NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Killen, 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 Killen, Alabama since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Frederic in 1979. Since 1950, 140 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 14 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 7
- Tornadoes
- 140
- EF3 or stronger
- 14
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
13 deaths in all
What the records show for Killen
None of the 7 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Killen; the strongest was Frederic in 1979, a tropical storm with 48 mph winds when its centre passed 12 miles away. The record near Killen begins with an unnamed storm in 1892; the most recent system was Frederic in 1979. The 1910s and the 1950s were the busiest decades, with 2 systems each. 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 Killen. The strongest of the 140 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on May 18, 1995; its path came within 7 miles, and it killed 3 people. Of the 140, 9 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 88 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 32. The most recent tornado was on May 20, 2025. Killen has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 57% of the 323 Alabama cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 94 times since 1960, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Killen has more hail reports within 10 miles than 78% of the 323 Alabama cities.
Compare Killen's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Killen
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | FredericSep 13 | 12 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 40 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1950 | BakerAug 31 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 18 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormOct 19 | 20 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormSep 30 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 57 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 Killen: 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 Killen
By decade
- 2020s25(1 EF3+)
- 2010s32(1 EF3+)
- 2000s31
- 1990s12(2 EF3+)
- 1980s9(2 EF3+)
- 1970s8(1 EF3+)
- 1960s14(5 EF3+)
- 1950s9(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 18, 1995 | F4 | 7 mi | 29 mi | 3 / 32 |
| Apr 28, 2014 | EF3 | 18 mi | 15.56 mi | 2 / 30 |
| Mar 9, 1964 | F3 | 8 mi | 5.2 mi | 2 / 2 |
| Feb 20, 1953 | F3 | 18 mi | 0.1 mi | 1 / 8 |
| May 8, 2024 | EF3 | 20 mi | 3.76 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 26, 1994 | F3 | 6 mi | 38 mi | 0 / 22 |
| Nov 4, 1988 | F3 | 15 mi | 60 mi | 0 / 16 |
| Aug 16, 1985 | F3 | 22 mi | 45 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Apr 21, 1972 | F3 | 16 mi | 32.3 mi | 0 / 10 |
| Oct 24, 1967 | F3 | 13 mi | 15 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Oct 24, 1967 | F3 | 6 mi | 11.9 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Mar 17, 1965 | F3 | 5 mi | 29.8 mi | 0 / 22 |
The strongest 12 of 140, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Killen
The Storm Prediction Center has 94 hail reports within 10 miles of Killen since 1960, made on 66 separate days. Of these, 48 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), was reported on 16 days, most recently March 15, 2025. The most recent report is from May 20, 2025. March has the most reports, 22.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Killen
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Lexington, AL, 9 miles northeast of Killen at 760 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 90°F and low of 69°F; January is the coolest, at 51°F and 31°F. January and December are the wettest at 6.0 inches of precipitation on average and October the driest at 3.6 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 43 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 69 of the 107 Alabama stations used on this site (64%). Florence, 11 miles west, has its own station (Muscle Shoals Regional Airport, AL): 54.5 inches a year, 4.1 less than here, and a July average high of 92°F against 90°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 51 | 31 | 6.0 | 8 |
| Feb | 55 | 34 | 5.5 | 8 |
| Mar | 64 | 41 | 5.5 | 8 |
| Apr | 73 | 49 | 5.3 | 7 |
| May | 80 | 58 | 5.5 | 7 |
| Jun | 87 | 66 | 4.6 | 7 |
| Jul | 90 | 69 | 3.9 | 6 |
| Aug | 90 | 68 | 4.0 | 6 |
| Sep | 84 | 62 | 4.5 | 5 |
| Oct | 74 | 50 | 3.6 | 6 |
| Nov | 62 | 40 | 4.2 | 6 |
| Dec | 53 | 35 | 6.0 | 8 |
| Year | 72 | 50 | 58.6 | 82 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Lexington, AL (760 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 Killen
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 683 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Killen: 598 thunderstorm wind reports, 53 flash floods, 18 floods, 11 lightning strikes and 3 heavy rain events. They killed 2 people and injured 3, and the NWS estimated $3.1 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 92 mph, on March 9, 2006. Of the 321 Alabama cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 292 have had fewer than Killen.
August 7, 2023: lightning strike 10 miles from the centre of Killen — 1 killed.
May 6, 2026: heavy rain event 5 miles from the centre of Killen — 1 killed.
NWS: “S. Highway 72 into Shoal Creek.”
July 20, 2000: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Killen — 1 injured, $75,000 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
Lauderdale County, which includes Killen, has been named in 20 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 11 of them major disasters (by incident: 7 hurricanes, 7 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 1 drought). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, and Tornadoes, on May 5, 2023. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Lauderdale 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; Very Low for hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $53.8 million a year, the 10th highest of 67 Alabama counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $23.2 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.