NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Oneonta, 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
12 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Oneonta, Alabama since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Zeta in 2020. Since 1950, 169 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 24 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 12
- Tornadoes
- 169
- EF3 or stronger
- 24
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
111 deaths in all
What the records show for Oneonta
None of the 12 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Oneonta; the strongest was Zeta in 2020, a tropical storm with 63 mph winds when its centre passed 26 miles away. The record near Oneonta begins with an unnamed storm in 1892; the most recent system was Zeta in 2020. The busiest decade was the 1910s, with 4 systems. Of the 12 systems, one has come since 2000. Of the 323 Alabama cities on this site, 73% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Oneonta. The highest rating among the 169 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4 or EF4, reached 8 times; the most recent, on April 27, 2011, came within 16 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on April 15, 1956, killed 25 people. Of the 169, 12 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 90 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 59. The most recent tornado was on November 25, 2025. Oneonta has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 82% of the 323 Alabama cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 65 times since 1973, with stones up to 4.5 inches (grapefruit size). Oneonta has more hail reports within 10 miles than 57% of the 323 Alabama cities.
Compare Oneonta's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Oneonta
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 26 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1995 | OpalOct 5 | 24 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1985 | JuanNov 1 | 12 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 13 | 75 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1975 | EloiseSep 23 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormOct 17 | 13 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormOct 18 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormJul 8 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormSep 30 | 64 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1912 | Unnamed 1912 stormJun 14 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1907 | Unnamed 1907 stormSep 22 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 25 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 Oneonta: 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 Oneonta
By decade
- 2020s21(1 EF3+)
- 2010s40(6 EF3+)
- 2000s29(2 EF3+)
- 1990s16(2 EF3+)
- 1980s17(4 EF3+)
- 1970s28(5 EF3+)
- 1960s9(2 EF3+)
- 1950s9(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 15, 1956 | F4 | 24 mi | 21.3 mi | 25 / 200 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF4 | 15 mi | 97.33 mi | 22 / 85 |
| Mar 27, 1994 | F4 | 24 mi | 50 mi | 22 / 150 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF4 | 16 mi | 127.8 mi | 13 / 54 |
| Nov 18, 1957 | F4 | 4 mi | 26.1 mi | 3 / 12 |
| Mar 6, 1967 | F4 | 24 mi | 20.9 mi | 2 / 25 |
| Mar 11, 1963 | F4 | 15 mi | 28 mi | 2 / 6 |
| Nov 24, 2001 | F4 | 2 mi | 10.1 mi | 0 / 22 |
| Nov 10, 2002 | F3 | 16 mi | 72.6 mi | 7 / 53 |
| Feb 16, 1995 | F3 | 22 mi | 14 mi | 6 / 130 |
| Jan 25, 2021 | EF3 | 23 mi | 10.4 mi | 1 / 30 |
| Jan 23, 2012 | EF3 | 16 mi | 15.69 mi | 1 / 75 |
The strongest 12 of 169, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Oneonta
The Storm Prediction Center has 65 hail reports within 10 miles of Oneonta since 1973, made on 48 separate days. Of these, 33 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4.5 inches (grapefruit size), fell on May 9, 2024. The most recent report is from June 9, 2024. April has the most reports, 22.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Oneonta
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Oneonta, AL, 3 miles southeast of Oneonta at 1,100 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 91°F and low of 70°F; January is the coolest, at 53°F and 33°F. December is the wettest at 5.8 inches of precipitation on average and October the driest at 3.4 inches; the year adds up to 57.2 inches over 75 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 45% of the year's precipitation (25.5 of 57.2 inches); the other six months are wetter. September has brought the most of the 12 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (5); a normal September there has highs of 85°F and 4.1 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 52 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 65 nights a year. That 57.2 inches is more than at 53 of the 107 Alabama stations used on this site (50%). Remlap, 12 miles southwest, has its own station (Pinson, AL): 57.1 inches a year, 0.1 less than here, and a July average high of 90°F against 91°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 53 | 33 | 5.5 | 7 |
| Feb | 57 | 35 | 5.5 | 7 |
| Mar | 66 | 42 | 5.1 | 7 |
| Apr | 74 | 50 | 5.6 | 7 |
| May | 81 | 59 | 4.2 | 6 |
| Jun | 87 | 67 | 5.2 | 7 |
| Jul | 91 | 70 | 5.0 | 7 |
| Aug | 90 | 70 | 3.6 | 6 |
| Sep | 85 | 63 | 4.1 | 4 |
| Oct | 75 | 51 | 3.4 | 4 |
| Nov | 64 | 41 | 4.2 | 5 |
| Dec | 55 | 35 | 5.8 | 8 |
| Year | 73 | 51 | 57.2 | 75 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Oneonta, AL (1,100 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 Oneonta
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 135 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Oneonta: 117 thunderstorm wind reports, 13 flash floods, 2 floods, 2 heavy rain events and 1 lightning strike. They killed 0 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $853,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on April 27, 2011. Of the 321 Alabama cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 162 have had fewer than Oneonta.
July 20, 2000: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Oneonta — 1 injured, $30,000 damage.
January 6, 2009: flash flood 3 miles from the centre of Oneonta — $200,000 damage.
NWS: “Heavy rainfall produced flooding at several locations across Blount County. Several roads in the city of Oneonta had to be closed due to high water.”
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 Oneonta's ZIP code 35121 have filed 18 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1981, and were paid $705,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 22% 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, 22 have fewer than Oneonta.
Blount County, which includes Oneonta, has been named in 25 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1974, 16 of them major disasters (by incident: 13 severe storms, 6 hurricanes, 2 biological emergencies, 1 drought). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Thunderstorms, on July 10, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Blount County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for tornadoes; Relatively Moderate for strong wind and lightning; Relatively Low for hurricanes, inland flooding and heat waves; Very Low for hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $21.3 million a year, the 27th highest of 67 Alabama counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $9.9 million (47%), 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 Oneonta
- Cleveland, AL8 mi
- Altoona, AL11 mi
- Springville, AL11 mi
- Remlap, AL12 mi
- Blountsville, AL12 mi
- Steele, AL12 mi
- Ashville, AL15 mi
- Trafford, AL17 mi
- Horton, AL17 mi
- Hayden, AL17 mi
- Pinson, AL19 mi
- Odenville, AL19 mi
All Alabama cities →All hurricanes since 1851 →Compare Oneonta with another place →