NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Guntersville, 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
8 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Guntersville, Alabama since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Zeta in 2020. Since 1950, 173 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 27 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 8
- Tornadoes
- 173
- EF3 or stronger
- 27
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
72 deaths in all
What the records show for Guntersville
None of the 8 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Guntersville; the strongest was Zeta in 2020, a tropical storm with 62 mph winds when its centre passed 43 miles away. The record near Guntersville begins with an unnamed storm in 1892; the most recent system was Zeta in 2020. The busiest decade was the 1970s, with 2 systems. Of the 8 systems, one has come since 2000. Of the 323 Alabama cities on this site, 85% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Guntersville. The strongest of the 173 tornadoes within 25 miles was an EF5 on April 27, 2011; its path came within 19 miles, and it killed 25 people. Of the 173, 17 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 101 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 68. The most recent tornado was on May 20, 2025. Guntersville has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 85% of the 323 Alabama cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 108 times since 1974, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Guntersville has more hail reports within 10 miles than 85% of the 323 Alabama cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Guntersville
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 43 mi | Tropical storm (62 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1995 | OpalOct 5 | 21 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1985 | JuanNov 1 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 13 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1975 | EloiseSep 23 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (59 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormOct 17 | 24 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormSep 30 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 21 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 Guntersville: 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 Guntersville
By decade
- 2020s25
- 2010s48(7 EF3+)
- 2000s28(3 EF3+)
- 1990s20(2 EF3+)
- 1980s15(5 EF3+)
- 1970s18(4 EF3+)
- 1960s10(2 EF3+)
- 1950s9(4 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF5 | 19 mi | 33.66 mi | 25 / 0 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF4 | 5 mi | 127.8 mi | 13 / 54 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF4 | 10 mi | 46.88 mi | 6 / 48 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 23 mi | 110.6 mi | 3 / 178 |
| Nov 18, 1957 | F4 | 7 mi | 26.1 mi | 3 / 12 |
| Mar 11, 1963 | F4 | 18 mi | 28 mi | 2 / 6 |
| Apr 24, 2010 | EF4 | 22 mi | 16.62 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Nov 24, 2001 | F4 | 22 mi | 10.1 mi | 0 / 22 |
| Nov 10, 2002 | F3 | 22 mi | 72.6 mi | 7 / 53 |
| Feb 16, 1995 | F3 | 6 mi | 14 mi | 6 / 130 |
| Apr 8, 1957 | F3 | 8 mi | 38.8 mi | 2 / 90 |
| Apr 28, 2014 | EF3 | 19 mi | 11.73 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 173, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Guntersville
The Storm Prediction Center has 108 hail reports within 10 miles of Guntersville since 1974, made on 57 separate days. Of these, 65 were 1 inch across or larger, and 8 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on July 31, 1986. The most recent report is from May 2, 2025. April has the most reports, 50.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Guntersville
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Guntersville No.2, AL, 2 miles southwest of Guntersville at 595 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 89°F and low of 71°F; January is the coolest, at 50°F and 33°F. December is the wettest at 5.9 inches of precipitation on average and October the driest at 3.3 inches; the year adds up to 56.8 inches over 80 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 49 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 44 nights a year. That 56.8 inches is more than at 45 of the 107 Alabama stations used on this site (42%). Grant, 10 miles north, has its own station (Owens Cross Roads 3S, AL): 58.0 inches a year, 1.2 more than here, and a July average high of 88°F against 89°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 50 | 33 | 5.5 | 8 |
| Feb | 54 | 35 | 5.7 | 8 |
| Mar | 63 | 43 | 5.4 | 8 |
| Apr | 72 | 50 | 4.8 | 7 |
| May | 79 | 60 | 4.8 | 7 |
| Jun | 86 | 68 | 4.5 | 8 |
| Jul | 89 | 71 | 4.2 | 7 |
| Aug | 88 | 71 | 4.0 | 6 |
| Sep | 83 | 65 | 4.5 | 5 |
| Oct | 73 | 54 | 3.3 | 5 |
| Nov | 62 | 42 | 4.2 | 6 |
| Dec | 53 | 36 | 5.9 | 8 |
| Year | 71 | 52 | 56.8 | 80 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Guntersville No.2, AL (595 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 Guntersville
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 272 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Guntersville: 220 thunderstorm wind reports, 26 flash floods, 13 lightning strikes, 8 floods and 5 heavy rain events. They killed 4 people and injured 9, and the NWS estimated $9.3 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 100 mph, on March 18, 2013. May has had the most flash floods, 6 of 26. Of the 321 Alabama cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 233 have had fewer than Guntersville.
August 10, 2015: thunderstorm wind 4 miles from the centre of Guntersville — 2 killed, 2 injured.
NWS: “A strong thunderstorm moved through the Short creek area of Lake Guntersville, Alabama, capsizing a canoe, resulting in two drownings. Time was estimated by news article.”
July 25, 2010: lightning strike 7 miles from the centre of Guntersville — 1 killed, 4 injured.
October 6, 2021: flash flood 10 miles from the centre of Guntersville — 1 killed.
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 Guntersville's ZIP code 35976 have filed 18 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1979, and were paid $452,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 44% 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, 22 have fewer than Guntersville.
Marshall County, which includes Guntersville, has been named in 29 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 20 of them major disasters (by incident: 14 severe storms, 6 hurricanes, 4 floods, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Thunderstorms, on July 10, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Marshall 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 $50.2 million a year, the 13th highest of 67 Alabama counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $20.0 million (40%), 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 Guntersville
- Albertville, AL7 mi
- Grant, AL10 mi
- Arab, AL11 mi
- Horton, AL12 mi
- Union Grove, AL13 mi
- Boaz, AL14 mi
- New Hope, AL14 mi
- Crossville, AL16 mi
- Joppa, AL16 mi
- Baileyton, AL19 mi
- Holly Pond, AL20 mi
- Altoona, AL20 mi
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