NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit New Market, 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
5 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of New Market, Alabama since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Opal in 1995. Since 1950, 157 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 16 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 5
- Tornadoes
- 157
- EF3 or stronger
- 16
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
167 deaths in all
What the records show for New Market
None of the 5 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed New Market; the strongest was Frederic in 1979, a tropical storm with 46 mph winds when its centre passed 36 miles away. The record near New Market begins with an unnamed storm in 1892; the most recent system was Opal in 1995, a tropical storm 35 miles away. None of the 5 systems has come since 2000. Of the 323 Alabama cities on this site, 100% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than New Market. The highest rating among the 157 tornadoes within 25 miles is F5 or EF5, reached 3 times; the most recent, on April 27, 2011, came within 2 miles. Of the 157, 16 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 97 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 42. The most recent tornado was on May 27, 2025. New Market has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 70% of the 323 Alabama cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 97 times since 1967, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). New Market has more hail reports within 10 miles than 81% of the 323 Alabama cities.
Compare New Market's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near New Market
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | OpalOct 5 | 35 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 14 | 36 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormOct 17 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormOct 1 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 3 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 New Market: 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 New Market
By decade
- 2020s27(1 EF3+)
- 2010s42(3 EF3+)
- 2000s28
- 1990s15(1 EF3+)
- 1980s12(1 EF3+)
- 1970s18(6 EF3+)
- 1960s7
- 1950s8(4 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF5 | 2 mi | 132 mi | 72 / 145 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F5 | 15 mi | 52 mi | 28 / 267 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F5 | 13 mi | 83.3 mi | 16 / 190 |
| Nov 15, 1989 | F4 | 9 mi | 18.5 mi | 21 / 463 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 8 mi | 27.5 mi | 11 / 121 |
| Mar 22, 1952 | F4 | 19 mi | 21.6 mi | 4 / 50 |
| Feb 13, 1952 | F4 | 22 mi | 12.7 mi | 3 / 44 |
| Feb 29, 1952 | F4 | 19 mi | 2 mi | 2 / 150 |
| May 18, 1995 | F4 | 7 mi | 39 mi | 1 / 55 |
| Apr 28, 2014 | EF3 | 9 mi | 26.76 mi | 2 / 0 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 10 mi | 46.5 mi | 2 / 7 |
| Apr 1, 2023 | EF3 | 6 mi | 12.03 mi | 1 / 5 |
The strongest 12 of 157, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in New Market
The Storm Prediction Center has 97 hail reports within 10 miles of New Market since 1967, made on 58 separate days. Of these, 57 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on April 10, 2009. The most recent report is from May 8, 2024. April has the most reports, 27.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in New Market
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Fayetteville Wtp, TN, 17 miles north of New Market 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%). Brownsboro, 13 miles south, has its own station (Owens Cross Roads 3S, AL): 58.0 inches a year, 1.9 less than here, and a July average high of 88°F against 89°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 50 | 31 | 5.3 | 8 | 0.2 |
| Feb | 55 | 33 | 5.7 | 8 | 0.4 |
| Mar | 63 | 40 | 5.8 | 9 | 0.5 |
| Apr | 73 | 48 | 5.2 | 8 | 0.0 |
| May | 80 | 56 | 4.7 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 86 | 64 | 4.9 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 89 | 68 | 5.0 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 89 | 66 | 4.1 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 84 | 60 | 4.1 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 74 | 48 | 3.8 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 62 | 38 | 4.8 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 52 | 33 | 6.5 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Year | 71 | 49 | 59.9 | 91 | 1.1 |
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.
Floods, thunderstorm wind and lightning near New Market
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 250 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of New Market: 202 thunderstorm wind reports, 31 flash floods, 10 lightning strikes, 4 floods and 3 heavy rain events. They killed 2 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $9.3 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 100 mph, on June 28, 2018. May has had the most flash floods, 8 of 31. Of the 321 Alabama cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 251 have had fewer than New Market.
July 16, 2012: lightning strike 7 miles from the centre of New Market — 1 killed.
September 19, 2021: flash flood 8 miles from the centre of New Market — 1 killed.
May 26, 2006: lightning strike 3 miles from the centre of New Market — 1 injured.
NWS: “Lightning struck adjacent to the National Weather Service office on the campus of the University of Alabama at Huntsville. A National Weather Service employee who was on-duty viewed the close flash through an adjacent window and experienced a jolt of electricity while using the telephone.”
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 New Market, 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).
New Market 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 New Market
- Meridianville, AL7 mi
- Hazel Green, AL9 mi
- Brownsboro, AL13 mi
- Gurley, AL14 mi
- Huntland, TN14 mi
- Toney, AL15 mi
- Huntsville, AL16 mi
- Fayetteville, TN18 mi
- Harvest, AL19 mi
- Owens Cross Roads, AL19 mi
- Woodville, AL20 mi
- Ardmore, AL22 mi
All Alabama cities →All hurricanes since 1851 →Compare New Market with another place →