NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Town Creek, 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
8 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Town Creek, Alabama since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Katrina in 2005. Since 1950, 159 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 21 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 8
- Tornadoes
- 159
- EF3 or stronger
- 21
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
166 deaths in all
What the records show for Town Creek
None of the 8 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Town Creek; the strongest was Frederic in 1979, a tropical storm with 48 mph winds when its centre passed 3 miles away. The record near Town Creek begins with an unnamed storm in 1892; the most recent system was Katrina in 2005, a tropical storm 52 miles away. The 1910s and the 1950s were the busiest decades, with 2 systems each. Of the 8 systems, one has come since 2000. Of the 323 Alabama cities on this site, 85% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Town Creek. The highest rating among the 159 tornadoes within 25 miles is F5 or EF5, reached 4 times; the most recent, on April 27, 2011, came within 10 miles. Of the 159, 10 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 105 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 40. The most recent tornado was on May 20, 2025. Town Creek has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 72% of the 323 Alabama cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 86 times since 1980, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Town Creek has more hail reports within 10 miles than 72% of the 323 Alabama cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Town Creek
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | KatrinaAug 30 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 13 | 3 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1957 | AudreyJun 28 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1950 | BakerAug 31 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1934 | Unnamed 1934 stormJun 18 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormOct 19 | 21 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormSep 30 | 8 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 45 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 Town Creek: 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 Town Creek
By decade
- 2020s27(1 EF3+)
- 2010s38(4 EF3+)
- 2000s40(1 EF3+)
- 1990s15(2 EF3+)
- 1980s9(2 EF3+)
- 1970s9(4 EF3+)
- 1960s12(5 EF3+)
- 1950s9(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF5 | 10 mi | 132 mi | 72 / 145 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F5 | 22 mi | 79.5 mi | 28 / 272 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F5 | 9 mi | 52 mi | 28 / 267 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F5 | 21 mi | 83.3 mi | 16 / 190 |
| Feb 6, 2008 | EF4 | 17 mi | 16.7 mi | 4 / 23 |
| Mar 22, 1952 | F4 | 24 mi | 21.6 mi | 4 / 50 |
| May 18, 1995 | F4 | 25 mi | 29 mi | 3 / 32 |
| Apr 28, 2014 | EF3 | 14 mi | 15.56 mi | 2 / 30 |
| Mar 9, 1964 | F3 | 14 mi | 5.2 mi | 2 / 2 |
| Feb 4, 1971 | F3 | 19 mi | 34.1 mi | 1 / 13 |
| Feb 20, 1953 | F3 | 17 mi | 0.1 mi | 1 / 8 |
| May 8, 2024 | EF3 | 13 mi | 3.76 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 159, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Town Creek
The Storm Prediction Center has 86 hail reports within 10 miles of Town Creek since 1980, made on 64 separate days. Of these, 44 were 1 inch across or larger, and 3 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on May 20, 2025, the most recent report. March has the most reports, 22.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Town Creek
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Courtland 2 WSW, AL, 4 miles east of Town Creek at 575 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 89°F and low of 70°F; January is the coolest, at 51°F and 31°F. Highs reach 90°F on about 49 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 64 nights a year. That 56.2 inches is more than at 32 of the 107 Alabama stations used on this site (30%). Leighton, 7 miles west, has its own station (Muscle Shoals Regional Airport, AL): 54.5 inches a year, 1.7 less than here, and a July average high of 92°F against 89°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 51 | 31 | 5.0 | 6 |
| Feb | 55 | 34 | 5.5 | 7 |
| Mar | 63 | 41 | 5.5 | 8 |
| Apr | 72 | 49 | 4.9 | 7 |
| May | 80 | 58 | 4.9 | 6 |
| Jun | 86 | 66 | 4.3 | 6 |
| Jul | 89 | 70 | 5.0 | 7 |
| Aug | 88 | 68 | 3.7 | 6 |
| Sep | 83 | 61 | 4.0 | 5 |
| Oct | 73 | 50 | 3.7 | 6 |
| Nov | 62 | 39 | 4.2 | 6 |
| Dec | 53 | 34 | 5.5 | 8 |
| Year | 71 | 50 | 56.2 | 77 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Courtland 2 WSW, AL (575 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 Town Creek
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 265 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Town Creek: 233 thunderstorm wind reports, 16 flash floods, 9 floods, 4 lightning strikes and 3 heavy rain events. They killed 1 person and injured 2, and the NWS estimated $1.1 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 94 mph, on February 15, 2025. September has had the most flash floods, 4 of 16. Of the 321 Alabama cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 190 have had fewer than Town Creek.
July 19, 2016: lightning strike 4 miles from the centre of Town Creek — 1 killed.
NWS: “A 20 year old male was struck by lightning at his residence near the Hatton area in Lawrence County. At the time of strike, he was outside viewing the parent storm which was estimated to be approx.”
July 20, 2000: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Town Creek — 1 injured, $75,000 damage.
June 16, 2010: thunderstorm wind 2 miles from the centre of Town Creek — 1 injured, $25,000 damage.
NWS: “Strong winds downed trees and power lines across many areas in and near the Town Creek community, causing numerous power outages. In addition, thunderstorm winds caused structural damage to a barn on highway 101 near Town Creek.”
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 Town Creek's ZIP code 35672 have filed 35 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1983, and were paid $638,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 11% 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, 55 have fewer than Town Creek.
Lawrence County, which includes Town Creek, has been named in 22 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 13 of them major disasters (by incident: 9 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 Lawrence County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for tornadoes and lightning; Relatively Moderate for strong wind and heat waves; Relatively Low for hurricanes and inland flooding; Very Low for hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $20.5 million a year, the 29th highest of 67 Alabama counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $7.5 million (36%), 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 Town Creek
- Leighton, AL7 mi
- Hillsboro, AL12 mi
- Moulton, AL13 mi
- Muscle Shoals, AL15 mi
- Rogersville, AL15 mi
- Trinity, AL17 mi
- Tuscumbia, AL18 mi
- Sheffield, AL18 mi
- Killen, AL19 mi
- Russellville, AL20 mi
- Florence, AL22 mi
- Lexington, AL22 mi
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