NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Shelby, 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
19 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Shelby, Alabama since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Zeta in 2020. Since 1950, 109 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 7 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 19
- Tornadoes
- 109
- EF3 or stronger
- 7
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
20 deaths in all
What the records show for Shelby
None of the 19 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Shelby; the strongest was Eloise in 1975, a tropical storm with 70 mph winds when its centre passed 49 miles away. The record near Shelby begins with an unnamed storm in 1852; the most recent system was Zeta in 2020, a tropical storm 18 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1900s, with 4 systems. Of the 19 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Shelby has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 50% of the 323 Alabama cities on this site. The highest rating among the 109 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 2 times; the most recent, on May 27, 1973, came within 4 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on January 24, 1964, killed 10 people. Of the 109, 3 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 70 have come since 2000. March has had the most tornadoes, 31. The most recent tornado was on March 15, 2025. Of the 323 Alabama cities, 70% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Shelby. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 29 times since 1955, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Of the 323 Alabama cities, 83% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Shelby.
Compare Shelby's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Shelby
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 18 mi | Tropical storm (66 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2004 | IvanSep 16 | 23 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1995 | OpalOct 5 | 17 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1985 | JuanNov 1 | 14 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1975 | EloiseSep 23 | 49 mi | Tropical storm (70 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormOct 17 | 17 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormOct 18 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (61 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormJul 8 | 9 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1912 | Unnamed 1912 stormJun 14 | 17 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1907 | Unnamed 1907 stormSep 22 | 18 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1906 | Unnamed 1906 stormJun 13 | 43 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1903 | Unnamed 1903 stormSep 15 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormOct 11 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1898 | Unnamed 1898 stormSep 1 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 3 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1881 | Unnamed 1881 stormAug 29 | 26 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1859 | Unnamed 1859 stormSep 16 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1852 | Unnamed 1852 stormAug 27 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Shelby: 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 Shelby
By decade
- 2020s21(4 EF3+)
- 2010s26
- 2000s23
- 1990s5
- 1980s10
- 1970s9(1 EF3+)
- 1960s8(2 EF3+)
- 1950s7
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 24, 1964 | F4 | 18 mi | 3.3 mi | 10 / 6 |
| May 27, 1973 | F4 | 4 mi | 139.1 mi | 7 / 199 |
| Mar 15, 2025 | EF3 | 18 mi | 24.33 mi | 2 / 2 |
| Nov 17, 1968 | F3 | 13 mi | 32.3 mi | 1 / 24 |
| Mar 30, 2022 | EF3 | 19 mi | 29.24 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Mar 25, 2021 | EF3 | 8 mi | 79.66 mi | 0 / 13 |
| Mar 25, 2021 | EF3 | 22 mi | 50.13 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Mar 25, 2021 | EF2 | 17 mi | 14.67 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 17, 2021 | EF2 | 24 mi | 5.84 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 6, 2020 | EF2 | 23 mi | 9.91 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 2, 2012 | EF2 | 24 mi | 28.25 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jan 23, 2012 | EF2 | 15 mi | 39.77 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 109, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Shelby
The Storm Prediction Center has 29 hail reports within 10 miles of Shelby since 1955, made on 25 separate days. Of these, 15 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2 inches (hen egg size), fell on April 13, 1955. The most recent report is from August 9, 2023. March and April have the most reports, 6 each.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Shelby
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Thorsby Exp Stn, AL, 14 miles southwest of Shelby at 680 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 90°F and low of 69°F; January is the coolest, at 55°F and 33°F. March is the wettest at 5.8 inches of precipitation on average and October the driest at 2.9 inches; the year adds up to 56.3 inches over 74 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 45% of the year's precipitation (25.1 of 56.3 inches); the other six months are wetter. September has brought the most of the 19 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (7); a normal September there has highs of 85°F and 3.6 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 56 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 46 nights a year. That 56.3 inches is more than at 33 of the 107 Alabama stations used on this site (31%). Columbiana, 9 miles northwest, has its own station (Alabaster Shelby Co Airport, AL): 56.4 inches a year, 0.1 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 | 55 | 33 | 5.6 | 7 |
| Feb | 59 | 36 | 5.7 | 7 |
| Mar | 67 | 43 | 5.8 | 7 |
| Apr | 74 | 49 | 4.8 | 6 |
| May | 82 | 58 | 4.1 | 6 |
| Jun | 87 | 66 | 4.8 | 7 |
| Jul | 90 | 69 | 5.4 | 7 |
| Aug | 90 | 68 | 4.1 | 6 |
| Sep | 85 | 63 | 3.6 | 5 |
| Oct | 76 | 51 | 2.9 | 4 |
| Nov | 66 | 41 | 4.3 | 5 |
| Dec | 57 | 35 | 5.2 | 6 |
| Year | 74 | 51 | 56.3 | 74 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Thorsby Exp Stn, AL (680 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 Shelby
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 59 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Shelby: 51 thunderstorm wind reports, 7 flash floods and 1 flood. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $254,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 75 mph, on April 27, 2011. Of the 321 Alabama cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 83 have had fewer than Shelby.
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
Shelby County, which includes Shelby, has been named in 26 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 14 of them major disasters (by incident: 9 severe storms, 8 hurricanes, 3 floods, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms and Flooding, on December 21, 2021. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Shelby County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for tornadoes and lightning; Relatively Moderate for inland flooding, strong wind and heat waves; Relatively Low for hurricanes and hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $105.8 million a year, the 5th highest of 67 Alabama counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $55.6 million (53%), 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.