NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Cordova, 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 Cordova, Alabama since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Zeta in 2020. Since 1950, 149 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 20 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 15
- Tornadoes
- 149
- EF3 or stronger
- 20
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
192 deaths in all
What the records show for Cordova
None of the 15 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Cordova; the strongest was Zeta in 2020, a tropical storm with 66 mph winds when its centre passed 41 miles away. The record near Cordova 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 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 Cordova. The highest rating among the 149 tornadoes within 25 miles is F5, reached 2 times; the most recent, on April 8, 1998, came within 18 miles. The deadliest, an EF4 on April 27, 2011, killed 64 people. Of the 149, 10 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 82 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 44. The most recent tornado was on November 25, 2025. Cordova has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 64% of the 323 Alabama cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 93 times since 1956, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Cordova has more hail reports within 10 miles than 78% of the 323 Alabama cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Cordova
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (66 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2004 | IvanSep 16 | 32 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1995 | OpalOct 5 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1985 | JuanNov 1 | 28 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 13 | 49 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1950 | BakerAug 31 | 64 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormOct 17 | 39 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormOct 18 | 23 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormJul 8 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormSep 30 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1912 | Unnamed 1912 stormJun 14 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 5 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1881 | Unnamed 1881 stormAug 29 | 46 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1879 | Unnamed 1879 stormSep 2 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1860 | Unnamed 1860 stormSep 16 | 71 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 Cordova: 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 Cordova
By decade
- 2020s17(1 EF3+)
- 2010s22(5 EF3+)
- 2000s43(4 EF3+)
- 1990s13(1 EF3+)
- 1980s18
- 1970s19(2 EF3+)
- 1960s8(3 EF3+)
- 1950s9(4 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 8, 1998 | F5 | 18 mi | 30.3 mi | 32 / 259 |
| Apr 4, 1977 | F5 | 21 mi | 14.7 mi | 22 / 130 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF4 | 20 mi | 80.68 mi | 64 / 1500 |
| Apr 15, 1956 | F4 | 21 mi | 21.3 mi | 25 / 200 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF4 | 4 mi | 127.8 mi | 13 / 54 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF4 | 24 mi | 46.88 mi | 6 / 48 |
| Nov 17, 1957 | F4 | 10 mi | 7.2 mi | 4 / 15 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 11 mi | 110.6 mi | 3 / 178 |
| Mar 6, 1967 | F4 | 4 mi | 20.9 mi | 2 / 25 |
| Mar 11, 1963 | F4 | 18 mi | 28 mi | 2 / 6 |
| Nov 10, 2002 | F3 | 14 mi | 72.6 mi | 7 / 53 |
| Nov 10, 2002 | F3 | 18 mi | 44.3 mi | 4 / 38 |
The strongest 12 of 149, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Cordova
The Storm Prediction Center has 93 hail reports within 10 miles of Cordova since 1956, made on 68 separate days. Of these, 65 were 1 inch across or larger, and 10 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2.75 inches (baseball size), was reported on 5 days, most recently April 27, 2011. The most recent report is from May 18, 2024. March and April have the most reports, 31 each.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Cordova
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Jasper, AL, 13 miles northwest of Cordova at 486 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 90°F and low of 70°F; January is the coolest, at 52°F and 31°F. January is the wettest at 6.1 inches of precipitation on average and October the driest at 3.8 inches; the year adds up to 61.8 inches over 88 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 43% of the year's precipitation (26.6 of 61.8 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 84°F and 4.2 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 58 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 73 nights a year. Snowfall averages 0.6 inches a year, most of it in March. That 61.8 inches is more than at 93 of the 107 Alabama stations used on this site (87%). Quinton, 8 miles south, has its own station (Bessemer 3 WSW, AL): 55.7 inches a year, 6.1 less than here, and a July average high of 92°F against 90°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 52 | 31 | 6.1 | 8 | 0.1 |
| Feb | 56 | 34 | 6.0 | 7 | 0.2 |
| Mar | 65 | 41 | 5.8 | 9 | 0.3 |
| Apr | 73 | 48 | 6.0 | 7 | 0.0 |
| May | 80 | 58 | 5.3 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 86 | 66 | 4.7 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 90 | 70 | 4.9 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 90 | 69 | 4.0 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 84 | 62 | 4.2 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 74 | 49 | 3.8 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 64 | 39 | 5.0 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 55 | 33 | 6.0 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Year | 72 | 50 | 61.8 | 88 | 0.6 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Jasper, AL (486 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 Cordova
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 166 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Cordova: 150 thunderstorm wind reports, 12 flash floods, 2 heavy rain events, 1 flood and 1 lightning strike. They killed 1 person and injured 7, and the NWS estimated $1.8 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on October 9, 2009. September has had the most flash floods, 3 of 12. Of the 321 Alabama cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 144 have had fewer than Cordova.
October 13, 2014: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of Cordova — 1 killed, 1 injured.
July 14, 2007: thunderstorm wind in Cordova — 2 injured, $50,000 damage.
NWS: “A diseased tree was blown over and onto a house. Two people inside were injured, and were treated and released from a nearby hospital.”
July 22, 2003: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Cordova — 2 injured, $40,000 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
Walker County, which includes Cordova, has been named in 25 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 15 of them major disasters (by incident: 10 severe storms, 6 hurricanes, 2 biological emergencies, 2 floods). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Thunderstorms, on July 10, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Walker County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for tornadoes and lightning; Relatively Moderate for inland flooding, strong wind and heat waves; Relatively Low for hail; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $34.8 million a year, the 20th highest of 67 Alabama counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $19.3 million (56%), 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 Cordova
- Sumiton, AL7 mi
- Parrish, AL7 mi
- Dora, AL8 mi
- Quinton, AL8 mi
- Jasper, AL10 mi
- Empire, AL10 mi
- Oakman, AL13 mi
- Graysville, AL14 mi
- Bremen, AL16 mi
- Adamsville, AL16 mi
- Mulga, AL18 mi
- Mount Olive, AL18 mi
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