NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Decatur, 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
7 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Decatur, Alabama since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Opal in 1995. Since 1950, 188 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 25 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 7
- Tornadoes
- 188
- EF3 or stronger
- 25
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
192 deaths in all
What the records show for Decatur
None of the 7 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Decatur; the strongest was Frederic in 1979, a tropical storm with 48 mph winds when its centre passed 26 miles away. The record near Decatur begins with an unnamed storm in 1892; the most recent system was Opal in 1995, a tropical storm 61 miles away. The 1910s and the 1930s were the busiest decades, with 2 systems each. None of the 7 systems has come since 2000. Of the 323 Alabama cities on this site, 90% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Decatur. The highest rating among the 188 tornadoes within 25 miles is F5 or EF5, reached 4 times; the most recent, on April 27, 2011, came within 7 miles. Of the 188, 13 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 123 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 55. The most recent tornado was on May 27, 2025. Decatur has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 93% of the 323 Alabama cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 130 times since 1955, with stones up to 4.25 inches. Decatur has more hail reports within 10 miles than 90% of the 323 Alabama cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Decatur
Of the 7 tracks on the map, 5 were moving northeast as they passed Decatur, 2 north. Frederic (1979), the strongest pass, was heading northeast; its centre passed 26 miles northwest of Decatur. None made landfall within 75 miles of Decatur; 5 of the 7 were hurricanes at their peak, none at their closest to the city. None came near Decatur in the last 30 seasons (1996–2025); from 1851 to 1995 the rate was 0.5 a decade.
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | OpalOct 5 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 13 | 26 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 18 | 64 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 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormSep 30 | 13 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 20 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 Decatur: a hurricane's worst winds sit within a few dozen miles of its centre, and inland cities are usually past that.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Decatur
By decade
- 2020s26(1 EF3+)
- 2010s52(4 EF3+)
- 2000s45(1 EF3+)
- 1990s15(2 EF3+)
- 1980s17(6 EF3+)
- 1970s13(6 EF3+)
- 1960s7(1 EF3+)
- 1950s13(4 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF5 | 7 mi | 132 mi | 72 / 145 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F5 | 5 mi | 79.5 mi | 28 / 272 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F5 | 8 mi | 52 mi | 28 / 267 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F5 | 10 mi | 83.3 mi | 16 / 190 |
| Nov 15, 1989 | F4 | 19 mi | 18.5 mi | 21 / 463 |
| Apr 24, 1955 | F4 | 14 mi | 8.6 mi | 5 / 20 |
| Feb 6, 2008 | EF4 | 5 mi | 16.7 mi | 4 / 23 |
| Mar 22, 1952 | F4 | 3 mi | 21.6 mi | 4 / 50 |
| May 18, 1995 | F4 | 18 mi | 39 mi | 1 / 55 |
| Apr 28, 2014 | EF3 | 17 mi | 15.56 mi | 2 / 30 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 5 mi | 46.5 mi | 2 / 7 |
| Apr 8, 1957 | F3 | 16 mi | 38.8 mi | 2 / 90 |
The strongest 12 of 188, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Decatur
The Storm Prediction Center has 130 hail reports within 10 miles of Decatur since 1955, made on 74 separate days. Of these, 76 were 1 inch across or larger, and 14 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4.25 inches, fell on April 10, 2009. The most recent report is from May 25, 2025. April has the most reports, 37.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Decatur
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Decatur Pryor Field, AL, 6 miles north of Decatur at 592 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 90°F and low of 70°F; January is the coolest, at 51°F and 32°F. December is the wettest at 5.2 inches of precipitation on average and August the driest at 3.1 inches; the year adds up to 49.7 inches over 75 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 64 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 62 nights a year. That 49.7 inches is more than at 1 of the 107 Alabama stations used on this site (1%). Somerville, 14 miles southeast, has its own station (Huntsville International Airport, AL): 54.6 inches a year, 4.9 more than here, and a July average high of 92°F against 90°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 51 | 32 | 4.6 | 6 |
| Feb | 55 | 35 | 5.0 | 7 |
| Mar | 64 | 42 | 5.0 | 8 |
| Apr | 73 | 50 | 4.5 | 7 |
| May | 81 | 59 | 4.2 | 6 |
| Jun | 88 | 67 | 3.7 | 7 |
| Jul | 90 | 70 | 4.0 | 7 |
| Aug | 90 | 68 | 3.1 | 6 |
| Sep | 85 | 61 | 3.2 | 4 |
| Oct | 75 | 50 | 3.2 | 5 |
| Nov | 62 | 39 | 4.0 | 6 |
| Dec | 54 | 35 | 5.2 | 7 |
| Year | 72 | 51 | 49.7 | 75 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Decatur Pryor Field, AL (592 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 Decatur
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 430 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Decatur: 341 thunderstorm wind reports, 51 flash floods, 26 floods, 11 lightning strikes and 1 heavy rain event. They killed 1 person and injured 7, and the NWS estimated $7.5 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 110 mph, on August 3, 2011. May has had the most flash floods, 14 of 51. Of the 321 Alabama cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 285 have had fewer than Decatur.
April 19, 2009: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Decatur — 1 killed, $41,000 damage.
June 21, 2011: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Decatur — 2 injured, $60,000 damage.
April 10, 2025: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Decatur — 2 injured, $50,000 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
Flood insurance policyholders in Decatur's 2 ZIP codes have filed 106 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1980, and were paid $1.5 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The year with the most claims was 2013, with 21. 21% of the claims carry the name of a storm or flood event; the rest have no event name. Of the 118 Alabama cities on this site with 10 or more claims, 86 have fewer than Decatur.
Morgan County, which includes Decatur, has been named in 24 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 Storms, Straight-Line Winds, and Tornadoes, on May 5, 2023. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Morgan County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for tornadoes, strong wind and lightning; Relatively Moderate for inland flooding and heat waves; Relatively Low for hurricanes and hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $65.1 million a year, the 8th highest of 67 Alabama counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $24.4 million (37%), 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 Decatur
- Trinity, AL8 mi
- Hartselle, AL9 mi
- Somerville, AL14 mi
- Hillsboro, AL14 mi
- Danville, AL14 mi
- Madison, AL15 mi
- Athens, AL16 mi
- Falkville, AL16 mi
- Moulton, AL18 mi
- Laceys Spring, AL20 mi
- Harvest, AL21 mi
- Eva, AL22 mi
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