NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Muscle Shoals, 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
8 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Muscle Shoals, Alabama since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Katrina in 2005. Since 1950, 131 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 13 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 8
- Tornadoes
- 131
- EF3 or stronger
- 13
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
111 deaths in all
What the records show for Muscle Shoals
None of the 8 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Muscle Shoals; the strongest was Frederic in 1979, a tropical storm with 48 mph winds when its centre passed 12 miles away. The record near Muscle Shoals begins with an unnamed storm in 1892; the most recent system was Katrina in 2005, a tropical storm 38 miles away. The 1910s and the 1950s were the busiest decades, with 2 systems each. Of the 8 systems, one has come since 2000. Of the 323 Alabama cities on this site, 85% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Muscle Shoals. The highest rating among the 131 tornadoes within 25 miles is F5 or EF5, reached 2 times; the most recent, on April 27, 2011, came within 24 miles. Of the 131, 20 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 86 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 28. The most recent tornado was on May 20, 2025. Muscle Shoals has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 50% of the 323 Alabama cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 158 times since 1960, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Muscle Shoals has more hail reports within 10 miles than 94% of the 323 Alabama cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Muscle Shoals
Of the 8 tracks on the map, 5 were moving northeast as they passed Muscle Shoals, 3 north. Frederic (1979), the strongest pass, was heading northeast; its centre passed 12 miles southeast of Muscle Shoals. None made landfall within 75 miles of Muscle Shoals; 7 of the 8 were hurricanes at their peak, none at their closest to the city. In the last 30 seasons (1996–2025), 1 came near Muscle Shoals: 0.3 a decade, against 0.5 a decade from 1851 to 1995.
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | KatrinaAug 30 | 38 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 13 | 12 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1950 | BakerAug 31 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 18 | 34 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormOct 19 | 11 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormSep 30 | 23 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 59 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 Muscle Shoals: a hurricane's worst winds sit within a few dozen miles of its centre, and inland cities are usually past that.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Muscle Shoals
By decade
- 2020s25(1 EF3+)
- 2010s32(2 EF3+)
- 2000s29
- 1990s12(2 EF3+)
- 1980s6(1 EF3+)
- 1970s6(1 EF3+)
- 1960s11(5 EF3+)
- 1950s10(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF5 | 24 mi | 132 mi | 72 / 145 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F5 | 22 mi | 52 mi | 28 / 267 |
| May 18, 1995 | F4 | 19 mi | 29 mi | 3 / 32 |
| Apr 28, 2014 | EF3 | 22 mi | 15.56 mi | 2 / 30 |
| Mar 9, 1964 | F3 | 15 mi | 5.2 mi | 2 / 2 |
| Feb 20, 1953 | F3 | 6 mi | 0.1 mi | 1 / 8 |
| May 8, 2024 | EF3 | 23 mi | 3.76 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 26, 1994 | F3 | 18 mi | 38 mi | 0 / 22 |
| Nov 4, 1988 | F3 | 7 mi | 60 mi | 0 / 16 |
| Oct 24, 1967 | F3 | 5 mi | 15 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Oct 24, 1967 | F3 | 5 mi | 11.9 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Mar 17, 1965 | F3 | in town | 29.8 mi | 0 / 22 |
The strongest 12 of 131, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Muscle Shoals
The Storm Prediction Center has 158 hail reports within 10 miles of Muscle Shoals since 1960, made on 95 separate days. Of these, 87 were 1 inch across or larger, and 5 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2.75 inches (baseball size), was reported on 3 days, most recently March 15, 2025. The most recent report is from May 20, 2025. March has the most reports, 39.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Muscle Shoals
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Muscle Shoals Regional Airport, AL, 2 miles southeast of Muscle Shoals at 540 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 92°F and low of 71°F; January is the coolest, at 52°F and 34°F. December is the wettest at 5.5 inches of precipitation on average and October the driest at 3.5 inches; the year adds up to 54.5 inches over 79 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 69 days a year, almost all from May to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 56 nights a year. That 54.5 inches is more than at 15 of the 107 Alabama stations used on this site (14%). Killen, 12 miles northeast, has its own station (Lexington, AL): 58.6 inches a year, 4.1 more than here, and a July average high of 90°F against 92°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 52 | 34 | 4.7 | 7 |
| Feb | 57 | 37 | 4.8 | 7 |
| Mar | 65 | 44 | 5.1 | 8 |
| Apr | 74 | 52 | 4.8 | 7 |
| May | 82 | 61 | 4.6 | 7 |
| Jun | 89 | 68 | 5.1 | 7 |
| Jul | 92 | 71 | 4.8 | 7 |
| Aug | 91 | 70 | 3.8 | 6 |
| Sep | 86 | 63 | 3.6 | 5 |
| Oct | 76 | 52 | 3.5 | 5 |
| Nov | 64 | 41 | 4.2 | 6 |
| Dec | 55 | 36 | 5.5 | 8 |
| Year | 74 | 52 | 54.5 | 79 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Muscle Shoals Regional Airport, AL (540 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 Muscle Shoals
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 1,104 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Muscle Shoals: 943 thunderstorm wind reports, 109 flash floods, 22 floods, 22 lightning strikes and 8 heavy rain events. They killed 5 people and injured 9, and the NWS estimated $21.7 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on March 24, 2023. August has had the most flash floods, 24 of 109. Of the 321 Alabama cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 320 have had fewer than Muscle Shoals.
October 24, 2010: lightning strike 6 miles from the centre of Muscle Shoals — 1 killed, 2 injured.
April 10, 2025: thunderstorm wind 2 miles from the centre of Muscle Shoals — 1 killed, 1 injured, $5,000 damage.
NWS: “A tree fell onto a home injuring one person near the intersection of Alabama Avenue and East 6th Street.”
August 4, 2011: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Muscle Shoals — 1 killed, $125,000 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
Flood insurance policyholders in Muscle Shoals's ZIP code 35661 have filed 48 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1979, and were paid $255,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The year with the most claims was 1992, with 15. 2% 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, 67 have fewer than Muscle Shoals.
Colbert County, which includes Muscle Shoals, has been named in 24 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 15 of them major disasters (by incident: 10 severe storms, 7 hurricanes, 2 biological emergencies, 2 tornadoes). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, and Tornadoes, on May 5, 2023. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Colbert County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for strong wind and lightning; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, 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 $34.9 million a year, the 19th highest of 67 Alabama counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $13.7 million (39%), 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.