NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Gulf Shores, 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
76 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Gulf Shores, Alabama since 1851, 29 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Sally in 2020. Since 1950, 100 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 2 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 29
- Tropical storms
- 47
- Tornadoes
- 100
- EF3 or stronger
- 2
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
no recorded deaths
What the records show for Gulf Shores
The strongest storm to pass near Gulf Shores was an unnamed storm in 1882, a Category 3 hurricane with 125 mph winds when its centre passed 41 miles away. The closest pass by a hurricane was Sally in 2020, whose centre crossed the city. The record near Gulf Shores begins with an unnamed storm in 1852; the most recent system was Sally in 2020. The busiest decade was the 1880s, with 10 systems, 2 of them at hurricane strength. Of the 76 systems, 11 have come since 2000. Gulf Shores has more hurricanes within 75 miles than 99% of the 323 Alabama cities on this site. The highest rating among the 100 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3, reached 2 times; the most recent, on October 13, 2001, came within 11 miles. Of the 100, 18 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 50 have come since 2000. October has had the most tornadoes, 19. The most recent tornado was on October 26, 2025. Of the 323 Alabama cities, 76% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Gulf Shores. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 17 times since 1973, with stones up to 4 inches (softball size). Of the 323 Alabama cities, 95% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Gulf Shores.
Compare Gulf Shores's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Gulf Shores
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | SallySep 16 | overhead | Category 2 (109 mph) | Category 2 |
| 2018 | GordonSep 5 | 32 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2017 | NateOct 8 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (66 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2009 | IdaNov 10 | 9 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 2 |
| 2009 | ClaudetteAug 17 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2005 | DennisJul 10 | 38 mi | Category 3 (115 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2005 | ArleneJun 11 | 14 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2004 | IvanSep 16 | 10 mi | Category 3 (119 mph) | Category 5 |
| 2002 | HannaSep 14 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2001 | AllisonJun 11 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2000 | HeleneSep 22 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1998 | GeorgesSep 29 | 46 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1997 | DannyJul 19 | 5 mi | Tropical storm (71 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1995 | OpalOct 4 | 34 mi | Category 3 (117 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1995 | ErinAug 3 | 26 mi | Category 1 (78 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1994 | AlbertoJul 3 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1985 | JuanOct 31 | overhead | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1985 | ElenaSep 2 | 27 mi | Category 3 (119 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 13 | 29 mi | Category 3 (124 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1969 | Unnamed 1969 stormOct 1 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1965 | Unnamed 1965 stormJun 15 | 28 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1964 | HildaOct 4 | 17 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1960 | EthelSep 15 | 65 mi | Category 1 (81 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1959 | IreneOct 8 | 7 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1957 | DebbieSep 8 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1956 | FlossySep 24 | 26 mi | Category 1 (92 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1955 | Unnamed 1955 stormAug 26 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1950 | BakerAug 31 | 15 mi | Category 1 (86 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1948 | Unnamed 1948 stormJul 9 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1947 | Unnamed 1947 stormSep 8 | 23 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1944 | Unnamed 1944 stormSep 10 | 32 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1939 | Unnamed 1939 stormAug 13 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1939 | Unnamed 1939 stormJun 16 | 8 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1937 | Unnamed 1937 stormSep 20 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1936 | Unnamed 1936 stormJul 31 | 62 mi | Category 1 (84 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormOct 6 | 14 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormSep 1 | 20 mi | Category 1 (86 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1926 | Unnamed 1926 stormSep 21 | 3 mi | Category 1 (91 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormJun 26 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1919 | Unnamed 1919 stormJul 4 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1917 | Unnamed 1917 stormSep 28 | 34 mi | Category 3 (115 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormOct 18 | 18 mi | Category 2 (109 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormJul 5 | 28 mi | Category 3 (121 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1914 | Unnamed 1914 stormSep 18 | 8 