NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Birmingham, 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
15 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Birmingham, Alabama since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Zeta in 2020. Since 1950, 168 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 19 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 15
- Tornadoes
- 168
- EF3 or stronger
- 19
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
190 deaths in all
What the records show for Birmingham
None of the 15 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Birmingham; the strongest was Eloise in 1975, a tropical storm with 68 mph winds when its centre passed 71 miles away. The record near Birmingham begins with an unnamed storm in 1879; the most recent system was Zeta in 2020, a tropical storm 13 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1910s, with 4 systems. Of the 15 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Of the 323 Alabama cities on this site, 61% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Birmingham. The highest rating among the 168 tornadoes within 25 miles is F5, reached 2 times; the most recent, on April 8, 1998, came within 8 miles. The deadliest, an EF4 on April 27, 2011, killed 64 people. Of the 168, 20 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 87 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 53. The most recent tornado was on November 25, 2025. Birmingham has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 81% of the 323 Alabama cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 215 times since 1958, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Birmingham has more hail reports within 10 miles than 98% of the 323 Alabama cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Birmingham
Of the 15 tracks on the map, 9 were moving northeast as they passed Birmingham, 3 north and 2 northwest. Eloise (1975), the strongest pass, was heading northeast; its centre passed 71 miles southeast of Birmingham. None made landfall within 75 miles of Birmingham; 10 of the 15 were hurricanes at their peak, none at their closest to the city. In the last 30 seasons (1996–2025), 2 came near Birmingham: 0.7 a decade, against 0.9 a decade from 1851 to 1995.
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 13 mi | Tropical storm (66 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2004 | IvanSep 16 | 3 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1995 | OpalOct 5 | 36 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1985 | JuanNov 1 | 4 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1975 | EloiseSep 23 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (68 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormOct 17 | 11 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormOct 18 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormJul 8 | 22 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormSep 30 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1912 | Unnamed 1912 stormJun 14 | 49 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1907 | Unnamed 1907 stormSep 22 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1906 | Unnamed 1906 stormJun 13 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 23 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1881 | Unnamed 1881 stormAug 29 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1879 | Unnamed 1879 stormSep 2 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Birmingham: a hurricane's worst winds sit within a few dozen miles of its centre, and inland cities are usually past that.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Birmingham
By decade
- 2020s21(3 EF3+)
- 2010s30(5 EF3+)
- 2000s36
- 1990s13(1 EF3+)
- 1980s15
- 1970s27(2 EF3+)
- 1960s14(4 EF3+)
- 1950s12(4 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 8, 1998 | F5 | 8 mi | 30.3 mi | 32 / 259 |
| Apr 4, 1977 | F5 | 4 mi | 14.7 mi | 22 / 130 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF4 | 6 mi | 80.68 mi | 64 / 1500 |
| Apr 15, 1956 | F4 | 4 mi | 21.3 mi | 25 / 200 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF4 | 16 mi | 97.33 mi | 22 / 85 |
| Jan 24, 1964 | F4 | 24 mi | 3.3 mi | 10 / 6 |
| Mar 6, 1967 | F4 | 18 mi | 20.9 mi | 2 / 25 |
| Mar 5, 1963 | F4 | 3 mi | 14.9 mi | 0 / 35 |
| Jan 25, 2021 | EF3 | 7 mi | 10.4 mi | 1 / 30 |
| Jan 23, 2012 | EF3 | 8 mi | 15.69 mi | 1 / 75 |
| May 27, 1973 | F3 | 5 mi | 41.6 mi | 1 / 44 |
| May 6, 1967 | F3 | 3 mi | 4.3 mi | 1 / 25 |
The strongest 12 of 168, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Birmingham
The Storm Prediction Center has 215 hail reports within 10 miles of Birmingham since 1958, made on 148 separate days. Of these, 110 were 1 inch across or larger, and 10 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on March 27, 1994. The most recent report is from June 27, 2025. April has the most reports, 55.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Birmingham
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Birmingham Airport, AL, 4 miles north of Birmingham at 615 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 91°F and low of 72°F; January is the coolest, at 55°F and 35°F. March is the wettest at 5.7 inches of precipitation on average and October the driest at 3.3 inches; the year adds up to 56.7 inches over 81 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 46% of the year's precipitation (26.1 of 56.7 inches); the other six months are wetter. September has brought the most of the 15 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (6); a normal September there has highs of 86°F and 4.0 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 65 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 47 nights a year. Snowfall averages 1.4 inches a year, most of it in March. That 56.7 inches is more than at 40 of the 107 Alabama stations used on this site (37%). Fairfield, 9 miles west, has its own station (Bessemer 3 WSW, AL): 55.7 inches a year, 1.0 less than here, and a July average high of 92°F against 91°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 55 | 35 | 5.0 | 7 | 0.4 |
| Feb | 59 | 38 | 5.0 | 8 | 0.3 |
| Mar | 67 | 45 | 5.7 | 8 | 0.5 |
| Apr | 75 | 52 | 5.1 | 6 | 0.0 |
| May | 82 | 61 | 4.9 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 88 | 69 | 4.8 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 91 | 72 | 5.4 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 91 | 71 | 4.4 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 86 | 65 | 4.0 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 76 | 54 | 3.3 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 65 | 43 | 4.2 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 57 | 38 | 4.9 | 8 | 0.2 |
| Year | 74 | 54 | 56.7 | 81 | 1.4 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Birmingham Airport, AL (615 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 Birmingham
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 351 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Birmingham: 256 thunderstorm wind reports, 71 flash floods, 12 heavy rain events, 8 lightning strikes and 4 floods. They killed 3 people and injured 17, and the NWS estimated $3.7 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 104 mph, on April 11, 2011. June has had the most flash floods, 20 of 71. Of the 321 Alabama cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 304 have had fewer than Birmingham.
July 21, 2022: thunderstorm wind 5 miles from the centre of Birmingham — 2 killed, 3 injured.
NWS: “High winds toppled a large tree onto a brick home. The tree killed two children and injured three adults inside the home.”
May 2, 2025: thunderstorm wind 2 miles from the centre of Birmingham — 1 killed, 1 injured.
NWS: “Tree damage occurred along Red Mountain. A fatality and an injury occurred on 21st Avenue South the next morning after a tree fell on power workers during storm cleanup.”
August 24, 2007: lightning strike 7 miles from the centre of Birmingham — 2 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
Flood insurance policyholders in Birmingham's 23 ZIP codes have filed 1,673 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $27.7 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Hurricane Ivan in 2004: 94 claims (6% of all) and $1.3 million, then Flooding in 1983 with 62 and Early winter storms in 2015 with 48. The year with the most claims was 2003, with 232. 19% 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, 114 have fewer than Birmingham.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Hurricane Ivan2004 | 94 | $1.3 million |
| Flooding1983 | 62 | $433,000 |
| Early winter storms2015 | 48 | $635,000 |
| Hurricane Opal1995 | 40 | $689,000 |
| Hurricane Frederic1979 | 39 | $965,000 |
Jefferson County, which includes Birmingham, 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.
Cities near Birmingham
- Mountain Brk, AL3 mi
- Vestavia, AL7 mi
- Fultondale, AL7 mi
- Fairfield, AL9 mi
- Hoover, AL10 mi
- Midfield, AL10 mi
- Gardendale, AL12 mi
- Mount Olive, AL12 mi
- Leeds, AL12 mi
- Pleasant Grove, AL12 mi
- Adamsville, AL12 mi
- Trussville, AL13 mi
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