NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Samson, 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
61 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Samson, Alabama since 1851, 12 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Fred in 2021. Since 1950, 97 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 5 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 12
- Tropical storms
- 49
- Tornadoes
- 97
- EF3 or stronger
- 5
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
15 deaths in all
What the records show for Samson
The strongest storm to pass near Samson was Michael in 2018, a Category 4 hurricane with 135 mph winds when its centre passed 64 miles away. The closest pass by a hurricane was an unnamed storm in 1882, whose centre came within 3 miles. The record near Samson begins with an unnamed storm in 1851; the most recent system was Fred in 2021, a tropical storm 38 miles away. The 1880s and the 1900s were the busiest decades, with 7 systems each. Of the 61 systems, 9 have come since 2000. Samson has more hurricanes within 75 miles than 88% of the 323 Alabama cities on this site. The strongest of the 97 tornadoes within 25 miles was an EF4 on March 1, 2007; its path came within 15 miles, and it killed 9 people. Of the 97, 3 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 39 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 15. The most recent tornado was on May 10, 2025. Of the 323 Alabama cities, 79% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Samson. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 15 times since 1968, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 323 Alabama cities, 97% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Samson.
Compare Samson's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Samson
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | FredAug 17 | 38 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2020 | SallySep 17 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 2019 | NestorOct 19 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2018 | MichaelOct 10 | 64 mi | Category 4 (135 mph) | Category 5 |
| 2018 | AlbertoMay 28 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2009 | ClaudetteAug 17 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2008 | FayAug 23 | 34 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2001 | BarryAug 6 | 31 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2000 | HeleneSep 22 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1998 | EarlSep 3 | 66 mi | Category 1 (75 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1995 | OpalOct 5 | 42 mi | Category 1 (89 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1994 | BerylAug 16 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1994 | AlbertoJul 3 | 31 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1985 | JuanOct 31 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1975 | EloiseSep 23 | 5 mi | Category 3 (110 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1972 | AgnesJun 20 | 64 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1969 | Unnamed 1969 stormOct 1 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1965 | Unnamed 1965 stormJun 15 | 4 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1964 | HildaOct 5 | 34 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1957 | DebbieSep 8 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1956 | FlossySep 25 | 34 mi | Tropical storm (71 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1953 | FlorenceSep 26 | 20 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1953 | AliceJun 6 | 49 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1948 | Unnamed 1948 stormJul 9 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1939 | Unnamed 1939 stormAug 13 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1937 | Unnamed 1937 stormAug 31 | 7 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1936 | Unnamed 1936 stormJul 31 | 53 mi | Category 1 (87 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormOct 6 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1929 | Unnamed 1929 stormOct 1 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1928 | Unnamed 1928 stormAug 15 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1919 | Unnamed 1919 stormJul 4 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1917 | Unnamed 1917 stormSep 29 | 12 mi | Category 1 (84 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormOct 18 | 72 mi | Category 1 (85 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormSep 4 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (68 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1914 | Unnamed 1914 stormSep 18 | 15 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1907 | Unnamed 1907 stormSep 28 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1907 | Unnamed 1907 stormJun 28 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1906 | Unnamed 1906 stormJun 13 | 24 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1904 | Unnamed 1904 stormNov 3 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1903 | Unnamed 1903 stormSep 14 | 8 mi | Tropical storm (66 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormOct 11 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1901 | Unnamed 1901 stormSep 17 | 9 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1899 | Unnamed 1899 stormAug 2 | 18 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1898 | Unnamed 1898 stormAug 3 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1896 | Unnamed 1896 stormJul 7 | 11 mi | Category 1 (85 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1894 | Unnamed 1894 stormOct 9 | 69 mi | Category 3 (117 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 3 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (64 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1889 | Unnamed 1889 stormSep 23 | 17 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1887 | Unnamed 1887 stormOct 19 | 28 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1887 | Unnamed 1887 stormJul 27 | 7 mi | Tropical storm (70 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1885 | Unnamed 1885 stormSep 28 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1885 | Unnamed 1885 stormAug 30 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1882 | Unnamed 1882 stormSep 10 | 3 mi | Category 1 (92 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1880 | Unnamed 1880 stormAug 31 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1879 | Unnamed 1879 stormOct 16 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1877 | Unnamed 1877 stormSep 20 | 35 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1875 | Unnamed 1875 stormSep 27 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1860 | Unnamed 1860 stormAug 12 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1859 | Unnamed 1859 stormSep 16 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1856 | Unnamed 1856 stormAug 31 | 51 mi | Category 1 (94 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1851 | Unnamed 1851 stormAug 23 | 60 mi | Category 2 (107 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Samson: 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 Samson
