NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Chatom, 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
58 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Chatom, Alabama since 1851, 11 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Zeta in 2020. Since 1950, 76 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 6 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 11
- Tropical storms
- 47
- Tornadoes
- 76
- EF3 or stronger
- 6
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
8 deaths in all
What the records show for Chatom
The strongest storm to pass near Chatom was Frederic in 1979, a Category 1 hurricane with 94 mph winds when its centre passed 19 miles away. The record near Chatom begins with an unnamed storm in 1852; the most recent system was Zeta in 2020, a Category 1 hurricane 22 miles away. Of the 58 systems, 11 have come since 2000. Chatom has more hurricanes within 75 miles than 85% of the 323 Alabama cities on this site. The highest rating among the 76 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3 or EF3, reached 6 times; the most recent, on November 30, 2022, came within 7 miles. The deadliest, an EF3 on April 15, 2011, killed 4 people. Of the 76, 4 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 45 have come since 2000. March has had the most tornadoes, 19. The most recent tornado was on March 15, 2025. Of the 323 Alabama cities, 95% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Chatom. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 20 times since 1971, with stones up to 2.5 inches (tennis ball size). Of the 323 Alabama cities, 92% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Chatom.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Chatom
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 22 mi | Category 1 (82 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2020 | SallySep 16 | 67 mi | Category 1 (75 mph) | Category 2 |
| 2018 | GordonSep 5 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2017 | NateOct 8 | 7 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2011 | LeeSep 5 | 3 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2005 | KatrinaAug 29 | 69 mi | Category 1 (77 mph) | Category 5 |
| 2005 | DennisJul 11 | 30 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2005 | CindyJul 6 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2004 | IvanSep 16 | 34 mi | Category 1 (81 mph) | Category 5 |
| 2002 | HannaSep 14 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2001 | AllisonJun 11 | 33 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1998 | GeorgesSep 29 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1995 | ErinAug 3 | 13 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1985 | JuanOct 31 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 13 | 19 mi | Category 1 (94 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1971 | EdithSep 17 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1964 | HildaOct 4 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1960 | EthelSep 16 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1959 | IreneOct 8 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1950 | BakerAug 31 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (66 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1948 | Unnamed 1948 stormSep 4 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1947 | Unnamed 1947 stormSep 8 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1944 | Unnamed 1944 stormSep 11 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1939 | Unnamed 1939 stormSep 26 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1939 | Unnamed 1939 stormAug 14 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1939 | Unnamed 1939 stormJun 16 | overhead | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1936 | Unnamed 1936 stormAug 1 | 39 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormOct 16 | 13 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormSep 1 | 28 mi | Tropical storm (66 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 18 | 46 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormJun 26 | 36 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1919 | Unnamed 1919 stormJul 4 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormOct 18 | 61 mi | Category 1 (83 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormJul 6 | 43 mi | Category 1 (83 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1912 | Unnamed 1912 stormSep 14 | 14 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1912 | Unnamed 1912 stormJun 13 | 39 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1911 | Unnamed 1911 stormAug 12 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (59 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1907 | Unnamed 1907 stormSep 22 | 7 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1906 | Unnamed 1906 stormSep 27 | 43 mi | Category 1 (78 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1901 | Unnamed 1901 stormAug 16 | 9 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 13 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1898 | Unnamed 1898 stormAug 3 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1895 | Unnamed 1895 stormAug 17 | 5 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1894 | Unnamed 1894 stormAug 8 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 2 | 28 mi | Category 1 (78 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormSep 8 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 12 | 13 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1887 | Unnamed 1887 stormOct 19 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1885 | Unnamed 1885 stormSep 27 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1881 | Unnamed 1881 stormAug 3 | 40 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1880 | Unnamed 1880 stormSep 1 | 21 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1879 | Unnamed 1879 stormOct 16 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1872 | Unnamed 1872 stormJul 12 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1860 | Unnamed 1860 stormSep 15 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (62 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1860 | Unnamed 1860 stormAug 12 | 36 mi | Category 1 (81 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1859 | Unnamed 1859 stormSep 16 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (59 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1855 | Unnamed 1855 stormSep 16 | 40 mi | Tropical storm (67 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1852 | Unnamed 1852 stormAug 26 | 20 mi | Category 1 (78 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Chatom: 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 Chatom
