NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Tuscaloosa, 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
21 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Tuscaloosa, Alabama since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Zeta in 2020. Since 1950, 124 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 16 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 21
- Tornadoes
- 124
- EF3 or stronger
- 16
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
189 deaths in all
What the records show for Tuscaloosa
None of the 21 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Tuscaloosa; the strongest was Zeta in 2020, a tropical storm with 68 mph winds when its centre passed 23 miles away. The record near Tuscaloosa begins with an unnamed storm in 1855; the most recent system was Zeta in 2020. The busiest decade was the 1910s, with 5 systems. Of the 21 systems, 3 have come since 2000. Tuscaloosa has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 57% of the 323 Alabama cities on this site. The highest rating among the 124 tornadoes within 25 miles is F5, reached 2 times; the most recent, on April 8, 1998, came within 19 miles. The deadliest, an EF4 on April 27, 2011, killed 64 people. Of the 124, 13 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 82 have come since 2000. March has had the most tornadoes, 32. The most recent tornado was on March 15, 2025. Of the 323 Alabama cities, 56% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Tuscaloosa. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 123 times since 1957, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Tuscaloosa has more hail reports within 10 miles than 89% of the 323 Alabama cities.
Compare Tuscaloosa's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Tuscaloosa
Of the 21 tracks on the map, 9 were moving northeast as they passed Tuscaloosa, 8 north and 2 northwest. Zeta (2020), the strongest pass, was heading northeast; its centre passed 23 miles southeast of Tuscaloosa. None made landfall within 75 miles of Tuscaloosa; 17 of the 21 were hurricanes at their peak, none at their closest to the city. In the last 30 seasons (1996–2025), 3 came near Tuscaloosa: 1.0 a decade, against 1.2 a decade from 1851 to 1995.
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 23 mi | Tropical storm (68 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2017 | NateOct 8 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2004 | IvanSep 16 | 30 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1995 | OpalOct 5 | 75 mi | Tropical storm (61 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1985 | JuanNov 1 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 13 | 43 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1950 | BakerAug 31 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormOct 16 | 34 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormOct 18 | 3 mi | Tropical storm (59 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormJul 8 | 17 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormSep 30 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1912 | Unnamed 1912 stormSep 15 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1912 | Unnamed 1912 stormJun 14 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1907 | Unnamed 1907 stormSep 22 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1901 | Unnamed 1901 stormAug 16 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormSep 9 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 7 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1881 | Unnamed 1881 stormAug 29 | 2 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1879 | Unnamed 1879 stormSep 2 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1860 | Unnamed 1860 stormSep 16 | 30 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1855 | Unnamed 1855 stormSep 17 | 46 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 Tuscaloosa: a hurricane's worst winds sit within a few dozen miles of its centre, and inland cities are usually past that.
