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NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database

Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Eight Mile, 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

69 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Eight Mile, Alabama since 1851, 21 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Zeta in 2020. Since 1950, 160 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 4 of them rated EF3 or stronger.

Hurricanes
21

within 75 mi, since 1851

Tropical storms
48

below hurricane strength

Tornadoes
160

within 25 mi, since 1950

EF3 or stronger
4

1 deaths in all

What the records show for Eight Mile

The strongest storm to pass near Eight Mile was Elena in 1985, a Category 3 hurricane with 116 mph winds when its centre passed 52 miles away. The closest pass by a hurricane was an unnamed storm in 1860, whose centre came within 7 miles. The record near Eight Mile begins with an unnamed storm in 1852; the most recent system was Zeta in 2020, a Category 1 hurricane 55 miles away. The 1930s and the 2000s were the busiest decades, with 7 systems each. Of the 69 systems, 12 have come since 2000. Eight Mile has more hurricanes within 75 miles than 93% of the 323 Alabama cities on this site. The highest rating among the 160 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3, reached 4 times; the most recent, on November 21, 1997, came within 6 miles. The deadliest, an F1 on January 26, 1996, killed 1 person. Of the 160, 7 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 87 have come since 2000. March has had the most tornadoes, 23. The most recent tornado was on May 29, 2025. Eight Mile has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 73% of the 323 Alabama cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 89 times since 1959, with stones up to 3.5 inches. Eight Mile has more hail reports within 10 miles than 75% of the 323 Alabama cities.

