That 59.7 inches is more than at 73 of the 107 Alabama stations used on this site (68%). Goodwater, 16 miles southwest, has its own station (Alexander City, AL): 57.0 inches a year, 2.7 less than here, and a July average high of 91°F against 90°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 55 | 31 | 6.1 | 7 | 0.3 |
| Feb | 59 | 34 | 6.0 | 7 | 0.2 |
| Mar | 67 | 40 | 6.0 | 7 | 0.6 |
| Apr | 74 | 47 | 4.7 | 7 | 0.0 |
| May | 81 | 55 | 4.6 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 87 | 63 | 4.6 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 90 | 67 | 4.8 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 89 | 66 | 5.1 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 84 | 60 | 3.5 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 76 | 49 | 3.8 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 66 | 38 | 4.9 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 57 | 33 | 5.6 | 7 | 0.5 |
| Year | 74 | 48 | 59.7 | 78 | 1.6 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Ashland 3 ENE, AL (1,022 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 Ashland
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 73 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Ashland: 66 thunderstorm wind reports, 5 flash floods and 2 floods. They killed 0 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $333,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 75 mph, on June 9, 1999. Of the 321 Alabama cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 45 have had fewer than Ashland.
June 28, 2018: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Ashland — 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
Clay County, which includes Ashland, has been named in 24 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1977, 14 of them major disasters (by incident: 9 hurricanes, 8 severe storms, 3 floods, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, and Tornadoes, on April 26, 2021. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Clay County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes; Relatively Low for hurricanes, inland flooding, strong wind, lightning and heat waves; Very Low for hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $5.9 million a year, the 61st highest of 67 Alabama counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $2.8 million (47%), 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 Ashland
- Lineville, AL9 mi
- Goodwater, AL16 mi
- Wadley, AL17 mi
- Talladega, AL19 mi
- Munford, AL19 mi
- Wedowee, AL20 mi
- Alexander City, AL24 mi
- Oxford, AL24 mi
- Sylacauga, AL25 mi
- Eastaboga, AL26 mi
- Alpine, AL26 mi
- Jacksons Gap, AL26 mi
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