NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Harvest, 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 Harvest, Alabama since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Opal in 1995. Since 1950, 195 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 19 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 7
- Tornadoes
- 195
- EF3 or stronger
- 19
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
170 deaths in all
What the records show for Harvest
None of the 7 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Harvest; the strongest was Frederic in 1979, a tropical storm with 47 mph winds when its centre passed 26 miles away. The record near Harvest begins with an unnamed storm in 1892; the most recent system was Opal in 1995, a tropical storm 52 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1910s, with 2 systems. 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 Harvest. The highest rating among the 195 tornadoes within 25 miles is F5 or EF5, reached 3 times; the most recent, on April 27, 2011, came within 2 miles. Of the 195, 18 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 140 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 58. The most recent tornado was on May 27, 2025. Harvest has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 97% of the 323 Alabama cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 243 times since 1965, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Harvest has more hail reports within 10 miles than 98% of the 323 Alabama cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Harvest
Of the 7 tracks on the map, 5 were moving northeast as they passed Harvest, 2 north. Frederic (1979), the strongest pass, was heading northeast; its centre passed 26 miles northwest of Harvest. None made landfall within 75 miles of Harvest; 5 of the 7 were hurricanes at their peak, none at their closest to the city. None came near Harvest 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 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 13 | 26 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormOct 17 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormOct 19 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormSep 30 | 10 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 17 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 Harvest: 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 Harvest
By decade
- 2020s37(2 EF3+)
- 2010s54(4 EF3+)
- 2000s49(1 EF3+)
- 1990s15(2 EF3+)
- 1980s11(3 EF3+)
- 1970s16(6 EF3+)
- 1960s5
- 1950s8(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF5 | 2 mi | 132 mi | 72 / 145 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F5 | in town | 52 mi | 28 / 267 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F5 | 5 mi | 83.3 mi | 16 / 190 |
| Nov 15, 1989 | F4 | 13 mi | 18.5 mi | 21 / 463 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 20 mi | 27.5 mi | 11 / 121 |
| Feb 6, 2008 | EF4 | 24 mi | 16.7 mi | 4 / 23 |
| Mar 22, 1952 | F4 | 11 mi | 21.6 mi | 4 / 50 |
| May 18, 1995 | F4 | in town | 39 mi | 1 / 55 |
| Apr 28, 2014 | EF3 | 18 mi | 26.76 mi | 2 / 0 |
| Apr 28, 2014 | EF3 | 12 mi | 15.56 mi | 2 / 30 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 14 mi | 46.5 mi | 2 / 7 |
| Apr 1, 2023 | EF3 | 15 mi | 12.03 mi | 1 / 5 |
The strongest 12 of 195, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Harvest
The Storm Prediction Center has 243 hail reports within 10 miles of Harvest since 1965, made on 115 separate days. Of these, 150 were 1 inch across or larger, and 19 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on April 10, 2009. The most recent report is from May 20, 2025. April has the most reports, 71.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Harvest
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Belle Mina 2 N, AL, 11 miles southwest of Harvest at 603 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 89°F and low of 68°F; January is the coolest, at 49°F and 30°F. December is the wettest at 5.9 inches of precipitation on average and August the driest at 3.4 inches; the year adds up to 54.6 inches over 81 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 61 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 76 nights a year. Snowfall averages 1.1 inches a year, most of it in February. That 54.6 inches is more than at 17 of the 107 Alabama stations used on this site (16%). Toney, 7 miles northeast, has its own station (Athens, AL): 59.1 inches a year, 4.5 more than here, and a July average high of 90°F against 89°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 49 | 30 | 5.3 | 7 | 0.2 |
| Feb | 53 | 32 | 5.1 | 7 | 0.5 |
| Mar | 62 | 39 | 5.1 | 8 | 0.3 |
| Apr | 71 | 47 | 5.1 | 7 | 0.0 |
| May | 79 | 57 | 4.6 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 86 | 65 | 4.0 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 89 | 68 | 4.5 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 89 | 66 | 3.4 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 84 | 60 | 3.9 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 74 | 48 | 3.5 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 61 | 38 | 4.2 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 52 | 32 | 5.9 | 8 | 0.1 |
| Year | 71 | 48 | 54.6 | 81 | 1.1 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Belle Mina 2 N, AL (603 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 Harvest
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 597 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Harvest: 438 thunderstorm wind reports, 95 flash floods, 29 lightning strikes, 21 floods and 14 heavy rain events. They killed 1 person and injured 10, and the NWS estimated $3.1 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 86 mph, on February 13, 2000. July has had the most flash floods, 20 of 95. Of the 321 Alabama cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 316 have had fewer than Harvest.
August 21, 2010: lightning strike 10 miles from the centre of Harvest — 1 killed.
January 11, 2020: thunderstorm wind 5 miles from the centre of Harvest — 3 injured.
February 13, 2000: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Harvest — 2 injured, $250,000 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 Harvest's ZIP code 35749 have filed 19 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1986, and were paid $396,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 37% 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, 26 have fewer than Harvest.
Madison County, which includes Harvest, has been named in 21 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 12 of them major disasters (by incident: 7 severe storms, 6 hurricanes, 3 tornadoes, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 29, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Madison County a Relatively High rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Very High for lightning; Relatively High for tornadoes, inland flooding and strong wind; Relatively Moderate for heat waves; Relatively Low for hurricanes and hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $179.6 million a year, the 4th highest of 67 Alabama counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $99.1 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).
Harvest in the notable storm records: The April 27, 2011 EF5 Tornado in Alabama, near Madison
What counts as a pass, the distances and the sources: how this storm history is built.
Cities near Harvest
- Toney, AL7 mi
- Madison, AL8 mi
- Ardmore, AL11 mi
- Huntsville, AL11 mi
- Meridianville, AL12 mi
- Athens, AL12 mi
- Hazel Green, AL13 mi
- Elkmont, AL15 mi
- Ardmore, TN16 mi
- Brownsboro, AL17 mi
- New Market, AL19 mi
- Prospect, TN20 mi
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