By decade
- 2020s13(1 EF3+)
- 2010s20(1 EF3+)
- 2000s12
- 1990s7
- 1980s7(2 EF3+)
- 1970s9
- 1960s1
- 1950s7(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 15, 2011 | EF3 | 18 mi | 18.3 mi | 4 / 28 |
| Feb 26, 1958 | F3 | 18 mi | 29.1 mi | 4 / 20 |
| Nov 30, 2022 | EF3 | 7 mi | 20.06 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 4, 1988 | F3 | 15 mi | 8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 24, 1984 | F3 | 20 mi | 4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jan 23, 1953 | F3 | 16 mi | 6.5 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Feb 12, 2025 | EF2 | 18 mi | 11.89 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Dec 28, 2024 | EF2 | 17 mi | 6.51 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Dec 14, 2022 | EF2 | 18 mi | 2.67 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Dec 14, 2022 | EF2 | 15 mi | 3.36 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 5, 2022 | EF2 | 22 mi | 9.46 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 30, 2022 | EF2 | 25 mi | 37.43 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 76, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Chatom
The Storm Prediction Center has 20 hail reports within 10 miles of Chatom since 1971, made on 16 separate days. Of these, 9 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.5 inches (tennis ball size), fell on May 2, 2003. The most recent report is from May 13, 2024. April has the most reports, 6.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Chatom
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Jackson, AL, 21 miles east of Chatom at 220 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 91°F and low of 71°F; January is the coolest, at 60°F and 36°F. June is the wettest at 6.3 inches of precipitation on average and October the driest at 3.8 inches; the year adds up to 60.4 inches over 79 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 49% of the year's precipitation (29.5 of 60.4 inches); the other six months are wetter. September has brought the most of the 58 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (25); a normal September there has highs of 87°F and 4.4 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 79 days a year, almost all from May to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 46 nights a year. That 60.4 inches is more than at 84 of the 107 Alabama stations used on this site (79%). Millry, 12 miles north, has its own station (Waynesboro 2 W, MS): 60.3 inches a year, 0.1 less than here, and a July average high of 92°F against 91°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 60 | 36 | 5.7 | 7 |
| Feb | 64 | 39 | 5.5 | 7 |
| Mar | 71 | 45 | 5.5 | 7 |
| Apr | 78 | 51 | 4.7 | 6 |
| May | 85 | 60 | 4.0 | 6 |
| Jun | 90 | 68 | 6.3 | 8 |
| Jul | 91 | 71 | 5.4 | 9 |
| Aug | 91 | 70 | 5.2 | 8 |
| Sep | 87 | 65 | 4.4 | 6 |
| Oct | 79 | 53 | 3.8 | 4 |
| Nov | 69 | 43 | 4.4 | 5 |
| Dec | 62 | 38 | 5.5 | 7 |
| Year | 77 | 53 | 60.4 | 79 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Jackson, AL (220 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 Chatom
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 39 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Chatom: 34 thunderstorm wind reports and 5 flash floods. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $2.3 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 92 mph, on June 5, 1998. Of the 321 Alabama cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 45 have had fewer than Chatom.
June 5, 1998: thunderstorm wind 4 miles from the centre of Chatom — $1.5 million damage.
NWS: “A line of severe thunderstorms moved through the county between 1025 pm and 1110 pm. Trees and power lines were blown down throughout the county.”
April 14, 2007: thunderstorm wind 5 miles from the centre of Chatom — $500,000 damage.
NWS: “The large bow echo that moved across southeast Mississippi continued into southwest Alabama. Numerous trees and powerlines were blown down near Yarbo.”
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
Washington County, which includes Chatom, has been named in 27 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1975, 14 of them major disasters (by incident: 15 hurricanes, 6 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 1 drought). The latest major disaster declaration was Hurricane Zeta, on December 10, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Washington County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for hurricanes, tornadoes and strong wind; Relatively Low for inland flooding, lightning and heat waves; Very Low for hail and coastal flooding. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $10.8 million a year, the 43rd highest of 67 Alabama counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $3.6 million (33%), is from hurricanes.
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 Chatom
- Millry, AL12 mi
- State Line, MS16 mi
- Buckatunna, MS17 mi
- Mcintosh, AL19 mi
- Jackson, AL23 mi
- Citronelle, AL27 mi
- Waynesboro, MS28 mi
- Leakesville, MS29 mi
- Mount Vernon, AL29 mi
- Grove Hill, AL33 mi
- Chunchula, AL35 mi
- Richton, MS36 mi
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