NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Attalla, 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
13 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Attalla, Alabama since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Zeta in 2020. Since 1950, 139 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 25 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 13
- Tornadoes
- 139
- EF3 or stronger
- 25
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
105 deaths in all
What the records show for Attalla
None of the 13 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Attalla; the strongest was Zeta in 2020, a tropical storm with 62 mph winds when its centre passed 19 miles away. The record near Attalla begins with an unnamed storm in 1892; the most recent system was Zeta in 2020. The busiest decade was the 1910s, with 4 systems. Of the 13 systems, one has come since 2000. Of the 323 Alabama cities on this site, 69% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Attalla. The strongest of the 139 tornadoes within 25 miles was an EF5 on April 27, 2011; its path came within 25 miles, and it killed 25 people. Of the 139, 11 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 77 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 60. The most recent tornado was on May 20, 2025. Attalla has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 56% of the 323 Alabama cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 89 times since 1961, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Attalla has more hail reports within 10 miles than 75% of the 323 Alabama cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Attalla
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (62 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1995 | OpalOct 5 | 5 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1985 | JuanNov 1 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1975 | EloiseSep 23 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (61 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormOct 17 | 1 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormJul 8 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormSep 30 | 75 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormSep 5 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1912 | Unnamed 1912 stormJun 14 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1907 | Unnamed 1907 stormSep 22 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormOct 11 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1898 | Unnamed 1898 stormOct 3 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 41 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 Attalla: 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 Attalla
By decade
- 2020s17(1 EF3+)
- 2010s41(8 EF3+)
- 2000s19(2 EF3+)
- 1990s13(2 EF3+)
- 1980s11(2 EF3+)
- 1970s21(6 EF3+)
- 1960s10(1 EF3+)
- 1950s7(3 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF5 | 25 mi | 33.66 mi | 25 / 0 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF4 | 13 mi | 97.33 mi | 22 / 85 |
| Mar 27, 1994 | F4 | 18 mi | 50 mi | 22 / 150 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF4 | 22 mi | 127.8 mi | 13 / 54 |
| Nov 18, 1957 | F4 | 16 mi | 26.1 mi | 3 / 12 |
| Apr 24, 2010 | EF4 | 14 mi | 16.62 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Nov 24, 2001 | F4 | 12 mi | 10.1 mi | 0 / 22 |
| Mar 25, 2021 | EF3 | 20 mi | 38.17 mi | 6 / 10 |
| Feb 16, 1995 | F3 | 21 mi | 14 mi | 6 / 130 |
| Apr 4, 1977 | F3 | 11 mi | 7.3 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Jan 10, 1975 | F3 | 19 mi | 18.8 mi | 1 / 60 |
| May 27, 1973 | F3 | 7 mi | 41.6 mi | 1 / 44 |
The strongest 12 of 139, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Attalla
The Storm Prediction Center has 89 hail reports within 10 miles of Attalla since 1961, made on 72 separate days. Of these, 61 were 1 inch across or larger, and 4 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on June 7, 1985. The most recent report is from April 10, 2025. April has the most reports, 27.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Attalla
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Gadsden, AL, 6 miles east of Attalla at 565 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 91°F and low of 71°F; January is the coolest, at 53°F and 33°F. January is the wettest at 5.7 inches of precipitation on average and October the driest at 3.5 inches; the year adds up to 57.8 inches over 85 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 45% of the year's precipitation (26.1 of 57.8 inches); the other six months are wetter. Highs reach 90°F on about 66 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 53 nights a year. That 57.8 inches is more than at 59 of the 107 Alabama stations used on this site (55%). Boaz, 11 miles north, has its own station (Sand Mt Substn, AL): 56.7 inches a year, 1.1 less than here, and a July average high of 88°F against 91°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 53 | 33 | 5.7 | 8 |
| Feb | 57 | 36 | 5.2 | 8 |
| Mar | 66 | 43 | 5.4 | 8 |
| Apr | 75 | 50 | 5.1 | 7 |
| May | 82 | 59 | 4.8 | 7 |
| Jun | 88 | 68 | 4.6 | 8 |
| Jul | 91 | 71 | 4.7 | 8 |
| Aug | 90 | 70 | 4.5 | 6 |
| Sep | 85 | 64 | 4.5 | 5 |
| Oct | 75 | 53 | 3.5 | 5 |
| Nov | 64 | 41 | 4.3 | 6 |
| Dec | 56 | 36 | 5.5 | 8 |
| Year | 74 | 52 | 57.8 | 85 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Gadsden, AL (565 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 Attalla
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 199 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Attalla: 176 thunderstorm wind reports, 16 flash floods, 5 lightning strikes and 2 floods. They killed 0 people and injured 36, and the NWS estimated $2.3 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 87 mph, on March 18, 2013. July has had the most flash floods, 5 of 16. Of the 321 Alabama cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 190 have had fewer than Attalla.
August 3, 2023: thunderstorm wind 5 miles from the centre of Attalla — 20 injured.
June 3, 2001: thunderstorm wind 5 miles from the centre of Attalla — 9 injured, $15,000 damage.
February 27, 1999: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Attalla — 1 injured, $800,000 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
Flood insurance policyholders in Attalla's ZIP code 35954 have filed 24 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1979, and were paid $193,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 17% 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, 33 have fewer than Attalla.
Etowah County, which includes Attalla, has been named in 29 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 19 of them major disasters (by incident: 12 severe storms, 7 hurricanes, 3 floods, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Thunderstorms, on July 10, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Etowah County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for tornadoes and strong wind; Relatively Moderate for inland flooding and lightning; Relatively Low for hurricanes, hail and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $50.3 million a year, the 12th highest of 67 Alabama counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $22.9 million (45%), 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 Attalla
- Gadsden, AL7 mi
- Rainbow City, AL7 mi
- Southside, AL10 mi
- Boaz, AL11 mi
- Glencoe, AL11 mi
- Steele, AL13 mi
- Altoona, AL13 mi
- Wellington, AL17 mi
- Ohatchee, AL17 mi
- Ashville, AL17 mi
- Crossville, AL18 mi
- Albertville, AL18 mi
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