NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Heflin, 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
18 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Heflin, Alabama since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Zeta in 2020. Since 1950, 93 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 13 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 18
- Tornadoes
- 93
- EF3 or stronger
- 13
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
53 deaths in all
What the records show for Heflin
None of the 18 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Heflin; the strongest was Eloise in 1975, a tropical storm with 62 mph winds when its centre passed 10 miles away. The record near Heflin begins with an unnamed storm in 1852; the most recent system was Zeta in 2020, a tropical storm 24 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1900s, with 4 systems. Of the 18 systems, one has come since 2000. Of the 323 Alabama cities on this site, 49% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Heflin. The highest rating among the 93 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 3 times; the most recent, on March 27, 1994, came within 22 miles. Of the 93, 7 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 39 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 22. The most recent tornado was on May 27, 2025. Of the 323 Alabama cities, 83% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Heflin. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 37 times since 1970, with stones up to 4.25 inches. Of the 323 Alabama cities, 72% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Heflin.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Heflin
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 24 mi | Tropical storm (61 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1995 | OpalOct 5 | 31 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1985 | JuanNov 1 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1975 | EloiseSep 23 | 10 mi | Tropical storm (62 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormOct 17 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormJul 8 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormSep 5 | 33 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1912 | Unnamed 1912 stormJun 14 | 30 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1907 | Unnamed 1907 stormSep 22 | 17 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1906 | Unnamed 1906 stormJun 13 | 24 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1903 | Unnamed 1903 stormSep 15 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormOct 11 | 31 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1898 | Unnamed 1898 stormOct 3 | 10 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1898 | Unnamed 1898 stormSep 1 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 3 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1887 | Unnamed 1887 stormJul 28 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1859 | Unnamed 1859 stormSep 16 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1852 | Unnamed 1852 stormAug 27 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Heflin: 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 Heflin
By decade
- 2020s7(1 EF3+)
- 2010s11(2 EF3+)
- 2000s21(1 EF3+)
- 1990s10(1 EF3+)
- 1980s17(1 EF3+)
- 1970s10(2 EF3+)
- 1960s14(3 EF3+)
- 1950s3(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 27, 1994 | F4 | 22 mi | 50 mi | 22 / 150 |
| May 27, 1973 | F4 | 13 mi | 139.1 mi | 7 / 199 |
| May 1, 1953 | F4 | 24 mi | 12.1 mi | 7 / 12 |
| Mar 25, 2021 | EF3 | 22 mi | 38.17 mi | 6 / 10 |
| Dec 3, 1983 | F3 | 14 mi | 4 mi | 2 / 51 |
| Jan 26, 1974 | F3 | 22 mi | 21.3 mi | 1 / 7 |
| Mar 19, 2018 | EF3 | 13 mi | 35.22 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Mar 2, 2012 | EF3 | 23 mi | 29.02 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Feb 26, 2008 | EF3 | 16 mi | 7.21 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Apr 28, 1964 | F3 | 11 mi | 15.7 mi | 0 / 10 |
| Mar 21, 1962 | F3 | 16 mi | 2.3 mi | 0 / 10 |
| Dec 11, 1961 | F3 | 18 mi | 3.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 93, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Heflin
The Storm Prediction Center has 37 hail reports within 10 miles of Heflin since 1970, made on 29 separate days. Of these, 26 were 1 inch across or larger, and 5 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4.25 inches, fell on February 18, 2009. The most recent report is from August 18, 2024. June has the most reports, 7.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Heflin
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Heflin, AL, 4 miles northwest of Heflin at 1,000 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 89°F and low of 67°F; January is the coolest, at 53°F and 30°F. February is the wettest at 5.9 inches of precipitation on average and September the driest at 3.3 inches; the year adds up to 57.6 inches over 83 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 44% of the year's precipitation (25.6 of 57.6 inches); the other six months are wetter. Highs reach 90°F on about 37 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 72 nights a year. Snowfall averages 1.2 inches a year, most of it in March. That 57.6 inches is more than at 56 of the 107 Alabama stations used on this site (52%). Anniston, 15 miles west, has its own station (Anniston Metro Airport, AL): 52.2 inches a year, 5.4 less 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 | 53 | 30 | 5.6 | 8 | 0.4 |
| Feb | 58 | 33 | 5.9 | 8 | 0.1 |
| Mar | 66 | 39 | 5.6 | 8 | 0.5 |
| Apr | 73 | 46 | 4.8 | 7 | 0.0 |
| May | 80 | 55 | 4.7 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 85 | 63 | 4.6 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 89 | 67 | 5.4 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 88 | 66 | 4.4 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 84 | 60 | 3.3 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 75 | 48 | 3.4 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 64 | 37 | 4.5 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 56 | 33 | 5.4 | 8 | 0.2 |
| Year | 72 | 48 | 57.6 | 83 | 1.2 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Heflin, AL (1,000 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 Heflin
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 66 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Heflin: 58 thunderstorm wind reports, 4 flash floods, 2 floods and 2 heavy rain events. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $580,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on February 26, 2008.
February 26, 2008: thunderstorm wind 5 miles from the centre of Heflin — $200,000 damage.
NWS: “Numerous trees and power lines were blown down across the northern portion of the county. At least 10 buildings had roof damage due to downed trees, and at least 3 buildings had roofs completely blown off.”
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
Cleburne County, which includes Heflin, has been named in 22 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1974, 11 of them major disasters (by incident: 8 hurricanes, 6 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 floods). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 29, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Cleburne County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes; Relatively Low for hurricanes, inland flooding, strong wind and lightning; Very Low for hail and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $6.0 million a year, the 60th highest of 67 Alabama counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $2.9 million (48%), 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 Heflin
- Ranburne, AL12 mi
- Anniston, AL15 mi
- Oxford, AL16 mi
- Tallapoosa, GA18 mi
- Bowdon, GA18 mi
- Weaver, AL18 mi
- Waco, GA19 mi
- Jacksonville, AL19 mi
- Wedowee, AL19 mi
- Woodland, AL20 mi
- Lineville, AL22 mi
- Alexandria, AL22 mi
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