NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Athens, 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 Athens, Alabama since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Opal in 1995. Since 1950, 198 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 21 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 8
- Tornadoes
- 198
- EF3 or stronger
- 21
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
189 deaths in all
What the records show for Athens
None of the 8 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Athens; the strongest was Frederic in 1979, a tropical storm with 47 mph winds when its centre passed 17 miles away. The record near Athens begins with an unnamed storm in 1892; the most recent system was Opal in 1995, a tropical storm 64 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 Athens. The highest rating among the 198 tornadoes within 25 miles is F5 or EF5, reached 4 times; the most recent, on April 27, 2011, came within 7 miles. Of the 198, 21 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 144 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 56. The most recent tornado was on May 27, 2025. Athens has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 98% of the 323 Alabama cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 118 times since 1955, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Athens has more hail reports within 10 miles than 88% of the 323 Alabama cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Athens
Of the 8 tracks on the map, 6 were moving northeast as they passed Athens, 2 north. Frederic (1979), the strongest pass, was heading northeast; its centre passed 17 miles northwest of Athens. None made landfall within 75 miles of Athens; 6 of the 8 were hurricanes at their peak, none at their closest to the city. None came near Athens in the last 30 seasons (1996–2025); from 1851 to 1995 the rate was 0.6 a decade.
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | OpalOct 5 | 64 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 13 | 17 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 18 | 67 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 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormSep 30 | 2 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 28 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 Athens: a hurricane's worst winds sit within a few dozen miles of its centre, and inland cities are usually past that.
Check hail and hurricane history for any address
Tornadoes within 25 miles of Athens
By decade
- 2020s37(1 EF3+)
- 2010s55(4 EF3+)
- 2000s52(1 EF3+)
- 1990s11(3 EF3+)
- 1980s11(3 EF3+)
- 1970s15(6 EF3+)
- 1960s7(2 EF3+)
- 1950s10(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF5 | 7 mi | 132 mi | 72 / 145 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F5 | 21 mi | 79.5 mi | 28 / 272 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F5 | 6 mi | 52 mi | 28 / 267 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F5 | 3 mi | 83.3 mi | 16 / 190 |
| Nov 15, 1989 | F4 | 21 mi | 18.5 mi | 21 / 463 |
| Feb 6, 2008 | EF4 | 17 mi | 16.7 mi | 4 / 23 |
| Mar 22, 1952 | F4 | 13 mi | 21.6 mi | 4 / 50 |
| May 18, 1995 | F4 | 2 mi | 39 mi | 1 / 55 |
| Apr 28, 2014 | EF3 | in town | 15.56 mi | 2 / 30 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 19 mi | 46.5 mi | 2 / 7 |
| Mar 9, 1964 | F3 | 20 mi | 5.2 mi | 2 / 2 |
| Apr 1, 1974 | F3 | 16 mi | 8.4 mi | 1 / 6 |
The strongest 12 of 198, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Athens
The Storm Prediction Center has 118 hail reports within 10 miles of Athens since 1955, made on 72 separate days. Of these, 74 were 1 inch across or larger, and 8 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on April 28, 2014. The most recent report is from May 20, 2025. March has the most reports, 34.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Athens
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Athens, AL, 3 miles southeast of Athens 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%). Harvest, 12 miles east, has its own station (Belle Mina 2 N, AL): 54.6 inches a year, 4.5 less than here, and a July average high of 89°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 Athens
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 311 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Athens: 254 thunderstorm wind reports, 24 flash floods, 16 lightning strikes, 10 floods and 7 heavy rain events. They killed 0 people and injured 2, and the NWS estimated $5.6 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 85 mph, on July 1, 2023. July has had the most flash floods, 8 of 24. Of the 321 Alabama cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 226 have had fewer than Athens.
July 26, 2010: lightning strike 2 miles from the centre of Athens — 1 injured.
NWS: “One female was struck and injured by lightning while on Highway 31 North.”
June 15, 2011: lightning strike 7 miles from the centre of Athens — 1 injured.
August 17, 2007: thunderstorm wind 2 miles from the centre of Athens — $1.0 million damage.
NWS: “Large oak tree and other smaller trees were blown down on highway 72 just west of the Athens city limits.”
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 Athens's 3 ZIP codes have filed 33 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1980, and were paid $155,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 9% 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, 54 have fewer than Athens.
Limestone County, which includes Athens, 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 Athens
- Elkmont, AL9 mi
- Harvest, AL12 mi
- Madison, AL14 mi
- Ardmore, AL15 mi
- Decatur, AL16 mi
- Prospect, TN16 mi
- Toney, AL17 mi
- Hillsboro, AL17 mi
- Trinity, AL17 mi
- Ardmore, TN18 mi
- Rogersville, AL18 mi
- Huntsville, AL22 mi
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