NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Joppa, 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 Joppa, Alabama since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Zeta in 2020. Since 1950, 183 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 25 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 8
- Tornadoes
- 183
- EF3 or stronger
- 25
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
77 deaths in all
What the records show for Joppa
None of the 8 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Joppa; the strongest was Zeta in 2020, a tropical storm with 62 mph winds when its centre passed 50 miles away. The record near Joppa begins with an unnamed storm in 1892; the most recent system was Zeta in 2020. The busiest decade was the 1910s, 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 Joppa. The highest rating among the 183 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4 or EF4, reached 8 times; the most recent, on April 27, 2011, came within 3 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on November 15, 1989, killed 21 people. Of the 183, 14 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 101 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 61. The most recent tornado was on May 27, 2025. Joppa has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 91% of the 323 Alabama cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 94 times since 1987, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Joppa has more hail reports within 10 miles than 78% of the 323 Alabama cities.
Compare Joppa's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Joppa
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (62 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1995 | OpalOct 5 | 36 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1985 | JuanNov 1 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 13 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormOct 17 | 35 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormOct 19 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormSep 30 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 8 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 Joppa: 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 Joppa
By decade
- 2020s27
- 2010s41(4 EF3+)
- 2000s33(3 EF3+)
- 1990s15(1 EF3+)
- 1980s22(6 EF3+)
- 1970s18(4 EF3+)
- 1960s12(2 EF3+)
- 1950s15(5 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 15, 1989 | F4 | 24 mi | 18.5 mi | 21 / 463 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF4 | 9 mi | 127.8 mi | 13 / 54 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF4 | 3 mi | 46.88 mi | 6 / 48 |
| Apr 24, 1955 | F4 | 19 mi | 8.6 mi | 5 / 20 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 7 mi | 110.6 mi | 3 / 178 |
| Nov 18, 1957 | F4 | 17 mi | 26.1 mi | 3 / 12 |
| Mar 11, 1963 | F4 | 9 mi | 28 mi | 2 / 6 |
| Nov 24, 2001 | F4 | 25 mi | 10.1 mi | 0 / 22 |
| Nov 10, 2002 | F3 | 11 mi | 72.6 mi | 7 / 53 |
| Feb 16, 1995 | F3 | 4 mi | 14 mi | 6 / 130 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 22 mi | 46.5 mi | 2 / 7 |
| Apr 8, 1957 | F3 | 7 mi | 38.8 mi | 2 / 90 |
The strongest 12 of 183, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Joppa
The Storm Prediction Center has 94 hail reports within 10 miles of Joppa since 1987, made on 52 separate days. Of these, 54 were 1 inch across or larger, and 4 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on April 8, 1998. The most recent report is from May 2, 2025. April has the most reports, 31.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Joppa
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Cullman 3 ENE, AL, 14 miles southwest of Joppa at 800 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 88°F and low of 68°F; January is the coolest, at 51°F and 31°F. February is the wettest at 5.9 inches of precipitation on average and October the driest at 3.8 inches; the year adds up to 58.6 inches over 82 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 39 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 70 nights a year. That 58.6 inches is more than at 67 of the 107 Alabama stations used on this site (63%). Arab, 5 miles east, has its own station (Guntersville, AL): 56.9 inches a year, 1.7 less than here, and a July average high of 89°F against 88°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 51 | 31 | 5.5 | 7 |
| Feb | 55 | 34 | 5.9 | 8 |
| Mar | 63 | 40 | 5.5 | 8 |
| Apr | 72 | 47 | 5.3 | 7 |
| May | 79 | 55 | 4.6 | 7 |
| Jun | 86 | 64 | 4.4 | 6 |
| Jul | 88 | 68 | 4.8 | 8 |
| Aug | 88 | 67 | 4.8 | 7 |
| Sep | 83 | 60 | 4.0 | 5 |
| Oct | 74 | 48 | 3.8 | 6 |
| Nov | 62 | 38 | 4.3 | 6 |
| Dec | 54 | 34 | 5.7 | 8 |
| Year | 71 | 49 | 58.6 | 82 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Cullman 3 ENE, AL (800 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 Joppa
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 306 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Joppa: 255 thunderstorm wind reports, 44 flash floods, 4 floods and 3 lightning strikes. They killed 2 people and injured 2, and the NWS estimated $3.5 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 92 mph, on March 9, 2006. March has had the most flash floods, 9 of 44. Of the 321 Alabama cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 274 have had fewer than Joppa.
October 6, 2021: flash flood 6 miles from the centre of Joppa — 1 killed.
October 6, 2021: flash flood 7 miles from the centre of Joppa — 1 killed.
May 15, 2009: lightning strike 8 miles from the centre of Joppa — 1 injured.
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
Cullman County, which includes Joppa, has been named in 32 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 23 of them major disasters (by incident: 15 severe storms, 8 hurricanes, 3 floods, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Thunderstorms, on July 10, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Cullman County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for strong wind and lightning; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, 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 $34.8 million a year, the 21st highest of 67 Alabama counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $14.9 million (43%), 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.