Check hail and hurricane history for any address
Tornadoes within 25 miles of Tuscaloosa
By decade
- 2020s26(2 EF3+)
- 2010s23(6 EF3+)
- 2000s33(2 EF3+)
- 1990s12(2 EF3+)
- 1980s10(1 EF3+)
- 1970s12(1 EF3+)
- 1960s5(1 EF3+)
- 1950s3(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 3, 1966 | F5 | 9 mi | 202.5 mi | 58 / 518 |
| Apr 8, 1998 | F5 | 19 mi | 30.3 mi | 32 / 259 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF4 | 3 mi | 80.68 mi | 64 / 1500 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF4 | 24 mi | 127.8 mi | 13 / 54 |
| Dec 16, 2000 | F4 | 3 mi | 18 mi | 11 / 144 |
| Feb 23, 1975 | F4 | 1 mi | 14.4 mi | 1 / 49 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF3 | 19 mi | 72.13 mi | 7 / 50 |
| Mar 25, 2021 | EF3 | 21 mi | 50.13 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Mar 25, 2021 | EF3 | 15 mi | 11.11 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF3 | 9 mi | 20.26 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF3 | 14 mi | 22.46 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 15, 2011 | EF3 | 1 mi | 18.37 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 124, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Tuscaloosa
The Storm Prediction Center has 123 hail reports within 10 miles of Tuscaloosa since 1957, made on 85 separate days. Of these, 57 were 1 inch across or larger, and 3 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2.75 inches (baseball size), was reported on 2 days, most recently March 1, 2007. The most recent report is from May 18, 2024. March has the most reports, 27.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Tuscaloosa
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Northport 2 S, AL, 4 miles west of Tuscaloosa at 150 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 92°F and low of 71°F; January is the coolest, at 56°F and 35°F. February is the wettest at 5.6 inches of precipitation on average and September and October the driest at 3.6 inches; the year adds up to 57.2 inches over 79 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 46% of the year's precipitation (26.4 of 57.2 inches); the other six months are wetter. September has brought the most of the 21 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (10); a normal September there has highs of 87°F and 3.6 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 89 days a year, almost all from May to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 47 nights a year. That 57.2 inches is more than at 54 of the 107 Alabama stations used on this site (50%). Coker, 9 miles northwest, has its own station (Tuscaloosa Acfd, AL): 57.8 inches a year, 0.6 more than here, and a July average high of 94°F against 92°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 56 | 35 | 5.1 | 7 |
| Feb | 61 | 38 | 5.6 | 8 |
| Mar | 68 | 45 | 5.5 | 8 |
| Apr | 76 | 52 | 5.4 | 7 |
| May | 84 | 60 | 4.0 | 6 |
| Jun | 90 | 68 | 5.3 | 7 |
| Jul | 92 | 71 | 4.9 | 7 |
| Aug | 92 | 71 | 4.2 | 8 |
| Sep | 87 | 65 | 3.6 | 4 |
| Oct | 78 | 53 | 3.6 | 5 |
| Nov | 67 | 42 | 4.8 | 5 |
| Dec | 58 | 37 | 5.2 | 8 |
| Year | 76 | 53 | 57.2 | 79 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Northport 2 S, AL (150 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 Tuscaloosa
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 186 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Tuscaloosa: 148 thunderstorm wind reports, 28 flash floods, 5 heavy rain events, 3 floods and 2 lightning strikes. They killed 8 people and injured 9, and the NWS estimated $6.8 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 98 mph, on April 28, 2014. July has had the most flash floods, 6 of 28. Of the 321 Alabama cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 239 have had fewer than Tuscaloosa.
March 22, 2022: flash flood 10 miles from the centre of Tuscaloosa — 3 killed.
June 19, 2021: thunderstorm wind 4 miles from the centre of Tuscaloosa — 2 killed.
NWS: “A large tree fell on a mobile home located off Hargrove Road East and resulted in two fatalities.”
April 28, 2014: heavy rain event 2 miles from the centre of Tuscaloosa — 1 killed, 1 injured.
NWS: “28 inches of rain in one hour. Two individuals sought shelter from an possible tornado in the undeveloped basement of their home on the 1400 block of 22nd Avenue.”
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 Tuscaloosa's 4 ZIP codes have filed 217 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1979, and were paid $2.3 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Tropical Storm Nicholas in 2021: 17 claims (8% of all) and $359,000, then Hurricane Frederic in 1979 with 10. 22% 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, 97 have fewer than Tuscaloosa.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Tropical Storm Nicholas2021 | 17 | $359,000 |
| Hurricane Frederic1979 | 10 | $175,000 |
Tuscaloosa County, which includes Tuscaloosa, has been named in 28 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 18 of them major disasters (by incident: 11 severe storms, 9 hurricanes, 2 biological emergencies, 2 floods). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms and Flooding, on May 21, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Tuscaloosa County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for tornadoes, strong wind and lightning; Relatively Moderate for inland flooding and heat waves; Relatively Low for hurricanes and hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $83.1 million a year, the 7th highest of 67 Alabama counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $40.7 million (49%), 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.