NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Marion, 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
24 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Marion, Alabama since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Zeta in 2020. Since 1950, 117 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 12 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 24
- Tornadoes
- 117
- EF3 or stronger
- 12
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
31 deaths in all
What the records show for Marion
None of the 24 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Marion; the strongest was Zeta in 2020, a tropical storm with 69 mph winds when its centre passed 13 miles away. The record near Marion begins with an unnamed storm in 1852; the most recent system was Zeta in 2020. The busiest decade was the 1910s, with 4 systems. Of the 24 systems, 4 have come since 2000. Marion has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 64% of the 323 Alabama cities on this site. The highest rating among the 117 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4 or EF4, reached 2 times; the most recent, on April 27, 2011, came within 16 miles. Of the 117, 5 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 86 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 32. The most recent tornado was on March 15, 2025. Of the 323 Alabama cities, 60% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Marion. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 24 times since 1960, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Of the 323 Alabama cities, 87% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Marion.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Marion
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 13 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2017 | NateOct 8 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2005 | DennisJul 11 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2004 | IvanSep 16 | 3 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1995 | OpalOct 5 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1985 | JuanNov 1 | 28 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 13 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (66 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1950 | BakerAug 31 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1936 | Unnamed 1936 stormAug 1 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormOct 16 | 4 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormOct 18 | 3 mi | Tropical storm (64 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormJul 8 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1912 | Unnamed 1912 stormSep 14 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1912 | Unnamed 1912 stormJun 14 | 7 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1907 | Unnamed 1907 stormSep 22 | 23 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1901 | Unnamed 1901 stormAug 16 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 3 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 20 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1881 | Unnamed 1881 stormAug 29 | 23 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1880 | Unnamed 1880 stormSep 1 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1860 | Unnamed 1860 stormSep 16 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1859 | Unnamed 1859 stormSep 16 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1855 | Unnamed 1855 stormSep 17 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1852 | Unnamed 1852 stormAug 27 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Marion: 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 Marion
By decade
- 2020s25(4 EF3+)
- 2010s37(2 EF3+)
- 2000s24
- 1990s4(2 EF3+)
- 1980s9(1 EF3+)
- 1970s9(1 EF3+)
- 1960s5(2 EF3+)
- 1950s4
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF4 | 16 mi | 122.04 mi | 7 / 17 |
| May 27, 1973 | F4 | 5 mi | 139.1 mi | 7 / 199 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF3 | 18 mi | 72.13 mi | 7 / 50 |
| Mar 6, 1996 | F3 | 18 mi | 19 mi | 4 / 40 |
| Mar 15, 2025 | EF3 | 24 mi | 24.33 mi | 2 / 2 |
| Mar 10, 1992 | F3 | 9 mi | 18 mi | 2 / 7 |
| Dec 6, 1983 | F3 | 24 mi | 13 mi | 1 / 19 |
| Mar 30, 2022 | EF3 | 14 mi | 29.24 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Mar 25, 2021 | EF3 | 12 mi | 79.66 mi | 0 / 13 |
| Mar 25, 2021 | EF3 | 23 mi | 11.11 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 17, 1963 | F3 | 21 mi | 2.7 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Dec 11, 1961 | F3 | 1 mi | 9.4 mi | 0 / 2 |
The strongest 12 of 117, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Marion
The Storm Prediction Center has 24 hail reports within 10 miles of Marion since 1960, made on 22 separate days. Of these, 17 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2 inches (hen egg size), was reported on 2 days, most recently June 14, 2023. The most recent report is from June 14, 2023. March has the most reports, 9.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Marion
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Greensboro, AL, 14 miles west of Marion at 249 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 90°F and low of 72°F; January is the coolest, at 57°F and 36°F. February is the wettest at 5.6 inches of precipitation on average and October the driest at 3.3 inches; the year adds up to 54.9 inches over 67 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 44% of the year's precipitation (23.9 of 54.9 inches); the other six months are wetter. September has brought the most of the 24 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (9); a normal September there has highs of 85°F and 3.7 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 81 days a year, almost all from May to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 39 nights a year. That 54.9 inches is more than at 20 of the 107 Alabama stations used on this site (19%). Greensboro, 16 miles west, has its own station (Greensboro 2 WNW, AL): 55.0 inches a year, 0.1 more than here, and a July average high of 91°F against 90°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 57 | 36 | 5.1 | 7 |
| Feb | 61 | 39 | 5.6 | 6 |
| Mar | 68 | 45 | 5.3 | 7 |
| Apr | 75 | 52 | 5.3 | 5 |
| May | 81 | 61 | 4.6 | 6 |
| Jun | 87 | 68 | 3.9 | 6 |
| Jul | 90 | 72 | 4.4 | 7 |
| Aug | 89 | 71 | 4.0 | 6 |
| Sep | 85 | 65 | 3.7 | 4 |
| Oct | 76 | 54 | 3.3 | 4 |
| Nov | 65 | 43 | 4.6 | 5 |
| Dec | 58 | 38 | 5.1 | 6 |
| Year | 74 | 54 | 54.9 | 67 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Greensboro, AL (249 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 Marion
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 39 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Marion: 35 thunderstorm wind reports and 4 flash floods. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $374,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on November 30, 2010.
April 10, 2004: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Marion — $150,000 damage.
May 3, 2009: thunderstorm wind 3 miles from the centre of Marion — $100,000 damage.
NWS: “Thousands of trees were blown down across Perry County.”
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
Perry County, which includes Marion, has been named in 24 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 14 of them major disasters (by incident: 11 hurricanes, 8 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 1 drought). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, and Tornadoes, on April 26, 2021. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Perry County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for lightning; Relatively Low for hurricanes, tornadoes, strong wind and heat waves; Very Low for hail and inland flooding. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $4.1 million a year, the 67th highest of 67 Alabama counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $1.6 million (38%), 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 Marion
- Greensboro, AL16 mi
- Uniontown, AL18 mi
- Brent, AL19 mi
- Centreville, AL24 mi
- Selma, AL25 mi
- Moundville, AL26 mi
- Gallion, AL28 mi
- Duncanville, AL28 mi
- Maplesville, AL30 mi
- Demopolis, AL32 mi
- West Blocton, AL33 mi
- Cottondale, AL35 mi
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