NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Cottondale, AL
Every tropical system within 75 miles since 1851 and every tornado within 25 miles since 1950.
19 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Cottondale, Alabama since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Zeta in 2020. Since 1950, 123 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 16 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 19
- Tornadoes
- 123
- EF3 or stronger
- 16
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
176 deaths in all
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Cottondale
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 17 mi | Tropical storm (68 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2004 | IvanSep 16 | 23 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1995 | OpalOct 5 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (61 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1985 | JuanNov 1 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 13 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1950 | BakerAug 31 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormOct 16 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormOct 18 | 4 mi | Tropical storm (59 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormJul 8 | 15 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormSep 30 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1912 | Unnamed 1912 stormSep 15 | 64 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1912 | Unnamed 1912 stormJun 14 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1907 | Unnamed 1907 stormSep 22 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1901 | Unnamed 1901 stormAug 16 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 1 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1881 | Unnamed 1881 stormAug 29 | 5 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1879 | Unnamed 1879 stormSep 2 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1860 | Unnamed 1860 stormSep 16 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1855 | Unnamed 1855 stormSep 17 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Cottondale: 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 Cottondale
By decade
- 2020s22(3 EF3+)
- 2010s29(5 EF3+)
- 2000s28(2 EF3+)
- 1990s11(2 EF3+)
- 1980s13(1 EF3+)
- 1970s11(1 EF3+)
- 1960s6(2 EF3+)
- 1950s3
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 3, 1966 | F5 | 13 mi | 202.5 mi | 58 / 518 |
| Apr 8, 1998 | F5 | 18 mi | 30.3 mi | 32 / 259 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF4 | 8 mi | 80.68 mi | 64 / 1500 |
| Dec 16, 2000 | F4 | 2 mi | 18 mi | 11 / 144 |
| Feb 23, 1975 | F4 | 6 mi | 14.4 mi | 1 / 49 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF3 | 13 mi | 72.13 mi | 7 / 50 |
| Mar 25, 2021 | EF3 | 14 mi | 50.13 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Mar 25, 2021 | EF3 | 20 mi | 79.66 mi | 0 / 13 |
| Mar 25, 2021 | EF3 | 11 mi | 11.11 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF3 | 2 mi | 20.26 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF3 | 20 mi | 22.46 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 15, 2011 | EF3 | 6 mi | 18.37 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 123, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
How to read this page
A storm is listed when the centre of its track passed within 75 miles of Cottondale while it was at least a tropical storm, which is the reach of damaging wind and rain for a typical hurricane. Being on the list does not mean the city took a direct hit; the "closest" column says how near the centre came. Tornadoes are counted when any part of the path came within 25 miles.
Tornado records before the 1990s are thinner, because weak tornadoes in open country often went unreported before Doppler radar and mobile phones. A rise in the decade counts is mostly better reporting, not a change in the weather.
Tracks come from the National Hurricane Center's HURDAT2 database, tornadoes from the Storm Prediction Center's database. Both are the official federal records and both are revised as old storms are re-analysed.