NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit West Blocton, 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
16 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of West Blocton, Alabama since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Zeta in 2020. Since 1950, 129 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 17 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 16
- Tornadoes
- 129
- EF3 or stronger
- 17
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
182 deaths in all
What the records show for West Blocton
None of the 16 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed West Blocton; the strongest was Zeta in 2020, a tropical storm with 67 mph winds when its centre passed 5 miles away. The record near West Blocton begins with an unnamed storm in 1852; the most recent system was Zeta in 2020. The busiest decade was the 1910s, with 3 systems. Of the 16 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Of the 323 Alabama cities on this site, 56% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than West Blocton. The highest rating among the 129 tornadoes within 25 miles is F5, reached 2 times; the most recent, on April 8, 1998, came within 24 miles. The deadliest, an EF4 on April 27, 2011, killed 64 people. Of the 129, 6 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 86 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 35. The most recent tornado was on March 15, 2025. Of the 323 Alabama cities, 52% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than West Blocton. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 38 times since 1983, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Of the 323 Alabama cities, 71% have more hail reports within 10 miles than West Blocton.
Compare West Blocton's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near West Blocton
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 5 mi | Tropical storm (67 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2004 | IvanSep 16 | 8 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1995 | OpalOct 5 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (61 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1985 | JuanNov 1 | 21 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 13 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (59 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1950 | BakerAug 31 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormOct 16 | 13 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormOct 18 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormJul 8 | 11 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1912 | Unnamed 1912 stormJun 14 | 32 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1907 | Unnamed 1907 stormSep 22 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 16 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1881 | Unnamed 1881 stormAug 29 | 10 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1860 | Unnamed 1860 stormSep 16 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1855 | Unnamed 1855 stormSep 17 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1852 | Unnamed 1852 stormAug 27 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in West Blocton: 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 West Blocton
By decade
- 2020s24(4 EF3+)
- 2010s39(4 EF3+)
- 2000s23(1 EF3+)
- 1990s7(1 EF3+)
- 1980s11
- 1970s10(2 EF3+)
- 1960s8(3 EF3+)
- 1950s7(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 3, 1966 | F5 | 24 mi | 202.5 mi | 58 / 518 |
| Apr 8, 1998 | F5 | 24 mi | 30.3 mi | 32 / 259 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF4 | 19 mi | 80.68 mi | 64 / 1500 |
| Dec 16, 2000 | F4 | 16 mi | 18 mi | 11 / 144 |
| May 27, 1973 | F4 | 16 mi | 139.1 mi | 7 / 199 |
| Feb 23, 1975 | F4 | 20 mi | 14.4 mi | 1 / 49 |
| Mar 5, 1963 | F4 | 20 mi | 14.9 mi | 0 / 35 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF3 | 2 mi | 72.13 mi | 7 / 50 |
| Mar 30, 2022 | EF3 | 14 mi | 29.24 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Mar 25, 2021 | EF3 | 10 mi | 79.66 mi | 0 / 13 |
| Mar 25, 2021 | EF3 | in town | 50.13 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Mar 25, 2021 | EF3 | 17 mi | 11.11 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 129, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in West Blocton
The Storm Prediction Center has 38 hail reports within 10 miles of West Blocton since 1983, made on 35 separate days. Of these, 17 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), was reported on 4 days, most recently May 15, 2022. The most recent report is from May 15, 2022. May has the most reports, 9.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in West Blocton
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Centreville 6 SW, AL, 18 miles south of West Blocton at 450 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 91°F and low of 68°F; January is the coolest, at 55°F and 32°F. February is the wettest at 5.9 inches of precipitation on average and October the driest at 3.3 inches; the year adds up to 57.2 inches over 75 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 47% of the year's precipitation (26.6 of 57.2 inches); the other six months are wetter. September has brought the most of the 16 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (6); a normal September there has highs of 86°F and 4.5 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 66 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 67 nights a year. Snowfall averages 0.7 inches a year, most of it in March. That 57.2 inches is more than at 52 of the 107 Alabama stations used on this site (49%). Woodstock, 6 miles north, has its own station (Bessemer 3 WSW, AL): 55.7 inches a year, 1.5 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 | 32 | 5.3 | 7 | 0.1 |
| Feb | 59 | 35 | 5.9 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Mar | 68 | 40 | 5.6 | 7 | 0.5 |
| Apr | 75 | 47 | 4.7 | 6 | 0.0 |
| May | 82 | 56 | 3.7 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 88 | 64 | 4.6 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 91 | 68 | 4.4 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 90 | 67 | 5.0 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 86 | 61 | 4.5 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 76 | 50 | 3.3 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 65 | 38 | 4.8 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 57 | 34 | 5.4 | 7 | 0.1 |
| Year | 74 | 49 | 57.2 | 75 | 0.7 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Centreville 6 SW, AL (450 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 West Blocton
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 54 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of West Blocton: 50 thunderstorm wind reports, 3 flash floods and 1 lightning strike. They killed 0 people and injured 2, and the NWS estimated $229,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on April 24, 2010.
July 8, 2023: lightning strike 8 miles from the centre of West Blocton — 2 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
Bibb County, which includes West Blocton, has been named in 20 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 10 of them major disasters (by incident: 9 hurricanes, 6 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 1 drought). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, and Tornadoes, on April 26, 2021. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Bibb County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes; Relatively Low for inland flooding, lightning and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes, hail and strong wind. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $9.0 million a year, the 49th highest of 67 Alabama counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $4.7 million (52%), 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.