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NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database

Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Meridianville, 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 Meridianville, Alabama since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Opal in 1995. Since 1950, 174 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 17 of them rated EF3 or stronger.

Hurricanes
0

within 75 mi, since 1851

Tropical storms
7

below hurricane strength

Tornadoes
174

within 25 mi, since 1950

EF3 or stronger
17

166 deaths in all

What the records show for Meridianville

None of the 7 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Meridianville; the strongest was Frederic in 1979, a tropical storm with 46 mph winds when its centre passed 34 miles away. The record near Meridianville begins with an unnamed storm in 1892; the most recent system was Opal in 1995, a tropical storm 41 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1910s, with 2 systems. 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 Meridianville. The highest rating among the 174 tornadoes within 25 miles is F5 or EF5, reached 3 times; the most recent, on April 27, 2011, came within 1 mile. Of the 174, 18 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 115 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 47. The most recent tornado was on May 27, 2025. Meridianville has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 86% of the 323 Alabama cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 198 times since 1967, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Meridianville has more hail reports within 10 miles than 96% of the 323 Alabama cities.

Compare Meridianville's storm record with another city →

Tropical storms and hurricanes near Meridianville

Tropical systems that passed within 75 miles of Meridianville, Alabama, newest first
YearStormClosestStrength when closestPeak
1995OpalOct 541 miTropical storm (41 mph)Category 4
1979FredericSep 1334 miTropical storm (46 mph)Category 4
1957AudreyJun 2874 miTropical storm (40 mph)Category 3
1932Unnamed 1932 stormOct 1758 miTropical storm (40 mph)Tropical storm
1916Unnamed 1916 stormOct 1971 miTropical storm (46 mph)Category 2
1915Unnamed 1915 stormOct 116 miTropical storm (40 mph)Category 4
1892Unnamed 1892 stormSep 138 miTropical storm (40 mph)Tropical storm

Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Meridianville: 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 Meridianville

By decade

  • 2020s34(1 EF3+)
  • 2010s47(4 EF3+)
  • 2000s34
  • 1990s17(2 EF3+)
  • 1980s12(1 EF3+)
  • 1970s17(6 EF3+)
  • 1960s6
  • 1950s7(3 EF3+)
Strongest tornadoes near Meridianville, Alabama
DateRatingDistancePathKilled / injured
Apr 27, 2011EF51 mi132 mi72 / 145
Apr 3, 1974F58 mi52 mi28 / 267
Apr 3, 1974F511 mi83.3 mi16 / 190
Nov 15, 1989F410 mi18.5 mi21 / 463
Apr 3, 1974F410 mi27.5 mi11 / 121
Mar 22, 1952F413 mi21.6 mi4 / 50
Feb 29, 1952F420 mi2 mi2 / 150
May 18, 1995F44 mi39 mi1 / 55
Apr 28, 2014EF310 mi26.76 mi2 / 0
Apr 28, 2014EF323 mi15.56 mi2 / 30
Apr 3, 1974F311 mi46.5 mi2 / 7
Apr 1, 2023EF38 mi12.03 mi1 / 5

The strongest 12 of 174, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.

Hail in Meridianville

The Storm Prediction Center has 198 hail reports within 10 miles of Meridianville since 1967, made on 99 separate days. Of these, 115 were 1 inch across or larger, and 4 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on April 10, 2009. The most recent report is from May 20, 2025. April has the most reports, 56.

Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.

Weather by month in Meridianville

The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Fayetteville Wtp, TN, 19 miles north of Meridianville at 742 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 89°F and low of 68°F; January is the coolest, at 50°F and 31°F. December is the wettest at 6.5 inches of precipitation on average and October the driest at 3.8 inches; the year adds up to 59.9 inches over 91 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 51 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 72 nights a year. Snowfall averages 1.1 inches a year, most of it in March. That 59.9 inches is more than at 74 of the 107 Alabama stations used on this site (69%). Toney, 9 miles west, has its own station (Athens, AL): 59.1 inches a year, 0.8 less than here, and a July average high of 90°F against 89°F.

Monthly climate normals 1991–2020 at Fayetteville Wtp, TN
MonthHigh °FLow °FPrecip. inDays ≥ 0.1"Snow in
Jan50315.380.2
Feb55335.780.4
Mar63405.890.5
Apr73485.280.0
May80564.780.0
Jun86644.980.0
Jul89685.080.0
Aug89664.160.0
Sep84604.150.0
Oct74483.860.0
Nov62384.870.0
Dec52336.590.0
Year714959.9911.1

Averages for 1991–2020 at Fayetteville Wtp, TN (742 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.

Alabama weather by month, station by station →

Floods, thunderstorm wind and lightning near Meridianville

Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 559 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Meridianville: 436 thunderstorm wind reports, 81 flash floods, 24 lightning strikes, 9 floods and 9 heavy rain events. They killed 4 people and injured 4, and the NWS estimated $11.7 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 94 mph, on May 20, 2025. August has had the most flash floods, 18 of 81. Of the 321 Alabama cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 310 have had fewer than Meridianville.

  • August 19, 2022: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Meridianville — 1 killed, $500 damage.

  • August 21, 2010: lightning strike 10 miles from the centre of Meridianville — 1 killed.

  • July 16, 2012: lightning strike 7 miles from the centre of Meridianville — 1 killed.

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

Madison County, which includes Meridianville, has been named in 21 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 12 of them major disasters (by incident: 7 severe storms, 6 hurricanes, 3 tornadoes, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 29, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Madison County a Relatively High rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Very High for lightning; Relatively High for tornadoes, inland flooding and strong wind; Relatively Moderate for heat waves; Relatively Low for hurricanes and hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $179.6 million a year, the 4th highest of 67 Alabama counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $99.1 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).

Meridianville in the notable storm records: The April 27, 2011 EF5 Tornado in Alabama, near Madison

What counts as a pass, the distances and the sources: how this storm history is built.

Cities near Meridianville