NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Helena, 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
15 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Helena, Alabama since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Zeta in 2020. Since 1950, 149 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 17 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 15
- Tornadoes
- 149
- EF3 or stronger
- 17
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
166 deaths in all
What the records show for Helena
None of the 15 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Helena; the strongest was Eloise in 1975, a tropical storm with 69 mph winds when its centre passed 71 miles away. The record near Helena begins with an unnamed storm in 1860; the most recent system was Zeta in 2020, a tropical storm 5 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1910s, with 3 systems. Of the 15 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Of the 323 Alabama cities on this site, 61% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Helena. The highest rating among the 149 tornadoes within 25 miles is F5, reached 2 times; the most recent, on April 8, 1998, came within 19 miles. The deadliest, an EF4 on April 27, 2011, killed 64 people. Of the 149, 18 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 86 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 43. The most recent tornado was on March 15, 2025. Helena has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 64% of the 323 Alabama cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 141 times since 1955, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Helena has more hail reports within 10 miles than 93% of the 323 Alabama cities.
Compare Helena's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Helena
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 5 mi | Tropical storm (66 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2004 | IvanSep 16 | 1 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1995 | OpalOct 5 | 40 mi | Tropical storm (59 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1985 | JuanNov 1 | 8 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1975 | EloiseSep 23 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1950 | BakerAug 31 | 75 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormOct 17 | 7 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormOct 18 | 35 mi | Tropical storm (59 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormJul 8 | 5 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1912 | Unnamed 1912 stormJun 14 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1907 | Unnamed 1907 stormSep 22 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1906 | Unnamed 1906 stormJun 13 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 24 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1881 | Unnamed 1881 stormAug 29 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1860 | Unnamed 1860 stormSep 16 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Helena: 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 Helena
By decade
- 2020s20(4 EF3+)
- 2010s38(3 EF3+)
- 2000s28
- 1990s9(1 EF3+)
- 1980s13
- 1970s18(3 EF3+)
- 1960s10(2 EF3+)
- 1950s13(4 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 8, 1998 | F5 | 19 mi | 30.3 mi | 32 / 259 |
| Apr 4, 1977 | F5 | 17 mi | 14.7 mi | 22 / 130 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF4 | 17 mi | 80.68 mi | 64 / 1500 |
| Apr 15, 1956 | F4 | 16 mi | 21.3 mi | 25 / 200 |
| May 27, 1973 | F4 | 18 mi | 139.1 mi | 7 / 199 |
| Mar 5, 1963 | F4 | 8 mi | 14.9 mi | 0 / 35 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF3 | 11 mi | 72.13 mi | 7 / 50 |
| Jan 25, 2021 | EF3 | 22 mi | 10.4 mi | 1 / 30 |
| May 27, 1973 | F3 | 23 mi | 41.6 mi | 1 / 44 |
| May 6, 1967 | F3 | 12 mi | 4.3 mi | 1 / 25 |
| Feb 13, 1952 | F3 | 22 mi | 0.1 mi | 1 / 26 |
| Mar 30, 2022 | EF3 | 12 mi | 29.24 mi | 0 / 2 |
The strongest 12 of 149, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Helena
The Storm Prediction Center has 141 hail reports within 10 miles of Helena since 1955, made on 98 separate days. Of these, 76 were 1 inch across or larger, and 3 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on March 30, 2002. The most recent report is from November 25, 2025. April has the most reports, 47.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Helena
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Helena, AL, 3 miles east of Helena at 480 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 92°F and low of 71°F; January is the coolest, at 55°F and 35°F. February is the wettest at 5.6 inches of precipitation on average and October the driest at 3.6 inches; the year adds up to 55.7 inches over 79 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 46% of the year's precipitation (25.6 of 55.7 inches); the other six months are wetter. September has brought the most of the 15 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (5); a normal September there has highs of 87°F and 3.9 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 87 days a year, almost all from May to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 51 nights a year. That 55.7 inches is more than at 29 of the 107 Alabama stations used on this site (27%). Bessemer, 8 miles northwest, has its own station (Bessemer 3 WSW, AL): 55.7 inches a year, the same as here, and the same July average high, 92°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 55 | 35 | 5.1 | 7 |
| Feb | 60 | 38 | 5.6 | 8 |
| Mar | 68 | 45 | 5.3 | 8 |
| Apr | 76 | 51 | 5.2 | 7 |
| May | 83 | 60 | 4.2 | 7 |
| Jun | 90 | 68 | 4.2 | 7 |
| Jul | 92 | 71 | 4.8 | 8 |
| Aug | 92 | 70 | 4.4 | 7 |
| Sep | 87 | 64 | 3.9 | 5 |
| Oct | 76 | 52 | 3.6 | 4 |
| Nov | 65 | 42 | 4.7 | 6 |
| Dec | 57 | 37 | 4.7 | 7 |
| Year | 75 | 53 | 55.7 | 79 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Helena, AL (480 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 Helena
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 239 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Helena: 177 thunderstorm wind reports, 51 flash floods, 5 floods, 3 heavy rain events and 3 lightning strikes. They killed 3 people and injured 2, and the NWS estimated $2.2 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 85 mph, on April 11, 2011. July has had the most flash floods, 11 of 51. Of the 321 Alabama cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 285 have had fewer than Helena.
October 6, 2021: flash flood 4 miles from the centre of Helena — 2 killed.
NWS: “During the evening of the 6th, a north to south low-level boundary set up along the Interstate 65 corridor that became the focus for back-building thunderstorms and heavy rainfall. Over the course of just a few hours, a wide swath of 6-10 inches of rain occurred.”
March 16, 2022: flash flood 7 miles from the centre of Helena — 1 killed, 1 injured.
February 13, 2000: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Helena — 1 injured, $300,000 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 Helena's ZIP code 35080 have filed 18 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1983, and were paid $1.2 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The year with the most claims was 2021, with 11. 11% 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 Helena.
Shelby County, which includes Helena, has been named in 26 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 14 of them major disasters (by incident: 9 severe storms, 8 hurricanes, 3 floods, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms and Flooding, on December 21, 2021. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Shelby County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for tornadoes and lightning; Relatively Moderate for inland flooding, strong wind and heat waves; Relatively Low for hurricanes and hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $105.8 million a year, the 5th highest of 67 Alabama counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $55.6 million (53%), 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.