NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Vestavia, 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
13 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Vestavia, Alabama since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Zeta in 2020. Since 1950, 161 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 21 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 13
- Tornadoes
- 161
- EF3 or stronger
- 21
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
204 deaths in all
What the records show for Vestavia
None of the 13 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Vestavia; the strongest was Eloise in 1975, a tropical storm with 69 mph winds when its centre passed 69 miles away. The record near Vestavia begins with an unnamed storm in 1881; the most recent system was Zeta in 2020, a tropical storm 9 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1910s, with 3 systems. Of the 13 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Of the 323 Alabama cities on this site, 69% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Vestavia. The highest rating among the 161 tornadoes within 25 miles is F5, reached 2 times; the most recent, on April 8, 1998, came within 12 miles. The deadliest, an EF4 on April 27, 2011, killed 64 people. Of the 161, 16 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 88 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 47. The most recent tornado was on November 25, 2025. Vestavia has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 74% of the 323 Alabama cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 235 times since 1955, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Vestavia has more hail reports within 10 miles than 98% of the 323 Alabama cities.
Compare Vestavia's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Vestavia
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 9 mi | Tropical storm (66 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2004 | IvanSep 16 | 1 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1995 | OpalOct 5 | 36 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1985 | JuanNov 1 | 4 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1975 | EloiseSep 23 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormOct 17 | 8 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormOct 18 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormJul 8 | 15 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1912 | Unnamed 1912 stormJun 14 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1907 | Unnamed 1907 stormSep 22 | 46 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1906 | Unnamed 1906 stormJun 13 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1881 | Unnamed 1881 stormAug 29 | 38 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 Vestavia: 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 Vestavia
By decade
- 2020s21(4 EF3+)
- 2010s34(5 EF3+)
- 2000s33
- 1990s10(1 EF3+)
- 1980s15
- 1970s23(3 EF3+)
- 1960s14(4 EF3+)
- 1950s11(4 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 8, 1998 | F5 | 12 mi | 30.3 mi | 32 / 259 |
| Apr 4, 1977 | F5 | 10 mi | 14.7 mi | 22 / 130 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF4 | 11 mi | 80.68 mi | 64 / 1500 |
| Apr 15, 1956 | F4 | 9 mi | 21.3 mi | 25 / 200 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF4 | 22 mi | 97.33 mi | 22 / 85 |
| Jan 24, 1964 | F4 | 22 mi | 3.3 mi | 10 / 6 |
| May 27, 1973 | F4 | 24 mi | 139.1 mi | 7 / 199 |
| Mar 6, 1967 | F4 | 25 mi | 20.9 mi | 2 / 25 |
| Mar 5, 1963 | F4 | 3 mi | 14.9 mi | 0 / 35 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF3 | 22 mi | 72.13 mi | 7 / 50 |
| Jan 25, 2021 | EF3 | 12 mi | 10.4 mi | 1 / 30 |
| Jan 23, 2012 | EF3 | 14 mi | 15.69 mi | 1 / 75 |
The strongest 12 of 161, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Vestavia
The Storm Prediction Center has 235 hail reports within 10 miles of Vestavia since 1955, made on 140 separate days. Of these, 118 were 1 inch across or larger, and 4 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on April 11, 2008. The most recent report is from June 27, 2025. April has the most reports, 70.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Vestavia
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Birmingham Airport, AL, 10 miles north of Vestavia at 615 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 91°F and low of 72°F; January is the coolest, at 55°F and 35°F. March is the wettest at 5.7 inches of precipitation on average and October the driest at 3.3 inches; the year adds up to 56.7 inches over 81 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 46% of the year's precipitation (26.1 of 56.7 inches); the other six months are wetter. Highs reach 90°F on about 65 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 47 nights a year. Snowfall averages 1.4 inches a year, most of it in March. That 56.7 inches is more than at 40 of the 107 Alabama stations used on this site (37%). Hoover, 3 miles southwest, has its own station (Helena, AL): 55.7 inches a year, 1.0 less than here, and a July average high of 92°F against 91°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 55 | 35 | 5.0 | 7 | 0.4 |
| Feb | 59 | 38 | 5.0 | 8 | 0.3 |
| Mar | 67 | 45 | 5.7 | 8 | 0.5 |
| Apr | 75 | 52 | 5.1 | 6 | 0.0 |
| May | 82 | 61 | 4.9 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 88 | 69 | 4.8 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 91 | 72 | 5.4 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 91 | 71 | 4.4 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 86 | 65 | 4.0 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 76 | 54 | 3.3 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 65 | 43 | 4.2 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 57 | 38 | 4.9 | 8 | 0.2 |
| Year | 74 | 54 | 56.7 | 81 | 1.4 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Birmingham Airport, AL (615 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 Vestavia
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 389 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Vestavia: 272 thunderstorm wind reports, 92 flash floods, 11 heavy rain events, 8 lightning strikes and 6 floods. They killed 6 people and injured 18, and the NWS estimated $4.8 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 104 mph, on April 11, 2011. July has had the most flash floods, 23 of 92. Of the 321 Alabama cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 314 have had fewer than Vestavia.
July 21, 2022: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Vestavia — 2 killed, 3 injured.
October 6, 2021: flash flood 8 miles from the centre of Vestavia — 2 killed.
March 16, 2022: flash flood 9 miles from the centre of Vestavia — 1 killed, 1 injured.
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 Vestavia's ZIP code 35216 have filed 124 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $4.1 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The year with the most claims was 2021, with 31. 15% 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, 90 have fewer than Vestavia.
Jefferson County, which includes Vestavia, has been named in 39 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1970, 27 of them major disasters (by incident: 18 severe storms, 10 hurricanes, 4 floods, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms and Flooding, on December 21, 2021. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Jefferson County a Relatively High rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Very High for tornadoes and lightning; Relatively High for inland flooding, strong wind and heat waves; Relatively Low for hurricanes; Very Low for hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $262.4 million a year, the 2nd highest of 67 Alabama counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $143.1 million (55%), 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.