NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Gardendale, 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
13 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Gardendale, Alabama since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Zeta in 2020. Since 1950, 182 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 20 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 13
- Tornadoes
- 182
- EF3 or stronger
- 20
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
196 deaths in all
What the records show for Gardendale
None of the 13 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Gardendale; the strongest was Zeta in 2020, a tropical storm with 64 mph winds when its centre passed 24 miles away. The record near Gardendale begins with an unnamed storm in 1879; the most recent system was Zeta in 2020. The busiest decade was the 1910s, with 4 systems. Of the 13 systems, one has come since 2000. Of the 323 Alabama cities on this site, 69% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Gardendale. The highest rating among the 182 tornadoes within 25 miles is F5, reached 2 times; the most recent, on April 8, 1998, came within 7 miles. The deadliest, an EF4 on April 27, 2011, killed 64 people. Of the 182, 14 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 97 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 56. The most recent tornado was on November 25, 2025. Gardendale has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 91% of the 323 Alabama cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 143 times since 1958, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Gardendale has more hail reports within 10 miles than 94% of the 323 Alabama cities.
Compare Gardendale's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Gardendale
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 24 mi | Tropical storm (64 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1995 | OpalOct 5 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1985 | JuanNov 1 | 8 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 13 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormOct 17 | 20 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormOct 18 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormJul 8 | 32 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormSep 30 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1912 | Unnamed 1912 stormJun 14 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1907 | Unnamed 1907 stormSep 22 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 15 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1881 | Unnamed 1881 stormAug 29 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1879 | Unnamed 1879 stormSep 2 | 64 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Gardendale: 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 Gardendale
By decade
- 2020s21(2 EF3+)
- 2010s30(6 EF3+)
- 2000s46
- 1990s17(1 EF3+)
- 1980s16
- 1970s30(3 EF3+)
- 1960s12(4 EF3+)
- 1950s10(4 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 8, 1998 | F5 | 7 mi | 30.3 mi | 32 / 259 |
| Apr 4, 1977 | F5 | 8 mi | 14.7 mi | 22 / 130 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF4 | 5 mi | 80.68 mi | 64 / 1500 |
| Apr 15, 1956 | F4 | 8 mi | 21.3 mi | 25 / 200 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF4 | 14 mi | 97.33 mi | 22 / 85 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF4 | 19 mi | 127.8 mi | 13 / 54 |
| Mar 6, 1967 | F4 | 7 mi | 20.9 mi | 2 / 25 |
| Mar 11, 1963 | F4 | 16 mi | 28 mi | 2 / 6 |
| Mar 5, 1963 | F4 | 14 mi | 14.9 mi | 0 / 35 |
| Jan 25, 2021 | EF3 | 5 mi | 10.4 mi | 1 / 30 |
| Jan 23, 2012 | EF3 | 6 mi | 15.69 mi | 1 / 75 |
| May 27, 1973 | F3 | 10 mi | 41.6 mi | 1 / 44 |
The strongest 12 of 182, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Gardendale
The Storm Prediction Center has 143 hail reports within 10 miles of Gardendale since 1958, made on 112 separate days. Of these, 87 were 1 inch across or larger, and 9 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 3 inches (tea cup size), was reported on 2 days, most recently March 27, 1994. The most recent report is from April 23, 2025. April has the most reports, 39.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Gardendale
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Pinson, AL, 8 miles east of Gardendale at 608 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 90°F and low of 68°F; January is the coolest, at 54°F and 31°F. March is the wettest at 5.7 inches of precipitation on average and October the driest at 3.3 inches; the year adds up to 57.1 inches over 80 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 46% of the year's precipitation (26.0 of 57.1 inches); the other six months are wetter. September has brought the most of the 13 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (5); a normal September there has highs of 85°F and 4.0 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 64 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 72 nights a year. Snowfall averages 1.4 inches a year, most of it in March. That 57.1 inches is more than at 51 of the 107 Alabama stations used on this site (48%). Mount Olive, 3 miles west, has its own station (Birmingham Airport, AL): 56.7 inches a year, 0.4 less than here, and a July average high of 91°F against 90°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 54 | 31 | 5.1 | 7 | 0.2 |
| Feb | 58 | 34 | 5.4 | 7 | 0.3 |
| Mar | 67 | 41 | 5.7 | 8 | 0.8 |
| Apr | 75 | 48 | 5.0 | 6 | 0.0 |
| May | 82 | 56 | 4.8 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 88 | 65 | 4.6 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 90 | 68 | 5.0 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 90 | 68 | 4.5 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 85 | 61 | 4.0 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 75 | 50 | 3.3 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 64 | 39 | 4.6 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 56 | 34 | 5.1 | 7 | 0.1 |
| Year | 74 | 50 | 57.1 | 80 | 1.4 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Pinson, AL (608 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 Gardendale
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 162 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Gardendale: 129 thunderstorm wind reports, 24 flash floods, 7 heavy rain events, 1 flood and 1 lightning strike. They killed 0 people and injured 11, and the NWS estimated $748,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 75 mph, on January 22, 1999. Of the 321 Alabama cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 226 have had fewer than Gardendale.
February 27, 1999: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Gardendale — 5 injured, $8,000 damage.
June 4, 2010: flash flood 8 miles from the centre of Gardendale — 3 injured, $50,000 damage.
October 12, 2010: lightning strike 9 miles from the centre of Gardendale — 2 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
Jefferson County, which includes Gardendale, has been named in 39 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1970, 27 of them major disasters (by incident: 18 severe storms, 10 hurricanes, 4 floods, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms and Flooding, on December 21, 2021. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Jefferson County a Relatively High rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Very High for tornadoes and lightning; Relatively High for inland flooding, strong wind and heat waves; Relatively Low for hurricanes; Very Low for hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $262.4 million a year, the 2nd highest of 67 Alabama counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $143.1 million (55%), 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.