NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Russellville, 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
10 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Russellville, Alabama since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Katrina in 2005. Since 1950, 132 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 12 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 10
- Tornadoes
- 132
- EF3 or stronger
- 12
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
128 deaths in all
What the records show for Russellville
None of the 10 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Russellville; the strongest was Frederic in 1979, a tropical storm with 49 mph winds when its centre passed 7 miles away. The record near Russellville begins with an unnamed storm in 1881; the most recent system was Katrina in 2005, a tropical storm 38 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1910s, with 3 systems. Of the 10 systems, one has come since 2000. Of the 323 Alabama cities on this site, 79% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Russellville. The highest rating among the 132 tornadoes within 25 miles is F5 or EF5, reached 3 times; the most recent, on April 27, 2011, came within 12 miles. Of the 132, 8 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 86 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 39. The most recent tornado was on May 20, 2025. Russellville has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 51% of the 323 Alabama cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 70 times since 1968, with stones up to 4 inches (softball size). Russellville has more hail reports within 10 miles than 62% of the 323 Alabama cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Russellville
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | KatrinaAug 30 | 38 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 13 | 7 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1950 | BakerAug 31 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 17 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormOct 19 | 2 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormJul 8 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormSep 30 | 16 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1881 | Unnamed 1881 stormAug 29 | 71 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 Russellville: 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 Russellville
By decade
- 2020s22
- 2010s35(3 EF3+)
- 2000s29
- 1990s10
- 1980s5(1 EF3+)
- 1970s6(2 EF3+)
- 1960s13(4 EF3+)
- 1950s12(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF5 | 12 mi | 132 mi | 72 / 145 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F5 | 14 mi | 52 mi | 28 / 267 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF5 | 17 mi | 37.3 mi | 23 / 137 |
| Feb 4, 1971 | F3 | 15 mi | 34.1 mi | 1 / 13 |
| Feb 20, 1953 | F3 | 13 mi | 0.1 mi | 1 / 8 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF3 | 20 mi | 31.84 mi | 0 / 25 |
| Nov 4, 1988 | F3 | 8 mi | 60 mi | 0 / 16 |
| Oct 24, 1967 | F3 | 11 mi | 15 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Oct 24, 1967 | F3 | 20 mi | 11.9 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Mar 17, 1965 | F3 | 16 mi | 29.8 mi | 0 / 22 |
| Mar 9, 1964 | F3 | 3 mi | 10.4 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Apr 8, 1957 | F3 | 23 mi | 51.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 132, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Russellville
The Storm Prediction Center has 70 hail reports within 10 miles of Russellville since 1968, made on 54 separate days. Of these, 36 were 1 inch across or larger, and 5 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4 inches (softball size), fell on February 12, 2024. The most recent report is from March 15, 2025. March has the most reports, 17.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Russellville
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Russellville #2, AL, in Russellville at 830 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 91°F and low of 70°F; January is the coolest, at 51°F and 32°F. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 45% of the year's precipitation (25.3 of 56.7 inches); the other six months are wetter. Highs reach 90°F on about 57 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 71 nights a year. Snowfall averages 0.6 inches a year, most of it in January. That 56.7 inches is more than at 40 of the 107 Alabama stations used on this site (37%). Spruce Pine, 8 miles southwest, has its own station (Russellville 4 SSE, AL): 58.8 inches a year, 2.1 more than here, and a July average high of 88°F against 91°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 51 | 32 | 5.0 | 7 | 0.3 |
| Feb | 56 | 34 | 5.1 | 7 | 0.2 |
| Mar | 65 | 40 | 5.4 | 7 | 0.1 |
| Apr | 73 | 49 | 5.1 | 7 | 0.0 |
| May | 81 | 58 | 5.4 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 88 | 66 | 3.8 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 91 | 70 | 4.5 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 91 | 69 | 4.7 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 85 | 62 | 4.0 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 75 | 50 | 3.8 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 63 | 40 | 4.5 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 54 | 34 | 5.4 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Year | 73 | 50 | 56.7 | 76 | 0.6 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Russellville #2, AL (830 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 Russellville
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 241 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Russellville: 221 thunderstorm wind reports, 10 flash floods, 6 lightning strikes and 4 floods. They killed 0 people and injured 2, and the NWS estimated $861,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 87 mph, on February 15, 2025. Of the 321 Alabama cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 123 have had fewer than Russellville.
June 5, 2011: lightning strike 2 miles from the centre of Russellville — 1 injured.
NWS: “Lightning struck a power line at a hotel. A woman experienced a minor injury and was hospitalized due to a resulting electrical surge.”
June 29, 2025: lightning strike 3 miles from the centre of Russellville — 1 injured.
NWS: “Lightning struck a home on Oak Hill Drive in Russellville. A 19 year old female was injured by the strike travelling through a cellular phone connected to a power outlet.”
July 21, 2006: thunderstorm wind in Russellville — $100,000 damage.
NWS: “A microburst from a collapsing severe thunderstorm produced significant damage within the town of Russellville. Most structures in downtown received damage of some magnitude, including windows being blown out, portions of roofs being torn off, and large trees being blown down.”
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 Russellville, 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.
Cities near Russellville
- Spruce Pine, AL8 mi
- Phil Campbell, AL12 mi
- Tuscumbia, AL13 mi
- Leighton, AL15 mi
- Sheffield, AL17 mi
- Muscle Shoals, AL18 mi
- Hackleburg, AL19 mi
- Town Creek, AL20 mi
- Haleyville, AL21 mi
- Cherokee, AL22 mi
- Red Bay, AL23 mi
- Florence, AL23 mi
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