NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Opelika, 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
25 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Opelika, Alabama since 1851, 1 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Fred in 2021. Since 1950, 97 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 8 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 1
- Tropical storms
- 24
- Tornadoes
- 97
- EF3 or stronger
- 8
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
41 deaths in all
What the records show for Opelika
The strongest storm to pass near Opelika was Eloise in 1975, a Category 1 hurricane with 76 mph winds when its centre passed 24 miles away. The record near Opelika begins with an unnamed storm in 1852; the most recent system was Fred in 2021, a tropical storm 63 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1900s, with 5 systems. Of the 25 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Opelika has more hurricanes within 75 miles than 63% of the 323 Alabama cities on this site. The highest rating among the 97 tornadoes within 25 miles is EF4, reached 2 times; the most recent, on March 3, 2019, came within 9 miles. Of the 97, 11 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 60 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 26. The most recent tornado was on May 3, 2025. Of the 323 Alabama cities, 79% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Opelika. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 79 times since 1965, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Opelika has more hail reports within 10 miles than 69% of the 323 Alabama cities.
Compare Opelika's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Opelika
Of the 25 tracks on the map, 12 were moving northeast as they passed Opelika, 6 north and 3 northwest. Eloise (1975), the strongest pass, was heading north; its centre passed 24 miles west of Opelika. None made landfall within 75 miles of Opelika; 20 of the 25 were hurricanes at their peak, 1 at their closest to the city. In the last 30 seasons (1996–2025), 2 came near Opelika: 0.7 a decade, against 1.6 a decade from 1851 to 1995.
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | FredAug 17 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2017 | IrmaSep 12 | 75 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1995 | OpalOct 5 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (64 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1975 | EloiseSep 23 | 24 mi | Category 1 (76 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1965 | Unnamed 1965 stormJun 15 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1928 | Unnamed 1928 stormAug 15 | 38 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1926 | Unnamed 1926 stormJul 29 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1917 | Unnamed 1917 stormSep 29 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormSep 4 | 12 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1912 | Unnamed 1912 stormJun 14 | 38 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1907 | Unnamed 1907 stormSep 22 | 46 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1906 | Unnamed 1906 stormJun 13 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1903 | Unnamed 1903 stormSep 15 | 14 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormOct 11 | 20 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1901 | Unnamed 1901 stormSep 18 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1898 | Unnamed 1898 stormOct 3 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1898 | Unnamed 1898 stormSep 1 | 13 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1896 | Unnamed 1896 stormJul 8 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 3 | 9 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1889 | Unnamed 1889 stormSep 23 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1887 | Unnamed 1887 stormJul 28 | 11 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1882 | Unnamed 1882 stormSep 10 | 43 mi | Tropical storm (62 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1881 | Unnamed 1881 stormAug 28 | 24 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1859 | Unnamed 1859 stormSep 16 | 10 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1852 | Unnamed 1852 stormAug 27 | overhead | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Opelika: a hurricane's worst winds sit within a few dozen miles of its centre, and inland cities are usually past that.
Check hail and hurricane history for any address
Tornadoes within 25 miles of Opelika
By decade
- 2020s11(1 EF3+)
- 2010s28(3 EF3+)
- 2000s21
- 1990s8
- 1980s8
- 1970s11(1 EF3+)
- 1960s6(1 EF3+)
- 1950s4(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 3, 2019 | EF4 | 9 mi | 68.04 mi | 23 / 90 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF4 | 23 mi | 44.18 mi | 7 / 30 |
| Apr 18, 1953 | F3 | 4 mi | 39.8 mi | 8 / 495 |
| Mar 19, 1970 | F3 | 18 mi | 2 mi | 2 / 14 |
| Mar 26, 2023 | EF3 | 22 mi | 21.54 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Apr 29, 2014 | EF3 | 13 mi | 11.45 mi | 0 / 13 |
| Mar 31, 1961 | F3 | 24 mi | 8.2 mi | 0 / 7 |
| Dec 5, 1954 | F3 | 5 mi | 51 mi | 0 / 7 |
| Mar 5, 1989 | F2 | 22 mi | 45.5 mi | 1 / 6 |
| Mar 27, 2023 | EF2 | 24 mi | 15.41 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 3, 2019 | EF2 | 10 mi | 29.07 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Apr 11, 2013 | EF2 | 19 mi | 5.09 mi | 0 / 1 |
The strongest 12 of 97, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Opelika
The Storm Prediction Center has 79 hail reports within 10 miles of Opelika since 1965, made on 58 separate days. Of these, 39 were 1 inch across or larger, and 3 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on March 18, 2013. The most recent report is from March 31, 2025. April has the most reports, 24.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Opelika
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Opelika, AL, 6 miles northwest of Opelika at 640 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 90°F and low of 69°F; January is the coolest, at 56°F and 33°F. December is the wettest at 5.7 inches of precipitation on average and September the driest at 3.3 inches; the year adds up to 55.3 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 (24.9 of 55.3 inches); the other six months are wetter. September has brought the most of the 25 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (11); a normal September there has highs of 84°F and 3.3 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 51 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 60 nights a year. That 55.3 inches is more than at 25 of the 107 Alabama stations used on this site (23%). Auburn University, 7 miles west, has its own station (Auburn No.2, AL): 56.4 inches a year, 1.1 more than here, and a July average high of 89°F against 90°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 56 | 33 | 5.1 | 7 |
| Feb | 60 | 36 | 5.3 | 7 |
| Mar | 67 | 42 | 5.5 | 7 |
| Apr | 74 | 49 | 4.8 | 6 |
| May | 81 | 58 | 4.0 | 6 |
| Jun | 87 | 65 | 4.5 | 7 |
| Jul | 90 | 69 | 4.8 | 8 |
| Aug | 89 | 69 | 4.4 | 6 |
| Sep | 84 | 63 | 3.3 | 5 |
| Oct | 75 | 51 | 3.6 | 4 |
| Nov | 66 | 40 | 4.3 | 5 |
| Dec | 58 | 35 | 5.7 | 7 |
| Year | 74 | 51 | 55.3 | 75 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Opelika, AL (640 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 Opelika
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 110 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Opelika: 91 thunderstorm wind reports, 14 flash floods, 3 lightning strikes, 1 flood and 1 heavy rain event. They killed 1 person and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $1.1 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 75 mph, on January 22, 2003. August has had the most flash floods, 3 of 14. Of the 321 Alabama cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 170 have had fewer than Opelika.
June 5, 1998: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of Opelika — 1 killed, $10,000 damage.
February 7, 2017: thunderstorm wind in Opelika — 1 injured.
NWS: “ This swath of damaging wind began at a large warehouse building on Williamson Avenue. Significant structure and roof damage was sustained.”
April 1, 2005: flash flood 3 miles from the centre of Opelika — $300,000 damage.
NWS: “Doppler radar estimated several inches of rain in a short period of time across Lee County. The rain fell on already saturated ground.”
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
Lee County, which includes Opelika, has been named in 22 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1975, 12 of them major disasters (by incident: 8 hurricanes, 7 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 tornadoes). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 29, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Lee County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for lightning; Relatively Moderate for hurricanes, tornadoes, inland flooding, strong wind and heat waves; Relatively Low for hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $40.4 million a year, the 16th highest of 67 Alabama counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $24.9 million (62%), 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.