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1912 | Unnamed 1912 stormSep 14 | 36 mi | Category 1 (76 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1911 | Unnamed 1911 stormAug 11 | 9 mi | Category 1 (76 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1907 | Unnamed 1907 stormSep 21 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1907 | Unnamed 1907 stormJun 28 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1906 | Unnamed 1906 stormSep 27 | 52 mi | Category 2 (109 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1904 | Unnamed 1904 stormNov 3 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormOct 10 | 22 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1901 | Unnamed 1901 stormSep 17 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1901 | Unnamed 1901 stormAug 15 | 57 mi | Category 1 (75 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 13 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1896 | Unnamed 1896 stormJul 7 | 69 mi | Category 2 (98 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1895 | Unnamed 1895 stormAug 16 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1894 | Unnamed 1894 stormAug 7 | 8 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 2 | 53 mi | Category 1 (90 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1889 | Unnamed 1889 stormSep 23 | 1 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1887 | Unnamed 1887 stormOct 19 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1887 | Unnamed 1887 stormJul 27 | 60 mi | Category 1 (86 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1887 | Unnamed 1887 stormJun 14 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1885 | Unnamed 1885 stormSep 28 | 23 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1885 | Unnamed 1885 stormSep 21 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1885 | Unnamed 1885 stormAug 30 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1882 | Unnamed 1882 stormSep 9 | 41 mi | Category 3 (125 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1881 | Unnamed 1881 stormAug 3 | 34 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1880 | Unnamed 1880 stormAug 31 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (68 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1879 | Unnamed 1879 stormOct 16 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1877 | Unnamed 1877 stormSep 19 | 12 mi | Category 1 (81 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1875 | Unnamed 1875 stormSep 27 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1868 | Unnamed 1868 stormOct 4 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1867 | Unnamed 1867 stormOct 5 | 66 mi | Category 1 (92 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1860 | Unnamed 1860 stormAug 12 | 52 mi | Category 1 (89 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1859 | Unnamed 1859 stormSep 16 | 20 mi | Category 1 (77 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1852 | Unnamed 1852 stormAug 26 | 50 mi | Category 2 (109 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Gulf Shores: 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 Gulf Shores
By decade
- 2020s14
- 2010s11
- 2000s25(1 EF3+)
- 1990s16
- 1980s18(1 EF3+)
- 1970s9
- 1960s7
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 13, 2001 | F3 | 11 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 25, 1982 | F3 | 24 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 9, 2011 | EF2 | 19 mi | 2.05 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 27, 2004 | F2 | 15 mi | 4.5 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Oct 13, 2001 | F2 | 20 mi | 0.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 13, 1972 | F2 | 25 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 16, 1971 | F2 | 20 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Dec 10, 1967 | F2 | 3 mi | 14.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 30, 1967 | F2 | 23 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 30, 1967 | F2 | 3 mi | 13.1 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Dec 24, 1964 | F2 | 17 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Mar 31, 1962 | F2 | 3 mi | 11.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 100, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Gulf Shores
The Storm Prediction Center has 17 hail reports within 10 miles of Gulf Shores since 1973, made on 9 separate days. Of these, 12 were 1 inch across or larger, and 3 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4 inches (softball size), fell on April 10, 2021. The most recent report is from April 10, 2024. April has the most reports, 11.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Gulf Shores
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Dauphin Is #2, AL, 21 miles west of Gulf Shores at 8 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 88°F and low of 78°F; January is the coolest, at 59°F and 46°F. July is the wettest at 6.8 inches of precipitation on average and October the driest at 3.5 inches; the year adds up to 61.1 inches over 71 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 51% of the year's precipitation (31.3 of 61.1 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 76 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (30); a normal September there has highs of 85°F and 5.2 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 36 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 4 nights a year. That 61.1 inches is more than at 88 of the 107 Alabama stations used on this site (82%). Foley, 9 miles north, has its own station (Robertsdale, AL): 69.0 inches a year, 7.9 more than here, and a July average high of 90°F against 88°F.