By decade
- 2020s9
- 2010s14
- 2000s16(1 EF3+)
- 1990s22
- 1980s10(2 EF3+)
- 1970s16(2 EF3+)
- 1960s5
- 1950s5
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 1, 2007 | EF4 | 15 mi | 10.33 mi | 9 / 50 |
| Nov 25, 1986 | F3 | 21 mi | 44 mi | 0 / 4 |
| May 16, 1983 | F3 | 21 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Dec 29, 1973 | F3 | 18 mi | 11.6 mi | 0 / 11 |
| Sep 17, 1971 | F3 | 24 mi | 0.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jan 13, 1972 | F2 | 22 mi | 6.3 mi | 4 / 88 |
| Dec 16, 2000 | F2 | 10 mi | 4.5 mi | 1 / 9 |
| May 26, 1973 | F2 | 14 mi | 105.4 mi | 1 / 4 |
| May 10, 2025 | EF2 | 23 mi | 15.48 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Nov 15, 2006 | F2 | 20 mi | 15.81 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 1, 1983 | F2 | 22 mi | 0.3 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Apr 12, 1980 | F2 | 4 mi | 31.1 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 Samson
The Storm Prediction Center has 15 hail reports within 10 miles of Samson since 1968, made on 12 separate days. Of these, 11 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on March 27, 2011. The most recent report is from March 13, 2025. March has the most reports, 9.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Samson
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Geneva #2, AL, 11 miles east of Samson at 145 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 92°F and low of 69°F; January is the coolest, at 62°F and 35°F. June and July are the wettest at 6.3 inches of precipitation on average and May the driest at 3.3 inches; the year adds up to 62.3 inches over 80 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 51% of the year's precipitation (31.5 of 62.3 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 61 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (19); a normal September there has highs of 88°F and 5.1 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 77 days a year, almost all from May to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 45 nights a year. That 62.3 inches is more than at 94 of the 107 Alabama stations used on this site (88%). Kinston, 10 miles northwest, has its own station (Enterprise 4 W, AL): 58.0 inches a year, 4.3 less than here, and the same July average high, 92°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 62 | 35 | 5.4 | 7 |
| Feb | 66 | 39 | 5.8 | 7 |
| Mar | 73 | 44 | 5.6 | 6 |
| Apr | 79 | 50 | 5.1 | 6 |
| May | 87 | 59 | 3.3 | 5 |
| Jun | 91 | 67 | 6.3 | 9 |
| Jul | 92 | 69 | 6.3 | 10 |
| Aug | 92 | 69 | 5.4 | 9 |
| Sep | 88 | 64 | 5.1 | 6 |
| Oct | 81 | 52 | 3.6 | 4 |
| Nov | 71 | 42 | 4.8 | 5 |
| Dec | 64 | 37 | 5.6 | 7 |
| Year | 79 | 52 | 62.3 | 80 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Geneva #2, AL (145 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 Samson
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 144 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Samson: 107 thunderstorm wind reports, 22 floods, 14 flash floods and 1 lightning strike. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $25.6 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 75 mph, on April 19, 2020. September has had the most flash floods, 4 of 14. Of the 321 Alabama cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 170 have had fewer than Samson.
July 4, 2013: flood 7 miles from the centre of Samson — $11.0 million damage.
NWS: “Disastrous areal flooding occurred across Walton county with a large number of county roads flooded. Transportation was severely impacted across the county.”
July 4, 2013: flood 7 miles from the centre of Samson — $8.5 million damage.
NWS: “Disastrous areal flooding occurred across Holmes county with most county roads flooded. Transportation was severely impacted across the county with schools closed and a federal disaster declaration obtained.”
February 11, 2013: flood 7 miles from the centre of Samson — $2.4 million 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
Flood insurance policyholders in Samson's ZIP code 36477 have filed 21 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1994, and were paid $648,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The year with the most claims was 1998, with 14. 90% 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, 29 have fewer than Samson.
Geneva County, which includes Samson, has been named in 33 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1975, 21 of them major disasters (by incident: 16 hurricanes, 11 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 floods). The latest major disaster declaration was Hurricane Sally, on September 20, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Geneva County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for hurricanes and lightning; Relatively Low for tornadoes, inland flooding, strong wind and heat waves; Very Low for hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $11.7 million a year, the 41st highest of 67 Alabama counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $5.2 million (44%), 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 Samson
- Kinston, AL10 mi
- Geneva, AL11 mi
- Chancellor, AL12 mi
- Westville, FL15 mi
- Florala, AL18 mi
- Opp, AL18 mi
- Enterprise, AL20 mi
- Hartford, AL21 mi
- New Brockton, AL23 mi
- Elba, AL23 mi
- Daleville, AL23 mi
- Laurel Hill, FL25 mi
All Alabama cities →All hurricanes since 1851 →Compare Samson with another place →