NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Red Bay, 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
13 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Red Bay, Alabama since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Katrina in 2005. Since 1950, 96 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 8 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 13
- Tornadoes
- 96
- EF3 or stronger
- 8
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
98 deaths in all
What the records show for Red Bay
None of the 13 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Red Bay; the strongest was Frederic in 1979, a tropical storm with 51 mph winds when its centre passed 23 miles away. The record near Red Bay begins with an unnamed storm in 1860; the most recent system was Katrina in 2005, a tropical storm 18 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1910s, with 3 systems. Of the 13 systems, one has come since 2000. Of the 323 Alabama cities on this site, 69% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Red Bay. The highest rating among the 96 tornadoes within 25 miles is EF5, reached 2 times; the most recent, on April 27, 2011, came within 20 miles. Of the 96, 6 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 64 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 21. The most recent tornado was on April 5, 2025. Of the 323 Alabama cities, 81% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Red Bay. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 77 times since 1971, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Red Bay has more hail reports within 10 miles than 67% of the 323 Alabama cities.
Compare Red Bay's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Red Bay
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | KatrinaAug 30 | 18 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 13 | 23 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1950 | BakerAug 31 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 17 | 34 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 18 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormOct 19 | 21 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormJul 8 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormSep 30 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 75 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1881 | Unnamed 1881 stormAug 29 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1879 | Unnamed 1879 stormSep 2 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1860 | Unnamed 1860 stormOct 3 | 58 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 Red Bay: 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 Red Bay
By decade
- 2020s25(1 EF3+)
- 2010s28(3 EF3+)
- 2000s11
- 1990s3
- 1980s7(2 EF3+)
- 1970s6(1 EF3+)
- 1960s6
- 1950s10(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF5 | 20 mi | 132 mi | 72 / 145 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF5 | 14 mi | 37.3 mi | 23 / 137 |
| Mar 24, 2023 | EF3 | 23 mi | 36.56 mi | 2 / 55 |
| Apr 28, 2014 | EF3 | 14 mi | 30.97 mi | 0 / 32 |
| Nov 4, 1988 | F3 | 9 mi | 60 mi | 0 / 16 |
| Nov 4, 1988 | F3 | 16 mi | 12 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 29, 1972 | F3 | 13 mi | 45.5 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Apr 8, 1957 | F3 | 24 mi | 51.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 14, 1953 | F2 | 23 mi | 3.3 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Nov 29, 2016 | EF2 | 14 mi | 10.87 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF2 | 7 mi | 9.28 mi | 0 / 1 |
| May 8, 2008 | EF2 | 22 mi | 1.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 96, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Red Bay
The Storm Prediction Center has 77 hail reports within 10 miles of Red Bay since 1971, made on 50 separate days. Of these, 45 were 1 inch across or larger, and 7 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on October 25, 1997. The most recent report is from May 2, 2025. March has the most reports, 29.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Red Bay
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Iuka, MS, 22 miles north of Red Bay at 600 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 88°F and low of 67°F; January is the coolest, at 49°F and 28°F. December is the wettest at 6.7 inches of precipitation on average and October the driest at 3.8 inches; the year adds up to 62.3 inches over 79 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 45% of the year's precipitation (28.1 of 62.3 inches); the other six months are wetter. September has brought the most of the 13 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (4); a normal September there has highs of 84°F and 5.3 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 41 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 95 nights a year. That 62.3 inches is more than at 94 of the 107 Alabama stations used on this site (88%). Golden, MS, 6 miles west, has its own station (Fulton 3 W, MS): 61.3 inches a year, 1.0 less than here, and a July average high of 89°F against 88°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 49 | 28 | 5.2 | 7 |
| Feb | 54 | 31 | 5.5 | 7 |
| Mar | 63 | 37 | 5.9 | 7 |
| Apr | 72 | 46 | 5.5 | 7 |
| May | 79 | 55 | 5.4 | 7 |
| Jun | 86 | 63 | 4.3 | 6 |
| Jul | 88 | 67 | 5.0 | 7 |
| Aug | 88 | 66 | 5.2 | 7 |
| Sep | 84 | 59 | 5.3 | 5 |
| Oct | 74 | 46 | 3.8 | 5 |
| Nov | 62 | 36 | 4.5 | 6 |
| Dec | 52 | 31 | 6.7 | 9 |
| Year | 71 | 47 | 62.3 | 79 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Iuka, MS (600 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 Red Bay
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 106 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Red Bay: 97 thunderstorm wind reports, 6 flash floods and 3 lightning strikes. They killed 0 people and injured 2, and the NWS estimated $1.5 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 100 mph, on October 3, 2014. March has had the most flash floods, 2 of 6. Of the 321 Alabama cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 64 have had fewer than Red Bay.
February 20, 2014: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Red Bay — 1 injured.
March 3, 2023: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Red Bay — 1 injured.
April 22, 2017: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Red Bay — $300,000 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
Franklin County, which includes Red Bay, has been named in 22 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 12 of them major disasters (by incident: 8 severe storms, 6 hurricanes, 2 biological emergencies, 2 tornadoes). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 29, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Franklin County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for tornadoes; Relatively Moderate for lightning; Relatively Low for hurricanes, hail, inland flooding, strong wind and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $17.2 million a year, the 34th highest of 67 Alabama counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $6.1 million (36%), is from tornadoes.
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.