NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Danville, 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
11 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Danville, Alabama since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Zeta in 2020. Since 1950, 155 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 23 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 11
- Tornadoes
- 155
- EF3 or stronger
- 23
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
179 deaths in all
What the records show for Danville
None of the 11 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Danville; the strongest was Zeta in 2020, a tropical storm with 63 mph winds when its centre passed 75 miles away. The record near Danville begins with an unnamed storm in 1892; the most recent system was Zeta in 2020. The busiest decade was the 1910s, with 3 systems. Of the 11 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Of the 323 Alabama cities on this site, 76% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Danville. The highest rating among the 155 tornadoes within 25 miles is F5 or EF5, reached 4 times; the most recent, on April 27, 2011, came within 12 miles. Of the 155, 8 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 98 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 43. The most recent tornado was on May 20, 2025. Danville has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 68% of the 323 Alabama cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 48 times since 1974, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Of the 323 Alabama cities, 59% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Danville.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Danville
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 75 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2005 | KatrinaAug 30 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1995 | OpalOct 5 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1985 | JuanNov 1 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 13 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 18 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormOct 17 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormOct 19 | 34 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormJul 8 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormSep 30 | 15 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 23 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 Danville: 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 Danville
By decade
- 2020s20(1 EF3+)
- 2010s42(4 EF3+)
- 2000s36(2 EF3+)
- 1990s9
- 1980s15(5 EF3+)
- 1970s14(6 EF3+)
- 1960s8(1 EF3+)
- 1950s11(4 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF5 | 12 mi | 132 mi | 72 / 145 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F5 | 1 mi | 79.5 mi | 28 / 272 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F5 | 14 mi | 52 mi | 28 / 267 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F5 | 21 mi | 83.3 mi | 16 / 190 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF4 | 22 mi | 46.88 mi | 6 / 48 |
| Apr 24, 1955 | F4 | 6 mi | 8.6 mi | 5 / 20 |
| Feb 6, 2008 | EF4 | 6 mi | 16.7 mi | 4 / 23 |
| Mar 22, 1952 | F4 | 15 mi | 21.6 mi | 4 / 50 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 23 mi | 110.6 mi | 3 / 178 |
| Nov 10, 2002 | F3 | 25 mi | 44.3 mi | 4 / 38 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 16 mi | 46.5 mi | 2 / 7 |
| Apr 8, 1957 | F3 | 10 mi | 38.8 mi | 2 / 90 |
The strongest 12 of 155, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Danville
The Storm Prediction Center has 48 hail reports within 10 miles of Danville since 1974, made on 36 separate days. Of these, 27 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2 inches (hen egg size), fell on March 29, 2002. The most recent report is from April 10, 2025. April has the most reports, 12.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Danville
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Addison, AL, 11 miles south of Danville at 818 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 88°F and low of 68°F; January is the coolest, at 50°F and 29°F. December is the wettest at 6.3 inches of precipitation on average and October the driest at 3.9 inches; the year adds up to 61.0 inches over 83 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 45% of the year's precipitation (27.3 of 61.0 inches); the other six months are wetter. October has brought the most of the 11 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (4); a normal October there has highs of 73°F and 3.9 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 34 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 73 nights a year. That 61.0 inches is more than at 87 of the 107 Alabama stations used on this site (81%). Moulton, 11 miles northwest, has its own station (Moulton 2, AL): 60.4 inches a year, 0.6 less than here, and the same July average high, 88°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 50 | 29 | 5.4 | 8 |
| Feb | 55 | 32 | 5.6 | 8 |
| Mar | 64 | 40 | 5.4 | 8 |
| Apr | 72 | 47 | 5.9 | 7 |
| May | 79 | 56 | 5.1 | 7 |
| Jun | 85 | 64 | 4.8 | 8 |
| Jul | 88 | 68 | 4.8 | 8 |
| Aug | 88 | 66 | 4.4 | 6 |
| Sep | 83 | 60 | 4.5 | 5 |
| Oct | 73 | 48 | 3.9 | 5 |
| Nov | 62 | 39 | 4.9 | 6 |
| Dec | 53 | 33 | 6.3 | 7 |
| Year | 71 | 48 | 61.0 | 83 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Addison, AL (818 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 Danville
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 184 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Danville: 153 thunderstorm wind reports, 21 flash floods, 7 floods, 2 lightning strikes and 1 heavy rain event. They killed 0 people and injured 5, and the NWS estimated $2.1 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on March 31, 2012. Of the 321 Alabama cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 217 have had fewer than Danville.
April 10, 2025: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of Danville — 2 injured, $50,000 damage.
April 2, 2009: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Danville — 2 injured.
September 28, 2020: lightning strike 7 miles from the centre of Danville — 1 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
Lawrence County, which includes Danville, has been named in 22 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 13 of them major disasters (by incident: 9 severe storms, 6 hurricanes, 2 biological emergencies, 2 tornadoes). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 29, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Lawrence County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for tornadoes and lightning; Relatively Moderate for strong wind and heat waves; Relatively Low for hurricanes and inland flooding; Very Low for hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $20.5 million a year, the 29th highest of 67 Alabama counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $7.5 million (36%), 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 Danville
- Moulton, AL11 mi
- Hartselle, AL11 mi
- Trinity, AL12 mi
- Addison, AL13 mi
- Falkville, AL14 mi
- Decatur, AL14 mi
- Vinemont, AL16 mi
- Hillsboro, AL17 mi
- Somerville, AL22 mi
- Town Creek, AL23 mi
- Cullman, AL23 mi
- Double Springs, AL23 mi
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