NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Moulton, 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
10 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Moulton, Alabama since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Katrina in 2005. Since 1950, 158 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 20 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 10
- Tornadoes
- 158
- EF3 or stronger
- 20
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
170 deaths in all
What the records show for Moulton
None of the 10 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Moulton; the strongest was Frederic in 1979, a tropical storm with 48 mph winds when its centre passed 14 miles away. The record near Moulton begins with an unnamed storm in 1892; the most recent system was Katrina in 2005, a tropical storm 63 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1910s, with 3 systems. Of the 10 systems, one has come since 2000. Of the 323 Alabama cities on this site, 79% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Moulton. The highest rating among the 158 tornadoes within 25 miles is F5 or EF5, reached 4 times; the most recent, on April 27, 2011, came within 2 miles. Of the 158, 7 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 108 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 46. The most recent tornado was on May 20, 2025. Moulton has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 71% of the 323 Alabama cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 111 times since 1976, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Moulton has more hail reports within 10 miles than 86% of the 323 Alabama cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Moulton
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | KatrinaAug 30 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 13 | 14 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1950 | BakerAug 31 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 18 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormOct 17 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormOct 19 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormJul 8 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormSep 30 | 4 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 33 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 Moulton: 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 Moulton
By decade
- 2020s27(1 EF3+)
- 2010s47(4 EF3+)
- 2000s34(1 EF3+)
- 1990s11
- 1980s11(2 EF3+)
- 1970s10(5 EF3+)
- 1960s7(3 EF3+)
- 1950s11(4 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF5 | 2 mi | 132 mi | 72 / 145 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F5 | 9 mi | 79.5 mi | 28 / 272 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F5 | 4 mi | 52 mi | 28 / 267 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F5 | 19 mi | 83.3 mi | 16 / 190 |
| Apr 24, 1955 | F4 | 16 mi | 8.6 mi | 5 / 20 |
| Feb 6, 2008 | EF4 | 5 mi | 16.7 mi | 4 / 23 |
| Mar 22, 1952 | F4 | 17 mi | 21.6 mi | 4 / 50 |
| Apr 28, 2014 | EF3 | 19 mi | 15.56 mi | 2 / 30 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 22 mi | 46.5 mi | 2 / 7 |
| Apr 8, 1957 | F3 | 21 mi | 38.8 mi | 2 / 90 |
| Feb 4, 1971 | F3 | 16 mi | 34.1 mi | 1 / 13 |
| May 8, 2024 | EF3 | 17 mi | 3.76 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 158, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Moulton
The Storm Prediction Center has 111 hail reports within 10 miles of Moulton since 1976, made on 73 separate days. Of these, 60 were 1 inch across or larger, and 3 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on April 10, 2009. The most recent report is from April 10, 2025. March has the most reports, 35.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Moulton
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Moulton 2, AL, 1 mile southwest of Moulton at 622 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 30°F. December is the wettest at 6.4 inches of precipitation on average and September the driest at 4.1 inches; the year adds up to 60.4 inches over 87 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 44% of the year's precipitation (26.7 of 60.4 inches); the other six months are wetter. September has brought the most of the 10 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (3); a normal September there has highs of 84°F and 4.1 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 47 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 66 nights a year. Snowfall averages 2.1 inches a year, most of it in February. That 60.4 inches is more than at 84 of the 107 Alabama stations used on this site (79%). Danville, 11 miles southeast, has its own station (Addison, AL): 61.0 inches a year, 0.6 more than here, and the same July average high, 88°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 51 | 30 | 5.3 | 8 | 0.5 |
| Feb | 55 | 33 | 5.6 | 8 | 0.9 |
| Mar | 63 | 40 | 5.7 | 9 | 0.5 |
| Apr | 72 | 49 | 5.5 | 7 | 0.0 |
| May | 79 | 57 | 5.2 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 86 | 65 | 4.6 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 88 | 68 | 5.1 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 88 | 67 | 4.3 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 84 | 61 | 4.1 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 74 | 49 | 4.2 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 62 | 38 | 4.4 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 53 | 33 | 6.4 | 8 | 0.2 |
| Year | 71 | 49 | 60.4 | 87 | 2.1 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Moulton 2, AL (622 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 Moulton
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 211 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Moulton: 168 thunderstorm wind reports, 28 flash floods, 9 floods, 4 lightning strikes and 2 heavy rain events. They killed 1 person and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $3.5 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 115 mph, on July 5, 2012. April has had the most flash floods, 6 of 28. Of the 321 Alabama cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 239 have had fewer than Moulton.
July 19, 2016: lightning strike 10 miles from the centre of Moulton — 1 killed.
July 20, 2000: thunderstorm wind 4 miles from the centre of Moulton — 1 injured, $75,000 damage.
NWS: “Numerous trees and power lines were knocked down throughout the county. Several trees were blown onto homes causing major damage.”
July 5, 2012: thunderstorm wind 2 miles from the centre of Moulton — $2.5 million damage.
NWS: “A severe thunderstorm produced a swath of wind damage across Moulton in the form of a macroburst or a large scale microburst. 3 miles from north to south, covering the city.”
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
Flood insurance policyholders in Moulton's ZIP code 35650 have filed 16 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1999, and were paid $518,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 25% of the claims carry the name of a storm or flood event; the rest have no event name. Of the 118 Alabama cities on this site with 10 or more claims, 19 have fewer than Moulton.
Lawrence County, which includes Moulton, has been named in 22 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 13 of them major disasters (by incident: 9 severe storms, 6 hurricanes, 2 biological emergencies, 2 tornadoes). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 29, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Lawrence County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for tornadoes and lightning; Relatively Moderate for strong wind and heat waves; Relatively Low for hurricanes and inland flooding; Very Low for hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $20.5 million a year, the 29th highest of 67 Alabama counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $7.5 million (36%), 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).
Moulton 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 Moulton
- Danville, AL11 mi
- Trinity, AL11 mi
- Hillsboro, AL11 mi
- Town Creek, AL13 mi
- Decatur, AL18 mi
- Leighton, AL19 mi
- Hartselle, AL20 mi
- Addison, AL20 mi
- Rogersville, AL24 mi
- Falkville, AL25 mi
- Double Springs, AL25 mi
- Russellville, AL26 mi
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