NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Cleveland, 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
12 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Cleveland, Alabama since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Zeta in 2020. Since 1950, 179 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 28 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 12
- Tornadoes
- 179
- EF3 or stronger
- 28
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
161 deaths in all
What the records show for Cleveland
None of the 12 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Cleveland; the strongest was Zeta in 2020, a tropical storm with 63 mph winds when its centre passed 32 miles away. The record near Cleveland 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 12 systems, one has come since 2000. Of the 323 Alabama cities on this site, 73% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Cleveland. The highest rating among the 179 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4 or EF4, reached 10 times; the most recent, on April 27, 2011, came within 21 miles. The deadliest, an EF4 on April 27, 2011, killed 64 people. Of the 179, 15 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 96 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 59. The most recent tornado was on November 25, 2025. Cleveland has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 90% of the 323 Alabama cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 71 times since 1973, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Cleveland has more hail reports within 10 miles than 63% of the 323 Alabama cities.
Compare Cleveland's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Cleveland
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 32 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1995 | OpalOct 5 | 32 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1985 | JuanNov 1 | 4 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 13 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1975 | EloiseSep 23 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormOct 17 | 20 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormOct 18 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormJul 8 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormSep 30 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1912 | Unnamed 1912 stormJun 14 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1907 | Unnamed 1907 stormSep 22 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 18 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 Cleveland: 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 Cleveland
By decade
- 2020s23(1 EF3+)
- 2010s40(8 EF3+)
- 2000s33(2 EF3+)
- 1990s15(1 EF3+)
- 1980s17(5 EF3+)
- 1970s27(5 EF3+)
- 1960s11(3 EF3+)
- 1950s13(3 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF4 | 24 mi | 80.68 mi | 64 / 1500 |
| Apr 15, 1956 | F4 | 23 mi | 21.3 mi | 25 / 200 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF4 | 19 mi | 97.33 mi | 22 / 85 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF4 | 10 mi | 127.8 mi | 13 / 54 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF4 | 21 mi | 46.88 mi | 6 / 48 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 20 mi | 110.6 mi | 3 / 178 |
| Nov 18, 1957 | F4 | 5 mi | 26.1 mi | 3 / 12 |
| Mar 6, 1967 | F4 | 18 mi | 20.9 mi | 2 / 25 |
| Mar 11, 1963 | F4 | 9 mi | 28 mi | 2 / 6 |
| Nov 24, 2001 | F4 | 10 mi | 10.1 mi | 0 / 22 |
| Nov 10, 2002 | F3 | 12 mi | 72.6 mi | 7 / 53 |
| Feb 16, 1995 | F3 | 20 mi | 14 mi | 6 / 130 |
The strongest 12 of 179, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Cleveland
The Storm Prediction Center has 71 hail reports within 10 miles of Cleveland since 1973, made on 57 separate days. Of these, 38 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2 inches (hen egg size), was reported on 2 days, most recently June 9, 2024. The most recent report is from June 9, 2024. April has the most reports, 22.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Cleveland
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Oneonta, AL, 10 miles east of Cleveland at 1,100 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 91°F and low of 70°F; January is the coolest, at 53°F and 33°F. December is the wettest at 5.8 inches of precipitation on average and October the driest at 3.4 inches; the year adds up to 57.2 inches over 75 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 45% of the year's precipitation (25.5 of 57.2 inches); the other six months are wetter. September has brought the most of the 12 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (5); a normal September there has highs of 85°F and 4.1 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 52 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 65 nights a year. That 57.2 inches is more than at 53 of the 107 Alabama stations used on this site (50%). Remlap, 9 miles south, has its own station (Pinson, AL): 57.1 inches a year, 0.1 less than here, and a July average high of 90°F against 91°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 53 | 33 | 5.5 | 7 |
| Feb | 57 | 35 | 5.5 | 7 |
| Mar | 66 | 42 | 5.1 | 7 |
| Apr | 74 | 50 | 5.6 | 7 |
| May | 81 | 59 | 4.2 | 6 |
| Jun | 87 | 67 | 5.2 | 7 |
| Jul | 91 | 70 | 5.0 | 7 |
| Aug | 90 | 70 | 3.6 | 6 |
| Sep | 85 | 63 | 4.1 | 4 |
| Oct | 75 | 51 | 3.4 | 4 |
| Nov | 64 | 41 | 4.2 | 5 |
| Dec | 55 | 35 | 5.8 | 8 |
| Year | 73 | 51 | 57.2 | 75 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Oneonta, AL (1,100 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 Cleveland
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 166 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Cleveland: 145 thunderstorm wind reports, 12 flash floods, 4 floods, 3 heavy rain events and 2 lightning strikes. They killed 0 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $2.1 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on April 27, 2011. Of the 321 Alabama cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 144 have had fewer than Cleveland.
July 20, 2000: thunderstorm wind 3 miles from the centre of Cleveland — 1 injured, $30,000 damage.
NWS: “Numerous trees and power lines were knocked down throughout Blount County. One man was slightly injured when his truck was overturned by the wind along SR 160 between Hayden and Interstate 65.”
August 24, 2007: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Cleveland — $1.0 million damage.
January 6, 2009: flash flood 6 miles from the centre of Cleveland — $200,000 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
Blount County, which includes Cleveland, has been named in 25 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1974, 16 of them major disasters (by incident: 13 severe storms, 6 hurricanes, 2 biological emergencies, 1 drought). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Thunderstorms, on July 10, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Blount County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for tornadoes; Relatively Moderate for strong wind and lightning; Relatively Low for hurricanes, inland flooding and heat waves; Very Low for hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $21.3 million a year, the 27th highest of 67 Alabama counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $9.9 million (47%), 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 Cleveland
- Oneonta, AL8 mi
- Remlap, AL9 mi
- Hayden, AL10 mi
- Blountsville, AL11 mi
- Trafford, AL12 mi
- Hanceville, AL13 mi
- Springville, AL15 mi
- Warrior, AL16 mi
- Holly Pond, AL16 mi
- Pinson, AL17 mi
- Altoona, AL17 mi
- Kimberly, AL18 mi
All Alabama cities →All hurricanes since 1851 →Compare Cleveland with another place →