NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Rainsville, 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
6 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Rainsville, Alabama since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Zeta in 2020. Since 1950, 134 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 20 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 6
- Tornadoes
- 134
- EF3 or stronger
- 20
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
51 deaths in all
What the records show for Rainsville
None of the 6 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Rainsville; the strongest was Zeta in 2020, a tropical storm with 60 mph winds when its centre passed 35 miles away. The record near Rainsville begins with an unnamed storm in 1892; the most recent system was Zeta in 2020. Of the 6 systems, one has come since 2000. Of the 323 Alabama cities on this site, 97% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Rainsville. The strongest of the 134 tornadoes within 25 miles was an EF5 on April 27, 2011; its path passed within a mile of the city centre, and it killed 25 people. Of the 134, 13 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 95 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 55. The most recent tornado was on May 20, 2025. Rainsville has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 52% of the 323 Alabama cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 100 times since 1960, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Rainsville has more hail reports within 10 miles than 83% of the 323 Alabama cities.
Compare Rainsville's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Rainsville
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 35 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1995 | OpalOct 5 | 4 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1975 | EloiseSep 23 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormOct 17 | 11 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormOct 1 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 40 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 Rainsville: 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 Rainsville
By decade
- 2020s24(1 EF3+)
- 2010s44(9 EF3+)
- 2000s27(2 EF3+)
- 1990s15(1 EF3+)
- 1980s4(2 EF3+)
- 1970s11(2 EF3+)
- 1960s6(1 EF3+)
- 1950s3(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF5 | in town | 33.66 mi | 25 / 0 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF4 | 11 mi | 46.98 mi | 14 / 50 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF4 | 21 mi | 20.24 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Feb 6, 2008 | EF4 | 12 mi | 10.9 mi | 1 / 12 |
| Apr 24, 2010 | EF4 | 13 mi | 16.62 mi | 0 / 5 |
| May 19, 1973 | F4 | 5 mi | 5.4 mi | 0 / 19 |
| Nov 30, 2016 | EF3 | 14 mi | 13.48 mi | 4 / 9 |
| May 8, 2024 | EF3 | 9 mi | 12.34 mi | 0 / 7 |
| Apr 28, 2014 | EF3 | 17 mi | 11.73 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 24, 2010 | EF3 | 14 mi | 14.35 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 24, 2010 | EF3 | 4 mi | 21.25 mi | 0 / 10 |
| Apr 24, 2010 | EF3 | 20 mi | 17.7 mi | 0 / 35 |
The strongest 12 of 134, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Rainsville
The Storm Prediction Center has 100 hail reports within 10 miles of Rainsville since 1960, made on 71 separate days. Of these, 51 were 1 inch across or larger, and 4 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2.75 inches (baseball size), was reported on 2 days, most recently April 22, 2005. The most recent report is from May 18, 2024. April has the most reports, 31.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Rainsville
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Valley Head 1 SSW, AL, 13 miles east of Rainsville at 1,020 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 87°F and low of 66°F; January is the coolest, at 50°F and 30°F. December is the wettest at 5.5 inches of precipitation on average and August the driest at 3.5 inches; the year adds up to 56.4 inches over 83 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 26 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 78 nights a year. That 56.4 inches is more than at 34 of the 107 Alabama stations used on this site (32%). Fyffe, 6 miles southwest, has its own station (Sand Mt Substn, AL): 56.7 inches a year, 0.3 more than here, and a July average high of 88°F against 87°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 50 | 30 | 4.7 | 7 |
| Feb | 55 | 32 | 5.4 | 8 |
| Mar | 62 | 39 | 5.2 | 8 |
| Apr | 71 | 46 | 5.1 | 7 |
| May | 78 | 54 | 4.4 | 7 |
| Jun | 84 | 63 | 4.8 | 7 |
| Jul | 87 | 66 | 5.2 | 8 |
| Aug | 87 | 66 | 3.5 | 6 |
| Sep | 81 | 59 | 4.5 | 5 |
| Oct | 72 | 48 | 3.6 | 5 |
| Nov | 61 | 37 | 4.5 | 6 |
| Dec | 53 | 33 | 5.5 | 8 |
| Year | 70 | 48 | 56.4 | 83 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Valley Head 1 SSW, AL (1,020 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 Rainsville
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 316 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Rainsville: 264 thunderstorm wind reports, 29 flash floods, 11 floods, 6 heavy rain events and 6 lightning strikes. They killed 1 person and injured 6, and the NWS estimated $1.8 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 105 mph, on March 18, 2013. Of the 321 Alabama cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 243 have had fewer than Rainsville.
June 19, 2021: flash flood 7 miles from the centre of Rainsville — 1 killed.
March 18, 2013: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Rainsville — 2 injured.
August 8, 2006: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Rainsville — 1 injured, $350,000 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
DeKalb County, which includes Rainsville, has been named in 34 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 24 of them major disasters (by incident: 18 severe storms, 7 hurricanes, 3 floods, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Thunderstorms, on July 10, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives DeKalb County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for strong wind; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, inland flooding and lightning; Relatively Low for hurricanes, hail and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $31.6 million a year, the 24th highest of 67 Alabama counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $15.7 million (50%), 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.