Compare Eight Mile's storm record with another city →

Tropical storms and hurricanes near Eight Mile

Tropical systems that passed within 75 miles of Eight Mile, Alabama, newest first
YearStormClosestStrength when closestPeak
2020ZetaOct 2955 miCategory 1 (85 mph)Category 3
2020SallySep 1639 miCategory 2 (97 mph)Category 2
2018GordonSep 532 miTropical storm (64 mph)Tropical storm
2017NateOct 832 miTropical storm (61 mph)Category 1
2011LeeSep 546 miTropical storm (46 mph)Tropical storm
2009IdaNov 1035 miTropical storm (40 mph)Category 2
2005DennisJul 1045 miCategory 1 (78 mph)Category 4
2005CindyJul 634 miTropical storm (41 mph)Category 1
2005ArleneJun 1136 miTropical storm (46 mph)Tropical storm
2004IvanSep 1621 miCategory 2 (102 mph)Category 5
2002HannaSep 1431 miTropical storm (58 mph)Tropical storm
2001AllisonJun 1118 miTropical storm (39 mph)Tropical storm
1998GeorgesSep 295 miTropical storm (39 mph)Category 4
1997DannyJul 1931 miCategory 1 (75 mph)Category 1
1995OpalOct 471 miCategory 3 (110 mph)Category 4
1995ErinAug 317 miTropical storm (64 mph)Category 2
1985JuanOct 3138 miTropical storm (60 mph)Category 1
1985ElenaSep 252 miCategory 3 (116 mph)Category 3
1979FredericSep 1319 miCategory 3 (112 mph)Category 4
1965Unnamed 1965 stormJun 1572 miTropical storm (58 mph)Tropical storm
1964HildaOct 416 miTropical storm (60 mph)Category 4
1960EthelSep 1653 miTropical storm (54 mph)Category 3
1959IreneOct 836 miTropical storm (46 mph)Tropical storm
1956FlossySep 2470 miCategory 1 (92 mph)Category 1
1955Unnamed 1955 stormAug 2774 miTropical storm (52 mph)Tropical storm
1950BakerAug 3115 miCategory 1 (82 mph)Category 2
1948Unnamed 1948 stormJul 961 miTropical storm (40 mph)Tropical storm
1947Unnamed 1947 stormSep 827 miTropical storm (46 mph)Tropical storm
1944Unnamed 1944 stormSep 117 miTropical storm (46 mph)Tropical storm
1939Unnamed 1939 stormSep 2638 miTropical storm (41 mph)Tropical storm
1939Unnamed 1939 stormAug 1357 miTropical storm (48 mph)Category 1
1939Unnamed 1939 stormJun 1615 miTropical storm (46 mph)Tropical storm
1936Unnamed 1936 stormJul 3165 miTropical storm (63 mph)Category 2
1934Unnamed 1934 stormOct 655 miTropical storm (46 mph)Tropical storm
1932Unnamed 1932 stormOct 1649 miTropical storm (49 mph)Tropical storm
1932Unnamed 1932 stormSep 116 miCategory 1 (77 mph)Category 1
1926Unnamed 1926 stormSep 2134 miCategory 1 (74 mph)Category 4
1923Unnamed 1923 stormOct 1851 miTropical storm (55 mph)Tropical storm
1923Unnamed 1923 stormJun 264 miTropical storm (41 mph)Tropical storm
1919Unnamed 1919 stormJul 457 miTropical storm (44 mph)Tropical storm
1916Unnamed 1916 stormOct 1848 miCategory 2 (101 mph)Category 2
1916Unnamed 1916 stormJul 524 miCategory 2 (102 mph)Category 3
1914Unnamed 1914 stormSep 1833 miTropical storm (40 mph)Tropical storm
1912Unnamed 1912 stormSep 1420 miTropical storm (60 mph)Category 1
1911Unnamed 1911 stormAug 1216 miTropical storm (64 mph)Category 1
1907Unnamed 1907 stormSep 2239 miTropical storm (40 mph)Tropical storm
1906Unnamed 1906 stormSep 2738 miCategory 2 (100 mph)Category 3
1902Unnamed 1902 stormOct 1061 miTropical storm (55 mph)Category 2
1901Unnamed 1901 stormAug 1515 miTropical storm (71 mph)Category 1
1900Unnamed 1900 stormSep 1333 miTropical storm (40 mph)Tropical storm
1898Unnamed 1898 stormAug 375 miTropical storm (40 mph)Category 1
1895Unnamed 1895 stormAug 1623 miTropical storm (44 mph)Tropical storm
1894Unnamed 1894 stormAug 85 miTropical storm (47 mph)Tropical storm
1893Unnamed 1893 stormOct 29 miCategory 1 (86 mph)Category 4
1892Unnamed 1892 stormSep 1242 miTropical storm (45 mph)Tropical storm
1889Unnamed 1889 stormSep 2344 miTropical storm (69 mph)Category 2
1887Unnamed 1887 stormOct 19overheadTropical storm (53 mph)Category 1
1887Unnamed 1887 stormJun 1452 miTropical storm (40 mph)Tropical storm
1885Unnamed 1885 stormSep 2714 miTropical storm (46 mph)Category 1
1881Unnamed 1881 stormAug 313 miTropical storm (48 mph)Tropical storm
1880Unnamed 1880 stormAug 3144 miTropical storm (60 mph)Category 2
1879Unnamed 1879 stormOct 1672 miTropical storm (47 mph)Tropical storm
1877Unnamed 1877 stormSep 1955 miCategory 1 (81 mph)Category 1
1872Unnamed 1872 stormJul 1150 miTropical storm (49 mph)Tropical storm
1860Unnamed 1860 stormSep 1551 miCategory 1 (74 mph)Category 2
1860Unnamed 1860 stormAug 127 miCategory 1 (89 mph)Category 3
1859Unnamed 1859 stormSep 1621 miTropical storm (71 mph)Category 1
1855Unnamed 1855 stormSep 1658 miCategory 1 (81 mph)Category 3
1852Unnamed 1852 stormAug 2611 miCategory 1 (93 mph)Category 3

Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Eight Mile: 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 Eight Mile

By decade

  • 2020s52
  • 2010s15
  • 2000s20
  • 1990s11(1 EF3+)
  • 1980s18
  • 1970s26(1 EF3+)
  • 1960s10(1 EF3+)
  • 1950s8(1 EF3+)
Strongest tornadoes near Eight Mile, Alabama
DateRatingDistancePathKilled / injured
Nov 21, 1997F36 mi1 mi0 / 0
Mar 27, 1976F321 mi13.9 mi0 / 0
Nov 3, 1968F33 mi70.4 mi0 / 18
Apr 18, 1950F32 mi14 mi0 / 15
Jan 12, 2023EF216 mi11.65 mi0 / 0
Dec 25, 2012EF27 mi5.15 mi0 / 0
Mar 9, 2011EF216 mi0.91 mi0 / 4
Nov 6, 2000F221 mi1.5 mi0 / 2
Jul 2, 1989F221 mi1 mi0 / 0
Feb 10, 1981F223 mi1.5 mi0 / 62
May 19, 1980F214 mi0.1 mi0 / 0
Apr 13, 1980F223 mi0.1 mi0 / 0

The strongest 12 of 160, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.