Sea level at the Dauphin Island tide gauge, 21 miles from Gulf Shores, has risen 1.72 ± 0.10 inches per decade from 1966 to 2025, NOAA's linear trend; at that pace it is 17.2 inches in a hundred years. That is faster than at 109 of the 144 U.S. gauges with a NOAA trend.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 59 | 46 | 5.2 | 7 |
| Feb | 62 | 49 | 4.4 | 6 |
| Mar | 67 | 56 | 4.9 | 6 |
| Apr | 74 | 63 | 5.2 | 5 |
| May | 81 | 71 | 5.0 | 5 |
| Jun | 86 | 76 | 5.9 | 7 |
| Jul | 88 | 78 | 6.8 | 8 |
| Aug | 88 | 78 | 6.0 | 8 |
| Sep | 85 | 76 | 5.2 | 5 |
| Oct | 77 | 67 | 3.5 | 4 |
| Nov | 68 | 56 | 3.9 | 5 |
| Dec | 61 | 49 | 5.1 | 6 |
| Year | 75 | 64 | 61.1 | 71 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Dauphin Is #2, AL (8 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 Gulf Shores
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 65 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Gulf Shores: 28 thunderstorm wind reports, 22 flash floods, 8 heavy rain events, 6 lightning strikes and 1 flood. They killed 2 people and injured 11, and the NWS estimated $1.2 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on January 2, 2017. Of the 321 Alabama cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 221 have had fewer than Gulf Shores.
August 26, 2017: lightning strike 3 miles from the centre of Gulf Shores — 1 killed, 5 injured.
NWS: “A group of 6 were struck by lightning on the beach. There were 5 injuries and 1 death.”
August 15, 2019: lightning strike 5 miles from the centre of Gulf Shores — 1 killed.
NWS: “A 28 year old male was struck by lightning while working on a construction site in craft farms. he was rushed to the hospital where he later died as a result of his injuries.”
August 3, 2010: lightning strike 3 miles from the centre of Gulf Shores — 2 injured.
NWS: “Lightning struck 4 people on the beach in Gulf Shores. Two were hospitalized with minor injuries.”
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 Gulf Shores's ZIP code 36542 have filed 9,453 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $216.1 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Hurricane Ivan in 2004: 2,796 claims (30% of all) and $124.6 million, then Hurricane Katrina in 2005 with 1,411 and Hurricane Georges in 1998 with 1,285. 95% 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, 117 have fewer than Gulf Shores.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Hurricane Ivan2004 | 2,796 | $124.6 million |
| Hurricane Katrina2005 | 1,411 | $20.2 million |
| Hurricane Georges1998 | 1,285 | $17.5 million |
| Hurricane Sally2020 | 979 | $22.0 million |
| Hurricane Opal1995 | 882 | $8.4 million |
| Tropical Storm Isidore2002 | 418 | $1.9 million |
Baldwin County, which includes Gulf Shores, has been named in 39 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1969, 24 of them major disasters (by incident: 24 hurricanes, 8 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 floods). The latest major disaster declaration was Hurricane Sally, on September 20, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Baldwin County a Relatively High rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Very High for hurricanes and lightning; Relatively High for tornadoes, coastal flooding and strong wind; Relatively Moderate for inland flooding and heat waves; Relatively Low for hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $237.4 million a year, the 3rd highest of 67 Alabama counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $159.4 million (67%), 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).
Gulf Shores in the notable storm records: Hurricane Ivan (2004)
What counts as a pass, the distances and the sources: how this storm history is built.
Cities near Gulf Shores
- Foley, AL9 mi
- Orange Beach, AL10 mi
- Elberta, AL13 mi
- Summerdale, AL15 mi
- Lillian, AL19 mi
- Silverhill, AL19 mi
- Fairhope, AL20 mi
- Robertsdale, AL23 mi
- Loxley, AL26 mi
- Daphne, AL26 mi
- Coden, AL29 mi
- Pensacola, FL31 mi
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