NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Horton, 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
10 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Horton, Alabama since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Zeta in 2020. Since 1950, 193 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 29 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 10
- Tornadoes
- 193
- EF3 or stronger
- 29
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
48 deaths in all
What the records show for Horton
None of the 10 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Horton; the strongest was Zeta in 2020, a tropical storm with 62 mph winds when its centre passed 36 miles away. The record near Horton begins with an unnamed storm in 1892; the most recent system was Zeta in 2020. The busiest decade was the 1910s, with 3 systems. Of the 10 systems, one has come since 2000. Of the 323 Alabama cities on this site, 79% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Horton. The highest rating among the 193 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4 or EF4, reached 7 times; the most recent, on April 27, 2011, came within 17 miles. The deadliest, an EF4 on April 27, 2011, killed 13 people. Of the 193, 12 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 103 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 75. The most recent tornado was on May 20, 2025. Horton has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 96% of the 323 Alabama cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 67 times since 1983, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Horton has more hail reports within 10 miles than 60% of the 323 Alabama cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Horton
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 36 mi | Tropical storm (62 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1995 | OpalOct 5 | 22 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1985 | JuanNov 1 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 13 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1975 | EloiseSep 23 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormOct 17 | 20 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormOct 19 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormJul 8 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormSep 30 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 23 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 Horton: 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 Horton
By decade
- 2020s24
- 2010s51(7 EF3+)
- 2000s28(3 EF3+)
- 1990s18(1 EF3+)
- 1980s21(6 EF3+)
- 1970s25(6 EF3+)
- 1960s14(2 EF3+)
- 1950s12(4 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF4 | 5 mi | 127.8 mi | 13 / 54 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF4 | 17 mi | 46.88 mi | 6 / 48 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 20 mi | 110.6 mi | 3 / 178 |
| Nov 18, 1957 | F4 | 2 mi | 26.1 mi | 3 / 12 |
| Mar 11, 1963 | F4 | 10 mi | 28 mi | 2 / 6 |
| Apr 24, 2010 | EF4 | 24 mi | 16.62 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Nov 24, 2001 | F4 | 11 mi | 10.1 mi | 0 / 22 |
| Nov 10, 2002 | F3 | 13 mi | 72.6 mi | 7 / 53 |
| Feb 16, 1995 | F3 | 6 mi | 14 mi | 6 / 130 |
| Apr 8, 1957 | F3 | 19 mi | 38.8 mi | 2 / 90 |
| Apr 4, 1977 | F3 | 23 mi | 7.3 mi | 1 / 0 |
| May 27, 1973 | F3 | 20 mi | 41.6 mi | 1 / 44 |
The strongest 12 of 193, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Horton
The Storm Prediction Center has 67 hail reports within 10 miles of Horton since 1983, made on 36 separate days. Of these, 44 were 1 inch across or larger, and 5 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on March 19, 2018. The most recent report is from April 10, 2025. April has the most reports, 23.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Horton
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Guntersville, AL, 11 miles north of Horton at 578 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 89°F and low of 72°F; January is the coolest, at 50°F and 33°F. December is the wettest at 6.0 inches of precipitation on average and October the driest at 3.5 inches; the year adds up to 56.9 inches over 82 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 44% of the year's precipitation (24.9 of 56.9 inches); the other six months are wetter. Highs reach 90°F on about 49 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 52 nights a year. Snowfall averages 0.7 inches a year, most of it in February. That 56.9 inches is more than at 46 of the 107 Alabama stations used on this site (43%). Altoona, 9 miles south, has its own station (Oneonta, AL): 57.2 inches a year, 0.3 more than here, and a July average high of 91°F against 89°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 50 | 33 | 5.3 | 8 | 0.1 |
| Feb | 55 | 36 | 5.4 | 8 | 0.5 |
| Mar | 63 | 43 | 5.7 | 8 | 0.1 |
| Apr | 72 | 50 | 5.0 | 7 | 0.0 |
| May | 80 | 60 | 4.6 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 86 | 68 | 4.7 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 89 | 72 | 4.3 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 89 | 71 | 4.0 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 84 | 65 | 4.2 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 74 | 54 | 3.5 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 62 | 42 | 4.2 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 53 | 36 | 6.0 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Year | 71 | 53 | 56.9 | 82 | 0.7 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Guntersville, AL (578 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 Horton
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 175 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Horton: 155 thunderstorm wind reports, 8 flash floods, 7 floods and 5 lightning strikes. They killed 0 people and injured 3, and the NWS estimated $753,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 92 mph, on November 18, 2003. January has had the most flash floods, 2 of 8. Of the 321 Alabama cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 93 have had fewer than Horton.
June 15, 2009: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Horton — 2 injured, $30,000 damage.
June 15, 2017: thunderstorm wind 3 miles from the centre of Horton — 1 injured, $200 damage.
NWS: “A tree was knocked down onto a mobile home on Plunkett Drive.”
November 10, 2002: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Horton — $125,000 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
Marshall County, which includes Horton, 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 Horton
- Altoona, AL9 mi
- Blountsville, AL11 mi
- Albertville, AL11 mi
- Boaz, AL12 mi
- Arab, AL12 mi
- Guntersville, AL12 mi
- Holly Pond, AL13 mi
- Joppa, AL15 mi
- Oneonta, AL17 mi
- Baileyton, AL17 mi
- Attalla, AL19 mi
- Union Grove, AL19 mi
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