NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Lincoln, 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 Lincoln, Alabama since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Zeta in 2020. Since 1950, 100 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 16 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 18
- Tornadoes
- 100
- EF3 or stronger
- 16
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
83 deaths in all
What the records show for Lincoln
None of the 18 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Lincoln; the strongest was Eloise in 1975, a tropical storm with 64 mph winds when its centre passed 39 miles away. The record near Lincoln begins with an unnamed storm in 1859; the most recent system was Zeta in 2020, a tropical storm 4 miles away. The 1890s and the 1900s were the busiest decades, with 4 systems each. 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 Lincoln. The highest rating among the 100 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4 or EF4, reached 4 times; the most recent, on April 27, 2011, came within 14 miles. Of the 100, 5 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 50 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 23. The most recent tornado was on May 20, 2025. Of the 323 Alabama cities, 76% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Lincoln. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 70 times since 1971, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Lincoln has more hail reports within 10 miles than 62% of the 323 Alabama cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Lincoln
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 4 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1995 | OpalOct 5 | overhead | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1985 | JuanNov 1 | 33 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1975 | EloiseSep 23 | 39 mi | Tropical storm (64 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormOct 17 | 16 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormJul 8 | 39 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormSep 4 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1912 | Unnamed 1912 stormJun 14 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1907 | Unnamed 1907 stormSep 22 | 35 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1906 | Unnamed 1906 stormJun 13 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1903 | Unnamed 1903 stormSep 15 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormOct 11 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1898 | Unnamed 1898 stormOct 3 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1898 | Unnamed 1898 stormSep 1 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 3 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1881 | Unnamed 1881 stormAug 29 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1859 | Unnamed 1859 stormSep 16 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Lincoln: 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 Lincoln
By decade
- 2020s9(2 EF3+)
- 2010s15(3 EF3+)
- 2000s26
- 1990s9(1 EF3+)
- 1980s9(1 EF3+)
- 1970s15(4 EF3+)
- 1960s15(4 EF3+)
- 1950s2(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF4 | 14 mi | 97.33 mi | 22 / 85 |
| Mar 27, 1994 | F4 | 8 mi | 50 mi | 22 / 150 |
| Jan 24, 1964 | F4 | 24 mi | 3.3 mi | 10 / 6 |
| May 27, 1973 | F4 | 15 mi | 139.1 mi | 7 / 199 |
| Mar 25, 2021 | EF3 | 7 mi | 38.17 mi | 6 / 10 |
| Dec 3, 1983 | F3 | 17 mi | 4 mi | 2 / 51 |
| Jan 23, 2012 | EF3 | 23 mi | 15.69 mi | 1 / 75 |
| Apr 4, 1977 | F3 | 17 mi | 7.3 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Jan 10, 1975 | F3 | 7 mi | 18.8 mi | 1 / 60 |
| May 27, 1973 | F3 | 19 mi | 41.6 mi | 1 / 44 |
| Mar 25, 2021 | EF3 | 20 mi | 50.13 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Mar 19, 2018 | EF3 | 19 mi | 35.22 mi | 0 / 4 |
The strongest 12 of 100, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Lincoln
The Storm Prediction Center has 70 hail reports within 10 miles of Lincoln since 1971, made on 47 separate days. Of these, 39 were 1 inch across or larger, and 8 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on April 5, 2017. The most recent report is from June 14, 2023. April has the most reports, 22.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Lincoln
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Talladega 10 NNE, AL, 4 miles southeast of Lincoln at 525 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 90°F and low of 70°F; January is the coolest, at 54°F and 33°F. March is the wettest at 5.7 inches of precipitation on average and October the driest at 3.1 inches; the year adds up to 52.1 inches over 80 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 45% of the year's precipitation (23.7 of 52.1 inches); the other six months are wetter. September has brought the most of the 18 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (7); a normal September there has highs of 85°F and 3.5 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 65 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 60 nights a year. That 52.1 inches is more than at 5 of the 107 Alabama stations used on this site (5%). Munford, 12 miles southeast, has its own station (Anniston Metro Airport, AL): 52.2 inches a year, 0.1 more than here, and the same July average high, 90°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 54 | 33 | 4.9 | 7 |
| Feb | 59 | 36 | 5.1 | 7 |
| Mar | 66 | 43 | 5.7 | 8 |
| Apr | 75 | 49 | 4.4 | 7 |
| May | 81 | 58 | 3.3 | 7 |
| Jun | 88 | 67 | 4.1 | 7 |
| Jul | 90 | 70 | 4.5 | 7 |
| Aug | 90 | 69 | 3.6 | 6 |
| Sep | 85 | 63 | 3.5 | 4 |
| Oct | 76 | 50 | 3.1 | 5 |
| Nov | 64 | 39 | 4.9 | 5 |
| Dec | 57 | 35 | 5.0 | 8 |
| Year | 74 | 51 | 52.1 | 80 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Talladega 10 NNE, AL (525 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 Lincoln
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 125 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Lincoln: 110 thunderstorm wind reports, 12 flash floods, 1 flood, 1 heavy rain event and 1 lightning strike. They killed 2 people and injured 4, and the NWS estimated $712,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on April 27, 2011. May has had the most flash floods, 4 of 12. Of the 321 Alabama cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 144 have had fewer than Lincoln.
July 23, 2007: heavy rain event 7 miles from the centre of Lincoln — 1 killed, 1 injured.
April 27, 2011: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Lincoln — 1 killed.
June 12, 2009: thunderstorm wind 1 mile from the centre of Lincoln — 1 injured, $3,000 damage.
NWS: “Several trees were blown down in Lincoln. The glass was blown out of a window of a mobile home, injuring the occupant.”
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
Talladega County, which includes Lincoln, has been named in 25 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 13 of them major disasters (by incident: 10 hurricanes, 6 severe storms, 4 floods, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Hurricane Zeta, on December 10, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Talladega County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for tornadoes; Relatively Moderate for inland flooding, strong wind, lightning and heat waves; Relatively Low for hurricanes and hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $37.0 million a year, the 17th highest of 67 Alabama counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $20.4 million (55%), 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 Lincoln
- Eastaboga, AL7 mi
- Ragland, AL9 mi
- Pell City, AL10 mi
- Munford, AL12 mi
- Talladega, AL13 mi
- Cropwell, AL13 mi
- Ohatchee, AL14 mi
- Oxford, AL16 mi
- Ashville, AL17 mi
- Alexandria, AL17 mi
- Anniston, AL18 mi
- Odenville, AL19 mi
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