NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Bessemer, 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
16 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Bessemer, Alabama since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Zeta in 2020. Since 1950, 148 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 18 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 16
- Tornadoes
- 148
- EF3 or stronger
- 18
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
162 deaths in all
What the records show for Bessemer
None of the 16 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Bessemer; the strongest was Zeta in 2020, a tropical storm with 66 mph winds when its centre passed 12 miles away. The record near Bessemer begins with an unnamed storm in 1860; the most recent system was Zeta in 2020. The busiest decade was the 1910s, with 4 systems. Of the 16 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Of the 323 Alabama cities on this site, 56% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Bessemer. The highest rating among the 148 tornadoes within 25 miles is F5, reached 2 times; the most recent, on April 8, 1998, came within 11 miles. The deadliest, an EF4 on April 27, 2011, killed 64 people. Of the 148, 14 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 83 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 43. The most recent tornado was on November 25, 2025. Bessemer has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 62% of the 323 Alabama cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 160 times since 1955, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Bessemer has more hail reports within 10 miles than 95% of the 323 Alabama cities.
Compare Bessemer's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Bessemer
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 12 mi | Tropical storm (66 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2004 | IvanSep 16 | 8 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1995 | OpalOct 5 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1985 | JuanNov 1 | 13 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 13 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1950 | BakerAug 31 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormOct 17 | 14 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormOct 18 | 32 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormJul 8 | 10 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormSep 30 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1912 | Unnamed 1912 stormJun 14 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1907 | Unnamed 1907 stormSep 22 | 49 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 18 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1881 | Unnamed 1881 stormAug 29 | 31 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1879 | Unnamed 1879 stormSep 2 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1860 | Unnamed 1860 stormSep 16 | 66 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 Bessemer: 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 Bessemer
By decade
- 2020s23(4 EF3+)
- 2010s34(4 EF3+)
- 2000s26
- 1990s10(1 EF3+)
- 1980s17
- 1970s17(2 EF3+)
- 1960s12(3 EF3+)
- 1950s9(4 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 8, 1998 | F5 | 11 mi | 30.3 mi | 32 / 259 |
| Apr 4, 1977 | F5 | 10 mi | 14.7 mi | 22 / 130 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF4 | 9 mi | 80.68 mi | 64 / 1500 |
| Apr 15, 1956 | F4 | 9 mi | 21.3 mi | 25 / 200 |
| Mar 6, 1967 | F4 | 25 mi | 20.9 mi | 2 / 25 |
| Mar 5, 1963 | F4 | in town | 14.9 mi | 0 / 35 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF3 | 16 mi | 72.13 mi | 7 / 50 |
| Jan 25, 2021 | EF3 | 17 mi | 10.4 mi | 1 / 30 |
| Jan 23, 2012 | EF3 | 21 mi | 15.69 mi | 1 / 75 |
| May 27, 1973 | F3 | 20 mi | 41.6 mi | 1 / 44 |
| May 6, 1967 | F3 | 9 mi | 4.3 mi | 1 / 25 |
| Feb 13, 1952 | F3 | 15 mi | 0.1 mi | 1 / 26 |
The strongest 12 of 148, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Bessemer
The Storm Prediction Center has 160 hail reports within 10 miles of Bessemer since 1955, made on 102 separate days. Of these, 88 were 1 inch across or larger, and 4 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2.75 inches (baseball size), was reported on 2 days, most recently March 30, 2002. The most recent report is from November 25, 2025. April has the most reports, 50.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Bessemer
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Bessemer 3 WSW, AL, 4 miles west of Bessemer at 445 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 92°F and low of 71°F; January is the coolest, at 56°F and 34°F. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 44% of the year's precipitation (24.6 of 55.7 inches); the other six months are wetter. September has brought the most of the 16 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (7); a normal September there has highs of 87°F and 3.5 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 80 days a year, almost all from May to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 57 nights a year. Snowfall averages 1.2 inches a year, most of it in March. That 55.7 inches is more than at 29 of the 107 Alabama stations used on this site (27%). Hoover, 7 miles east, has its own station (Helena, AL): 55.7 inches a year, the same as here, and the same July average high, 92°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 56 | 34 | 5.4 | 7 | 0.4 |
| Feb | 61 | 37 | 5.4 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Mar | 68 | 43 | 5.4 | 8 | 0.7 |
| Apr | 76 | 50 | 5.1 | 7 | 0.0 |
| May | 83 | 59 | 4.6 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 89 | 67 | 4.5 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 92 | 71 | 4.8 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 92 | 70 | 4.0 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 87 | 64 | 3.5 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 77 | 53 | 3.3 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 66 | 42 | 4.5 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 58 | 37 | 5.2 | 8 | 0.1 |
| Year | 75 | 52 | 55.7 | 78 | 1.2 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Bessemer 3 WSW, AL (445 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 Bessemer
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 271 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Bessemer: 195 thunderstorm wind reports, 63 flash floods, 5 floods, 5 lightning strikes and 3 heavy rain events. They killed 4 people and injured 13, and the NWS estimated $1.8 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 104 mph, on April 11, 2011. July has had the most flash floods, 13 of 63. Of the 321 Alabama cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 299 have had fewer than Bessemer.
October 6, 2021: flash flood 5 miles from the centre of Bessemer — 2 killed.
March 16, 2022: flash flood 1 mile from the centre of Bessemer — 1 killed, 1 injured.
NWS: “A cluster of slow moving thunderstorms developed over the Birmingham metro area and produced flash flooding. Numerous roads were impassible and vehicles were flooded in the downtown area and near the University of Alabama-Birmingham campus.”
June 19, 2021: flash flood 10 miles from the centre of Bessemer — 1 killed.
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 Bessemer's 2 ZIP codes have filed 395 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $4.9 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Flooding in 1983: 79 claims (20% of all) and $721,000. The year with the most claims was 2011, with 114. 24% 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, 103 have fewer than Bessemer.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Flooding1983 | 79 | $721,000 |
Jefferson County, which includes Bessemer, has been named in 39 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1970, 27 of them major disasters (by incident: 18 severe storms, 10 hurricanes, 4 floods, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms and Flooding, on December 21, 2021. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Jefferson County a Relatively High rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Very High for tornadoes and lightning; Relatively High for inland flooding, strong wind and heat waves; Relatively Low for hurricanes; Very Low for hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $262.4 million a year, the 2nd highest of 67 Alabama counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $143.1 million (55%), 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.