Hail in Eight Mile

The Storm Prediction Center has 89 hail reports within 10 miles of Eight Mile since 1959, made on 74 separate days. Of these, 53 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3.5 inches, fell on May 8, 1985. The most recent report is from June 16, 2023. May has the most reports, 23.

Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.

Weather by month in Eight Mile

The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Mobile, AL, 9 miles southwest of Eight Mile at 208 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 91°F and low of 73°F; January is the coolest, at 62°F and 41°F. July is the wettest at 7.7 inches of precipitation on average and October the driest at 4.0 inches; the year adds up to 67.3 inches over 80 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 52% of the year's precipitation (35.1 of 67.3 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 69 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (27); a normal September there has highs of 88°F and 5.3 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 77 days a year, almost all from May to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 21 nights a year. That 67.3 inches is more than at 102 of the 107 Alabama stations used on this site (95%). Whistler, 4 miles southeast, has its own station (Mobile Dwtn Airport, AL): 60.6 inches a year, 6.7 less than here, and a July average high of 92°F against 91°F.

Water temperature at the NOAA tide station Mobile State Docks, AL, 9 miles southeast, averaged 88°F in August and 53°F in January over 2021–2025. It averaged 80°F or warmer from June to September. Sea level at the Mobile State Docks tide gauge, 9 miles from Eight Mile, has risen 1.82 ± 0.24 inches per decade from 1980 to 2025, NOAA's linear trend; at that pace it is 18.2 inches in a hundred years. That is faster than at 113 of the 144 U.S. gauges with a NOAA trend.

Monthly climate normals 1991–2020 at Mobile, AL
MonthHigh °FLow °FPrecip. inDays ≥ 0.1"Water °F
Jan62415.7753
Feb66444.5655
Mar72505.4662
Apr78565.7669
May85645.4677
Jun89716.6983
Jul91737.71186
Aug91736.9988
Sep88695.3684
Oct80584.0477
Nov70484.6568
Dec64435.5760
Year785767.38072

Averages for 1991–2020 at Mobile, AL (208 ft), from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals; water temperature: average of hourly readings 2021–2025 at the NOAA tide station Mobile State Docks, AL, from NOAA Tides & Currents. Normals describe the station; the farther a place is from it, and the bigger the difference in height, the more its weather can differ.

Alabama weather by month, station by station →

Floods, thunderstorm wind and lightning near Eight Mile

Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 218 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Eight Mile: 138 thunderstorm wind reports, 64 flash floods, 9 lightning strikes, 6 floods and 1 heavy rain event. They killed 1 person and injured 10, and the NWS estimated $12.3 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 86 mph, on July 16, 2000. March has had the most flash floods, 11 of 64. Of the 321 Alabama cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 300 have had fewer than Eight Mile.

  • June 16, 2019: lightning strike 7 miles from the centre of Eight Mile — 1 killed.

  • July 3, 2007: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Eight Mile — 8 injured, $3.5 million damage.

  • June 27, 2007: lightning strike 8 miles from the centre of Eight Mile — 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

Flood insurance policyholders in Eight Mile's ZIP code 36613 have filed 31 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $155,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 65% 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, 49 have fewer than Eight Mile.

Mobile County, which includes Eight Mile, has been named in 41 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1969, 27 of them major disasters (by incident: 26 hurricanes, 9 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 1 drought). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, and Tornadoes, on January 15, 2023. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Mobile County a Relatively High rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Very High for hurricanes and lightning; Relatively High for tornadoes, inland flooding and coastal flooding; Relatively Moderate for hail, strong wind and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $298.2 million a year, the highest of 67 Alabama counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $178.2 million (60%), is from hurricanes.

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 Eight Mile