NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Pell City, 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
16 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Pell City, Alabama since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Zeta in 2020. Since 1950, 117 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 16 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 16
- Tornadoes
- 117
- EF3 or stronger
- 16
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
133 deaths in all
What the records show for Pell City
None of the 16 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Pell City; the strongest was Eloise in 1975, a tropical storm with 66 mph winds when its centre passed 48 miles away. The record near Pell City begins with an unnamed storm in 1881; the most recent system was Zeta in 2020, a tropical storm directly overhead. The 1900s and the 1910s were the busiest decades, with 4 systems each. Of the 16 systems, one has come since 2000. Of the 323 Alabama cities on this site, 56% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Pell City. The strongest of the 117 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F5 on April 4, 1977; its path came within 23 miles, and it killed 22 people. The deadliest, an F4 on April 15, 1956, killed 25 people. Of the 117, 10 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 64 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 30. The most recent tornado was on May 20, 2025. Of the 323 Alabama cities, 60% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Pell City. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 60 times since 1967, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Pell City has more hail reports within 10 miles than 52% of the 323 Alabama cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Pell City
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | overhead | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1995 | OpalOct 5 | 10 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1985 | JuanNov 1 | 23 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1975 | EloiseSep 23 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (66 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormOct 17 | 9 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormOct 18 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormJul 8 | 32 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormSep 4 | 75 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1912 | Unnamed 1912 stormJun 14 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1907 | Unnamed 1907 stormSep 22 | 39 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1906 | Unnamed 1906 stormJun 13 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1903 | Unnamed 1903 stormSep 15 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormOct 11 | 64 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1898 | Unnamed 1898 stormOct 3 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1881 | Unnamed 1881 stormAug 29 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Pell City: 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 Pell City
By decade
- 2020s11(3 EF3+)
- 2010s19(2 EF3+)
- 2000s34(1 EF3+)
- 1990s9(1 EF3+)
- 1980s10
- 1970s17(5 EF3+)
- 1960s12(2 EF3+)
- 1950s5(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 4, 1977 | F5 | 23 mi | 14.7 mi | 22 / 130 |
| Apr 15, 1956 | F4 | 20 mi | 21.3 mi | 25 / 200 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF4 | 12 mi | 97.33 mi | 22 / 85 |
| Mar 27, 1994 | F4 | 13 mi | 50 mi | 22 / 150 |
| Jan 24, 1964 | F4 | 18 mi | 3.3 mi | 10 / 6 |
| May 27, 1973 | F4 | 19 mi | 139.1 mi | 7 / 199 |
| Nov 24, 2001 | F4 | 24 mi | 10.1 mi | 0 / 22 |
| Mar 25, 2021 | EF3 | 14 mi | 38.17 mi | 6 / 10 |
| Jan 25, 2021 | EF3 | 22 mi | 10.4 mi | 1 / 30 |
| Jan 23, 2012 | EF3 | 15 mi | 15.69 mi | 1 / 75 |
| Apr 4, 1977 | F3 | 17 mi | 7.3 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Jan 10, 1975 | F3 | in town | 18.8 mi | 1 / 60 |
The strongest 12 of 117, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Pell City
The Storm Prediction Center has 60 hail reports within 10 miles of Pell City since 1967, made on 45 separate days. Of these, 32 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on April 5, 2017. The most recent report is from August 18, 2024. April has the most reports, 21.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Pell City
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Talladega 10 NNE, AL, 14 miles east of Pell City at 525 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 90°F and low of 70°F; January is the coolest, at 54°F and 33°F. March is the wettest at 5.7 inches of precipitation on average and October the driest at 3.1 inches; the year adds up to 52.1 inches over 80 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 45% of the year's precipitation (23.7 of 52.1 inches); the other six months are wetter. October has brought the most of the 16 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (6); a normal October there has highs of 76°F and 3.1 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 65 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 60 nights a year. That 52.1 inches is more than at 5 of the 107 Alabama stations used on this site (5%). Cropwell, 6 miles south, has its own station (Talladega, AL): 56.7 inches a year, 4.6 more than here, and a July average high of 91°F against 90°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 54 | 33 | 4.9 | 7 |
| Feb | 59 | 36 | 5.1 | 7 |
| Mar | 66 | 43 | 5.7 | 8 |
| Apr | 75 | 49 | 4.4 | 7 |
| May | 81 | 58 | 3.3 | 7 |
| Jun | 88 | 67 | 4.1 | 7 |
| Jul | 90 | 70 | 4.5 | 7 |
| Aug | 90 | 69 | 3.6 | 6 |
| Sep | 85 | 63 | 3.5 | 4 |
| Oct | 76 | 50 | 3.1 | 5 |
| Nov | 64 | 39 | 4.9 | 5 |
| Dec | 57 | 35 | 5.0 | 8 |
| Year | 74 | 51 | 52.1 | 80 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Talladega 10 NNE, AL (525 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 Pell City
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 118 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Pell City: 105 thunderstorm wind reports, 10 flash floods, 2 lightning strikes and 1 flood. They killed 2 people and injured 4, and the NWS estimated $943,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 105 mph, on February 26, 2008. Of the 321 Alabama cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 123 have had fewer than Pell City.
April 27, 2011: thunderstorm wind in Pell City — 1 killed.
NWS: “Storm damage in and around the cities of Pell City and Riverside was found to be consistent with straight-line winds, with peak wind gusts estimated between 80 and 100 mph. There was a diffuse and intermittent, yet discernible, swath of wind damage that extended from just west of the St.”
April 27, 2011: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Pell City — 1 killed.
June 29, 2025: lightning strike 6 miles from the centre of Pell City — 2 injured.
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 Pell City's 2 ZIP codes have filed 28 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1979, and were paid $550,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 11% 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, 42 have fewer than Pell City.
St. Clair County, which includes Pell City, has been named in 30 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 19 of them major disasters (by incident: 12 severe storms, 8 hurricanes, 4 floods, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 29, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives St. Clair County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for tornadoes; Relatively Moderate for inland flooding, strong wind and lightning; Relatively Low for heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes and hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $32.6 million a year, the 23rd highest of 67 Alabama counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $17.6 million (54%), 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 Pell City
- Cropwell, AL6 mi
- Odenville, AL10 mi
- Lincoln, AL10 mi
- Ragland, AL12 mi
- Moody, AL12 mi
- Vincent, AL13 mi
- Leeds, AL15 mi
- Alpine, AL16 mi
- Talladega, AL16 mi
- Springville, AL16 mi
- Trussville, AL17 mi
- Ashville, AL17 mi
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